Billie Calvin (May 12, 1949 – June 23, 2007) – Wishing on a Star (1978)

The original member of The Undisputed Truth later wrote this beautiful slow jam for Rose Royce, which only hit #52 R&B although it went to #3 in the UK.

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Billie Calvin was one of the original members of The Undisputed Truth who later wrote Rose Royce’s classic slow jam “Wishing on a Star.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles, during the late sixties Billie Rae Calvin sang with her friend Brenda Joyce Evans in an L.A.-based female vocal group known as The Delicates. After they broke up in 1970, singer/songwriter and producer Bobby Taylor helped the two singers get their foot in the door at Motown’s new West Coast operation, and they began singing backing vocals for various artists.

One of the songs they were featured on was Diana Ross’ version of “Ain't No Mountain High Enough,” originally recorded in 1967 by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and co-written by Ashford & Simpson. Reworked into a soul and gospel-flavored version that featured its backing vocalists prominently in the mix, in 1970 it became the first solo hit by Ross to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. She was subsequently nominated for that year’s Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Producer Norman Whitfield was coming under fire at the time from some Temptations fans who were unhappy with the psychedelic soul sound he had crafted for them. He was looking for a new group he could use to continue refining his production techniques, and teamed Calvin and Evans up with Joe Harris (formerly a member of the Ohio Untouchables, later known as the Ohio Players) to form The Undisputed Truth.

See our earlier post on Whitfield (who coincidentally shares a birthday with Calvin and would have been 84 years old today) for more on their shared musical history.

Norman Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) – You + Me = Love (1976)

The final album Calvin and Evans recorded with The Undisputed Truth was Law of the Land (1973), and left the group a year after its release. Its title track was a socially conscious commentary on the human condition, solely written by Whitfield, and hit #40 R&B. They performed it on D.C.’s answer to Soul Train, the music TV show The Ebony Affair, created by John Jackson. Like many of their other songs, it had previously been recorded by the Temptations, whose version was only released in the UK and went to #41 on the singles charts there.

Despite leaving The Undisputed Truth, Calvin continued to collaborate with Whitfield. After his new group Rose Royce scored a huge hit with their debut soundtrack album Car Wash (1976), whose title track went to #1 on the Hot 100 and became one of the decade’s most well-known songs, she wrote a beautiful slow jam for their second album In Full Bloom (1977). “Wishing on a Star” was originally offered to Barbara Streisand, but she turned it down. The end result was one of the group’s most enduring classics, with Gwen Dickey (aka Rose Norwalt) on lead vocals.

It was released as a single in late 1977 and inexplicably only reached #52 R&B, just missing the Hot 100 at #101. However, it was a huge hit in the UK, going all the way to #3 on the singles charts. It would be covered by several other artists over the years, including Jay-Z in 1998 and Beyoncé in 2004, whose version was included on the soundtrack to the modern classic roller skating/coming of age film Roll Bounce (2005), directed by Malcolm D. Lee.

Calvin later wrote another heartfelt ballad for the group’s third album Strikes Again (1978), “Angel in The Sky,” which was not released as a single.

In 1981, former Undisputed Truth members Joe Harris, Taka Boom, Melvin Stewart and Lloyd Williams joined a new Whitfield-assembled group called Dream Machine as its four lead vocalists. Calvin co-wrote their beautiful ballad “Don't Walk Away” with Motown Funk Brother guitarist Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin. It was included on the group’s self-titled debut LP on RCA, which was produced and arranged by Whitfield.

Happy Heavenly 75th Birthday to the great Billie Rae Calvin.

Further info:

“The Undisputed Truth Considered (2017): Truth or consequences?,” by Graham Reid, Elsewhere, October 23, 2017.

“The Best Undisputed Truth Songs: Funky Gems Worth Revisiting,” by Ashawnta Jackson, UDiscoverMusic, May 12, 2024.

#soul #funk #UndisputedTruth #RoseRoyce #NormanWhitfield #BillieRaeCalvin