We’re counting the days till The Great Voices of Soul tour hits the UK featuring Queen Patti Labelle and The S.O.S. Band, Soul II Soul and Loose Ends as well as the one of the many icons of Disco Miss Gwen Dickey from Rose Royce – the band that brought us ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,’ ‘Wishing On A Star,’ ‘Is It Love You’re After’ and that classic, ‘Car Wash’ among many others. We caught up with Gwen on speakerphone as she drove around North London in rush hour traffic.

Hey Gwen, we don’t want to distract you, but what were you doing before you joined Rose Royce?
I joined Rose Royce when I was about 18. I was with another band, The Jewels before that. We were performing Top 40 stuff. It was just covers. I had no idea of what was to come. I wasn’t as knowledgeable about the music business as kids are now. I was a bit naive.

What was the biggest lesson you learned?
Who to trust. We all make mistakes but when you get to a certain level, you can’t say everyone is your friend – because they are not. It’s a very hard lesson to learn. Can I tell you any stories? there are too many examples, I wouldn’t know where to begin.

What about the costumes on this tour. Are they as crazy as the outfits you used to wear?
No, no I’ve changed from all that Seventies’ gear. I wear a lot more modern stuff now. The Seventies’ stuff is out the window.

What was the worst outfit you wore?
Well, I’ve seen it on Top of the Pops. It was this hat with all these feathers and these high platform boots. I was like, ‘What were they thinking?’ I looked like a rooster. (Sadly we are unable to find this video on YouTube.)

Were you happy with it at the time?
I was. I had on some pageboy trousers that came up to the knee. Now I’m like, ‘Oh dear.’

It’s been said in the press a lot recently, that women get asked about clothes, while men get asked about more technical aspects of their industry. Have you found this to be true?
In a way yes, but these days girls don’t wear any clothes so I don’t know how they can say that!

Do you feel your efforts within the band were ever overlooked?
Not at all.

What did you make of Madonna’s version of ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’?
It was different. It’s Madonna isn’t it? It wasn’t soulful, but then I didn’t expect it to be. I was happy that she chose the song in the first place. It means she’s obviously been listening to our records.

What’s this about a sheikh trying to court you?
He was trying! He sent his bodyguards with a briefcase filled with money for us to go shopping but I got my security to say, ‘No.’

Lastly, what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
I think it is was called ‘Jewel Box’ or something. I can’t remember but I like her stuff.

The Great Voices Of Soul
Friday 13th November – O2 Apollo, Manchester
Sunday 15th November – SSE Arena Wembley, London
Monday 16th November – O2 Academy, Birmingham

Tickets available now at:
www. AXS.com
www.Ticketmaster.co.uk
www.SeeTickets.com
www.Gigantic.com