Rose Royce

Rose Royce was a soul and disco band, formed by Motown writer/producer Norman Whitfield - previously most famous for his work with the Temptations - and featuring

Rose Royce was a soul and disco band, formed by Motown writer/producer Norman Whitfield - previously most famous for his work with the Temptations - and featuring singer Gwen Dickey performing under the name Rose Royce. The backing group was comprised of members of Total Concept Limited and Magic Wand, both backing bands for Motown artists such as Edwin Starr, The Undisputed Truth, and The Temptations. When Whitfield left Motown in 1975 to create Whitfield Records, Rose Royce was created.

The group turned out three hit albums during the late-1970s, including the platinum-selling soundtrack to the movie Car Wash. Among their major hits are "Car Wash" (1976), "Do Your Dance" (1977), and the ballads "I Wanna Get Next to You," (1977), "Ooh Boy" (1977), "I'm Going Down" (1977) (later covered by Mary J. Blige), "Wishing on a Star" (1978) (later covered by Beyoncé Knowles), and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (1979) (later covered by Madonna). Their 1979 album Rainbow Connection IV did not sell as well, but is still rated highly by disco/funk afficionados. The group had limited success after 1980 and the decline of disco. Their 1981 album Golden Touch, featuring Richee Benson in the place of Dickey, and was not a success.