''Rainbow Connection IV'' is the fourth album released by the

Funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band

Rose Royce Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B group. They are best known for several hit singles during the 1970s including "Car Wash", " I Wanna Get Next to You", " I'm Going Down", "Wishing on a Star", and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Career Th ...

on the Whitfield label in August 1979. It was produced by

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s.allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators of the Motow ...

. This would be the last album to include lead singer

Gwen Dickey Gwen Dickey (born December 1, 1953) is an American-born British singer best known as the front-woman of the R&B band Rose Royce, where she performed under the name Rose Norwalt. Her most recognized songs include "Car Wash" and "Wishing on a Star ...

before she left the group to embark on a solo career.

History

The album peaked at #22 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached #74 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Two singles were released from the album, "

Is It Love You're After "Is It Love You're After?" is a 1979 song by Rose Royce from the album '' Rainbow Connection IV'', which was the last album with lead singer Gwen Dickey before she left to embark on a solo career. It was also the band's fourth highest-charting sin ...

" and "What You Waitin' For". "Is It Love You're After" peaked at #31 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. It was more successful on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, reaching #13. "What You Waitin' For" failed to chart. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD in 2010 by

Wounded Bird Records Wounded Bird Records is an American compact disc only re-issue record label that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from popular and lesser known artists, including Paul Butterfield, Cactus, Herbie ...

Track listing

Personnel

;Rose Royce *Gwen Dickey – lead vocals *Kenny Copeland – trumpet, lead vocals *Kenji Brown – guitar, lead vocals *Lequeint "Duke" Jobe – bass, vocals *Michael Nash – keyboards *Henry Garner – drums, vocals *Freddie Dunn – trumpet *Michael Moore – saxophone *Terry Santiel – congas ;Additional musicians *Walter Downing – Clavinet, Rhodes *Lafayette Trey Stone, Isy Martin,

Wah Wah Watson Melvin M. Ragin (December 8, 1950 – October 24, 2018), known professionally as "Wah Wah Watson", was an American guitarist who was a member of The Funk Brothers, the studio band for Motown Records. Career A native of Richmond, Virginia, Melvi ...

– guitar *

Jack Ashford Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934), known to his friends as Jashford, is an American musician widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing the ...

– tambourine, cowbell

Production

– producer, arranger, mixing engineer, album concept *Michael Nash – producer ("Pazazz") *Bruce Miller – string and horn arrangements *Leanard Jackson, Steve Smith – recording engineer, mixing engineer *Norman Moore – cover design *Scott Hensell – photography *Tim Bryant/Gribbitt! – art direction *Bill Whitfield – album coordinator

Charts

;Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1979 albums Rose Royce albums Albums produced by Norman Whitfield Whitfield Records albums