By Joy M. Marion
You’re driving down the road with the radio tuned to
your favorite R&B station and a blast from the past begins to play. The timeless song “car wash” with that
unmistakable clapping intro instantly transports you back to the 70’s; or as
some call it, back in the day, when music was soulful, funky and fun. It’s an unmistakable tune by the super group Rose Royce that nearly everyone knows
with that infectious guitar rift featured with simple lyrics.
It has been over 30 years since they burst onto the
music scene with other monster hits that so many of us grew up with and still
love. “I wanna get next to you” and
“Wishing on a star” are only a few of the songs the group which reins from
South Central LA has produced to create the soundtrack to the lives of millions
of their fans around the world.
Right out of the gate they saw superstardom, eventually
earning them eight gold and five platinum records. There were eight talented
male musicians and the unmistakable voice of female singer Gwen Dickey, who all
shot to the top of the charts almost from the beginning.
I had the opportunity to talk to Rose Royce leader and trumpeter, Kenny
Copeland, a few days before the group preformed at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. Many may be wondering what they have been up
to after so many years, and the short answer is they never stopped playing. They have been touring for the past 15 years
and remain hugely popular with their loyal fans, especially in Europe.
“There has been no age barrier with our music and
it’s still so popular after all these years,” explained Copeland. “ We play our music all over the world and
people 25-85 years old show up to listen.
The music is in our blood and the moment I hit the stage it’s like going
into a trancelike state. We really want
to give people a good show because we still love what we do.”
I asked Kopeland what current artists he likes to
listen to and shouldn’t be surprised to learn that one of his favorites is
Charlie Wilson, aka ‘Uncle Charlie’ of the Gap Band, and to a small surprise,
R. Kelly, whom he called “super talented.” He rounded his picks out with one female
singer, former superstar voice of none other than Whitney Houston.
Rose
Royce’s biggest influence on them as a band…? None other than Earth, Wind & Fire, whom
he says they patterned themselves after as well as Cool & The Gang. Copeland proudly acknowledges that his band
has been the muse for current artists such as Mariah Carey, Jay-Z (“Wishing on
a Star”) and Mary J. Blidge (remade the hit “I’m going down”) who have both
recorded from the groups catalog of songs, along with various other musicians
who have sampled in the familiar tunes, further extending the timelessness of
their songs.
What is Copeland’s
favorite Rose Royce song to perform?
“Love don’t live here anymore.” The most
exciting developments with the group are their plans to hit the studio in the
near future to lay down some new tracks with the guys and the new female
vocalist Debelah Morgan (see her here)
whom he says blew his mind after being introduced by a friend and heard her
sing. Morgan had limited success here in
the U.S. but had done exceptionally well in Europe before joining the group. Morgan replaced former original singer, Gwen
Dickey, who helped drive the groups unique sound. She left the group many years ago after band
infighting, financial and legal issues tore them apart.
Other members of the
original group included Henry
Garner (drums), Terral "Terry" Santiel (congas), Lequeint
"Duke" Jobe (bass), Michael Moore (saxophone), Kenny Copeland
(trumpet, lead vocals), Kenji Brown (guitar, lead vocals), Freddie Dunn
(trumpet), and Victor Nix (keyboards).
How much longer can Rose Royce keep going? Copeland, a young 57 years old, says he and
the group have much more to achieve and wants the chance to achieve success
again. “I want to make more money and
it’s also a prestige thing. Just like 50
Cent got his mega mansion, I want mine too,” he remarked. “I just want to keep on pushing it and see
how it feels.”
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