Rosie Gaines facts for kids

Rosie Gaines (born Rosemary Gaines on June 26, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. She is from Pittsburg, California. Rosie was a member of the famous musician Prince's band, the New Power Generation. She sang with Prince on their popular song "Diamonds and Pearls". Rosie Gaines also had many dance hits of her own. One of her most well-known songs is "Closer than Close", which became a top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1997.

Music Journey

Early Bands

Rosie Gaines started her music career in a family funk and soul band called Unity. She played the organ. Her brother Carl played bass guitar, her cousin Lacy played guitar, and her sister Mal played drums. Her sister-in-law Dianne sang background vocals.

Later, Rosie also played in bands called The Oasis and A Touch of Class. She then joined The Curtis Ohlson Band. A bandmate, Levi Seacer, Jr., asked her to come to Minneapolis, Minnesota. She went there to record a demo song for The Pointer Sisters.

Working with Prince

While Rosie was recording the demo, Prince heard her sing. He was very impressed by her talent. Prince then asked her to join his band, The New Power Generation. .....

She first appeared on a Prince album called Graffiti Bridge. Her voice was heard clearly on the song "New Power Generation". Rosie was also in the Graffiti Bridge movie with the band. She helped write and perform on the Diamonds and Pearls album. Her singing was a big part of many songs, including "Gett Off", "Cream", and "Diamonds and Pearls".

After the Diamonds and Pearls tour ended in 1992, Rosie Gaines focused on her own music. However, she still worked with Prince sometimes. Prince even produced a special remix of her 1995 song "I Want U". She also sang with Prince on a live version of "Nothing Compares 2 U". This song is on his 1993 album, The Hits/The B-Sides. Rosie also contributed vocals to other Prince songs like "Jam of the Year". She was a guest performer at Prince's Rave Un2 the Year 2000 concert.

Solo Career

Rosie Gaines recorded her first solo album, Caring, in 1985. She followed this with No Sweeter Love in 1987. These albums were not very popular at the time. However, they were later released digitally for people to enjoy.

After working with Prince, Rosie started recording her next solo album. She recorded a lot of music. An album called Concrete Jungle was planned for release. But it was not released until 2010 due to some legal issues.

In 1995, Rosie released her third solo album, Closer than Close, with Motown Records. This album included the songs "I Want U" and "Are You Ready?". It also featured "My Tender Heart", a song she wrote with Prince. In 1995, Rosie also sang with Tevin Campbell on the song "I2I". This song was in the Disney movie A Goofy Movie.

In 1997, a dance remix of "Closer than Close" became very popular. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. This song won Rosie a MOBO Award for Best International Single. This success led her to record another dance song, "I Surrender", released later that year. The "Closer than Close" remix is now considered a classic dance track.

Rosie Gaines also started her own record label, Dredlix Records. She wanted to share her music directly with fans online. In 1997, she released an album called Arrival only on her website. Only 2,000 copies were made. She continued to release music, including You Gave Me Freedom in 2003 and Welcome to My World in 2006. In 2013, she released Soul Survivor.

In 2015, two compilation albums were released: Essential Rosie, which was a collection of her greatest hits, and Dance with Me, a club music album.

Later Life and Support

Rosie Gaines has faced some health challenges over the years. In early 2015, her friend and fellow singer Brenda Vaughn organized a special concert in Oakland. This concert was to help support Rosie. Many famous artists took part, including Lenny Williams, D’Wayne Wiggins from Tony! Toni! Tone!, Wilton Rabb from Graham Central Station, Tuck and Patti, Tony Dwayne, and Levi Seacer, Jr. As of 2016, Rosie Gaines was living with her daughter.

Albums and Songs

Rosie Gaines has released several studio albums, including:

• Caring (1985)
• Closer than Close (1995)
• Arrival (1997)
• No Sweeter Love (2000)
• You Gave Me Freedom (2004)
• Try Me (2005)
• Welcome to My World (2006)
• Concrete Jungle (2010)
• Soul Survivor (2013)

Some of her well-known singles include:

• "Skool-ology (Ain't No Strain)" (1985)
• "I Want U" (1995)
• "Closer than Close" (1997)
• "I Surrender" (1998)

She was also featured on popular songs with Prince and the New Power Generation, such as "Gett Off" and "Diamonds and Pearls" (1991).