Rose Banks
b. Rosemary Stewart, 21 March 1945, Dallas, Texas, USA. The younger sister of Sylvester Stewart. When he formed Sly And the Family Stone in 1966, Sly invited Rose to join as keyboard player and vocalist. She then followed her brother in changing her surname to Stone. She remained with the group until 1975, playing and singing on hits such as Dance To The Music and Family Affair, and handling lead vocals on the 1972 single Running Away. When Sly disbanded the group in 1975, she recorded a demo tape with her husband Bubba Banks, who took it to Motown. They signed Rose up under her married name, sent her out as support to Marvin Gaye on a European tour, and issued an album called ROSE, which produced a minor R&B hit, Whole New Thing in 1976. Motown chose not to renew her contract, however, and Rose Banks subsequently retired from the music business.