Rose had got a taste of recording and had been bitten by the music-business bug.

After leaving school one afternoon she walked across Grand River, to number 6519, where she had an impromptu audition at the Thelma Recording Company's store front office. 

Her warm reception made her start hanging out at the mom and pop operation, eventually teaming up with writer - producer Don Davis, and Joey "Kingfish". The camaraderie at Thelma's suited young Rose and she has fond memories of the time she spent there, "Mr. and Mrs. Coleman (the owners) were such beautiful people, they took really good care of me. And Kingfish could really get me to belt out my voice!"

Rose joined other Thelma recording artists on gigs around Detroit, most notably at the famed 20 Grand on 14^th Street. Radio-jock Martha Jean "The Queen" started hosting sock-hops in the club's Gold Room that were titled Monday Night Swing. With a mere fifty cents cover charge it soon became a hot spot for the city's hip teenagers. They got to see numerous performers lip-syncing to their latest records and often the headline acts from the club's Driftwood Lounge would also make a courtesy appearance.