Biff Rose

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Biff Rose
Birth namePaul Conrad Rose III[1]
Born (1937-10-15) October 15, 1937 (age 86)[2]
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation(s)
  • Comedian
  • Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active
  • 1964 – present
Labels
Websitewww.biffrose.com

Paul "Biff" Rose (born October 15, 1937)[2][3] is an American comedian and singer-songwriter.

Biography

Born in New Orleans, Rose moved to Hollywood where he found a job working as a comedy sketch writer with George Carlin working sometimes on the Mort Sahl show.[4] Eventually, Rose moved to songwriting.

Following the release of 1968's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side, Rose made several appearances on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show from 1968 to 1970.[5][6] Rose performed on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,[7] American Bandstand,[8] and Hugh Hefner's Playboy After Dark. He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969[9] and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970.[10]

Music

Rose recorded his first two records for Tetragrammaton Records. Following the release of 1968's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side, which contained his hit single "Buzz the Fuzz", Rose made 12 appearances on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show from 1968 to 1970.[11] He performed his songs ("Gentle People" and "Myrtle's Pies") on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,[7][12] and appeared on American Bandstand,[13] the Merv Griffin Show, the David Frost Show, and Hugh Hefner's Playboy After Dark.

The song "Fill Your Heart" is Rose's best-known composition. Co-written with Paul Williams, the song was adopted by Tiny Tim as the B-side of his 1968 hit single "Tiptoe through the Tulips" before Rose's own release. Most famously, it was recorded by David Bowie on his album Hunky Dory (1971). Rick Wakeman worked as a session musician on that album and commented that Rose's version had "obviously influenced David" in the recording.[14]

Racism

In October 2017, Indy Week pointed out that Rose's website contained "blatantly racist and anti-semitic material". Rose has since taken down one website but operates several others along with several social media accounts where he continues to express himself with racist and anti-semitic language and ideas. He continues to make drawings on his social media pages that utilize visual ethnic stereotypes, like Stereotypes of African Americans and Jewish nose along with graphic depictions of homophobia and misogyny. [15][16]

Full-length releases

  • The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side (1968, Tetragrammaton, re-released on Buddha)
  • Children of Light (1969, Tetragrammaton, re-released on Buddha)
  • Biff Rose [some copies titled Ride On] (1970, Buddha)
  • Half Live at the Bitter End (1971, Buddah)[17]
  • Uncle Jesus, Aunty Christ (1972, United Artists)
  • Roast Beef (1978, Pacific Arts)
  • Thee Messiah Album/Live at Gatsby's (1979, Pacific Arts)

References

  1. ^ Lindsay, Sally (July 17, 1971). "Youth Beat". Pottsville Republican. Page 27. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Paul Conrad Rose, III United States Public Records, 1970-2009. FamilySearch. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  3. ^ O'Leary, Chris (2015). Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie From '64 to '76. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 1780997132.
  4. ^ "Howlin' Wuelf Media, Inc". Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. Retrieved October 1, 2005.
  5. ^ "Columns: April 1969". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  6. ^ "The Official Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson web site". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2005.
  7. ^ a b "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour – Episode Schedule". Smothersbrothers.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  8. ^ TV.com. "American Bandstand – Season 13, Episode 21: Joe South / Biff Rose / Rhetta Hughes". TV.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  9. ^ "BR's Classic Rock Photos – Atlantic City Pop Festival". E-rockworld.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  10. ^ "August 2000 the Psychedelic News Music Ezine". Archived from the original on April 5, 2005. Retrieved September 11, 2005.
  11. ^ "Columns: April 1969". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  12. ^ footage of which can be seen on YouTube."Gentle People". YouTube. July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  13. ^ "American Bandstand – Season 13, Episode 21: Joe South / Biff Rose / Rhetta Hughes". TV.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  14. ^ "Rick Wakeman: On 'Piano Portraits,' David Bowie, Yes in the Rock Hall of Fame and More (Q&A)". Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  15. ^ Hussey, Allison (October 5, 2017). "Heading to Biff Rose Tonight? You Might Want to Check His Website". Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  16. ^ Waggoner, Nate (August 1, 2014). "An Interview with Biff Rose, Truly Weird Part of Music History". Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

Further reading

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biff_Rose&oldid=1115858704"