Statistiques
Biographie
Rose Royce originated from Los Angeles, California, United States and initially formed in 1973. The first incarnation of the group consisted of drummer Henry Garner, percussionist Terral “Terry” Santiel, bassist Lequient “Duke” Jobe, saxophonist Michael Moore, trumpet player/vocalist Kenny Copeland, guitarist/lead vocalist Kenji Brown, trumpet player Freddie Dunn, and keyboardist Victor Nix. Their style shifted over the years, but closely emulated funk, disco, and R&B music. Their influences were not necessarily eclectic but were certainly profuse. Part of the list includes the Temptations, Kool & the Gang, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament, and Sly & the Family Stone.
Before forming Rose Royce many of it’s members acted as backing musicians for various LA groups. They later coalesced into a collective of session and touring musicians for soul singer, Edwin Starr. It was through Starr that the members met Motown producer Norman Whitfield, who signed them to his recently established label Whitfield Records. At this time the band called themselves the Magic Wand and were working for both funk singer Yvonne Fair and the Motown act Undisputed Truth. The group gradually started building an identity of their own and with the recruitment of lead singer Gwen Dickey (aka Rose Norwalt) they seemed to have solidified their independence as a band.
This newly revamped group garnered their name and broke into the mainstream with their involvement in the Joel Schumacher film,“Car Wash”. Norman Whitfield was hired as the music supervisor for the film, and as head consultant he decided this was the perfect opportunity to jump start Rose Royce’s career. The movie and soundtrack both proved to be very popular and as Whitfield intended, it launched the group into international success. The soundtrack featured three Billboard charting singles with the title track reaching the No.1 spot. Also the album won both the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Music and a Grammy award for Best Motion Picture Score.
The group’s 1st official studio album “Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom” was released on 29 July 1977 and soared on the market, hitting No.1 on the US Billboard Top Soul LPs and No. 9 on the US billboard Top LPs. The album has since gone Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK. Their follow up “Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!” also went Gold in the UK and likewise obtained Gold status in the US. It contained the two Billboard R&B hits “I’m in Love (And I Love the Feeling)” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (Madonna resurged interest in this song credited to her 1984 cover).
Their next album “Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection” performed well in critical circles, but experienced slight turbulence on the market; however, it did manage to appear on both the R&B and Billboard Albums charts. Though lead singer Dickey left Rose Royce in 1980, the band still continued to release consistently strong material, but never achieved the success of their early years. They released a total of seven albums throughout the 80s, but called it quits after their 1989 release “Perfect Lover”. Gwen Dickey started a solo career after her departure, but has left open the possibility of reforming Rose Royce.
Avis
Rose Royce’s ballads hit me right in the heart. Their song “I Wanna Get Next To You” clearly touches a lot of people when they perform it. I mean, the crowd goes wild and he tells us all to put our hands up, tells us to sing along. He’s been where we’ve all been, broken-hearted and loving.
His voice is sweeter than cotton candy, seducing every lady in the audience as they sway their arms sinuously. He probably leaves at least five girls in the audience with a huge crush on him by the end of the show. Also, his clothes are hilariously flamboyant sometimes and I love it. Like, it tells you something about his personality.
I think his falsetto vocals are some of the best out there, flowing from a girlish coo to a strong, emotional wail. His stage presence is charismatic and lovely. All eyes are on him. And you have to watch the people on the rail, they’re always all smiles and dancing. You can tell his fans aren’t just casual fans, they’re pretty hardcore! I’m not quite that far gone but I admire their dedication, showing up to shows early and running to that precious front row like it’s a magical treasure. And it is to them.
There were a number of soul and R & B outfits that personified the sound of the 70s in America with Sister Sledge, Chic and Diana Ross all contributing however Rose Royce are an often overlooked icon of the times. The group is responsible for universal hits including 'Wishing on a Star' and 'Car Wash'.
Impressively as the group formed over four decades ago, the members lineup has remained pretty unchanged over the years and the good vibes and unity is visibly noticeable onstage. Although the musicians do not have the same energy of their youth, they still dedicate a large amount of effort into the performance and the feed good tunes including 'I'm Going Down' and 'I Wanna Get Next to You' has the crowd moving along with ease. They remain enthusiastic as the band introduces itself and thanks them for the support tonight. The sense of unity now includes the crowd and the singalong to 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore' is roof raising and completely well earned.
nice band. memories of that good music. at least one original member is still with group. only regret is they were on 1st. too good to be 1st.should have done CAR WASH longer. do the #1 hits that people pay for.
They were good but LENNY WILLIAMS stole the show. He was awesome. Deniece Williams and Regina Belle wasn't there. Glen Jones was good but I didn't know who he was at first due to him not being introduced.