Rose Royce

Rose Royce originated in Los Angeles as a collective that included Henry Garner on drums, Terral “Terry” Santiel on congas, Lequeint “Duke” Jobe on bass, Michael Moore on saxophone, Gwen Dickey singing lead under the stage name Rose Norwalt, Kenny Copeland handling trumpet and lead vocals, Kenji Brown on guitar and lead vocals, Freddie Dunn on trumpet, and Michael Nash on keyboards. Copeland and Garner, still finishing high school and weighing their professional options, launched the ensemble with Dunn and Moore under the successive names Total Concept Unlimited and Magic Wand. After auditioning successfully for Edwin Starr, the musicians served as his regular backing unit.

That affiliation introduced them to a range of industry figures, most notably Motown producer Norman Whitfield. Whitfield began booking the band for sessions and, through his connections, placed them alongside Yvonne Fair, the Undisputed Truth, and the Temptations. Once the players had gained experience, Whitfield oversaw work on what was intended as their first album. At the same time MCA Records needed performers for the Car Wash film soundtrack; Whitfield persuaded the label that the group could handle the assignment, so the tracks already prepared became the official soundtrack recording.

Both the movie and its album achieved strong commercial success, lifting the newly christened Rose Royce to widespread attention. The late-1976 soundtrack yielded three Billboard R&B Top Ten singles—“Car Wash,” “I Wanna Get Next to You,” and “I'm Going Down”—with the title track also reaching number one on the pop chart. To counter doubts about their staying power, the band issued Rose Royce II: In Full Bloom, whose singles “Do Your Dance” and “Ooh Boy” returned them to the R&B Top Ten. Their 1978 follow-up, Rose Royce III: Strikes Again!, contained “I'm in Love (And I Love the Feeling)” and “Love Don't Live Here Anymore,” each of which reached the R&B Top Five.

Subsequent releases produced additional chart entries that fell short of earlier peaks, yet the group cultivated a lasting audience in England, where they continued to headline major venues.