Biff Rose
Encyclopedia
Paul "Biff" Rose is an American
comedian and singer-songwriter
.
Born in New Orleans, Rose first came to prominence as a banjo-toting standup comedian, profiled in Time magazine in 1965. By 1966 he moved to Hollywood, working as a comedy sketch writer with George Carlin
for a host of television variety shows, ultimately working with some regularity on the Mort Sahl
show. Eventually, Rose moved back to songwriting.
David Bowie
covered the song "Fill Your Heart
," co-written by Rose and Paul Williams
, on his album Hunky Dory
(1971). The song was originally released by Tiny Tim
as the B-side to his 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips
." Bowie played another Rose song, "Buzz the Fuzz," in live performance. Other Rose songs were covered by John Denver and Pat Boone.
Following the release of 1968's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side, Rose made several memorable appearances on Johnny Carson's
The Tonight Show
from 1968 to 1970. He also performed his songs on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, American Bandstand
, and Hugh Hefner
's Playboy After Dark. He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969, replacing Joni Mitchell who left the stage crying after being razzed by the hip rock audience early Friday of the three day two weeks before Woodstock mega-fest, and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970.
1978's Roast Beef was produced by Mike Nesmith and recorded in a single take.
2005 saw a revival of label interest in Rose's work. A US CD re-released his Tetragrammaton albums and singles, and a UK compilation covered Rose's work from 1968 through 1985.
philosophy. His piano-playing has been described as jaunty, reminiscent of pre-World War II
Broadway musicals
.
Rose's work of the past ten years differs from his early recordings. He has introduced spoken word and rap
elements into his songs; some recordings experiment with extended song forms and eccentric instrumentation. He makes controversial use of racial stereotypes. In his web-based art, Christ and Hitler are referenced often, apparently as icons/personifications of good and evil. Many of his websites, such as jewmanity.com, openly deal with race and religion. This has resulted on various online postings criticizing Rose of being antisemitic and racist
. It is said that Rose denies the charge.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Born in New Orleans, Rose first came to prominence as a banjo-toting standup comedian, profiled in Time magazine in 1965. By 1966 he moved to Hollywood, working as a comedy sketch writer with George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
for a host of television variety shows, ultimately working with some regularity on the Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Morton Lyon "Mort" Sahl is a Canadian-born American comedian and actor. He occasionally wrote jokes for speeches delivered by President John F. Kennedy. He was the first comedian to record a live album and the first to perform on college campuses...
show. Eventually, Rose moved back to songwriting.
David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
covered the song "Fill Your Heart
Fill Your Heart
"Fill Your Heart" is a song written by singer-songwriter Biff Rose and Paul Williams, in 1966. It was first released on Rose's debut album The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side. Tiny Tim released his version as the B-side of his hit single "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", and later on his debut album, God...
," co-written by Rose and Paul Williams
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
, on his album Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
(1971). The song was originally released by Tiny Tim
Tiny Tim (musician)
Tiny Tim , , born in Manhattan, was an American singer and ukulele player. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice.-Rise to fame:Born to Lebanese parents in 1932, Khaury displayed musical talent at a very young age...
as the B-side to his 1968 hit single, "Tiptoe through the Tulips
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
"Tiptoe Through the Tulips" is a popular song originally published in 1929. The song was written by Al Dubin and Joe Burke .‘Crooning Troubadour’ Nick Lucas’ recording of "Tip-Toe Through The Tulips" hit the top of the charts in May 1929. The song he introduced in the 1929 musical talkie Gold...
." Bowie played another Rose song, "Buzz the Fuzz," in live performance. Other Rose songs were covered by John Denver and Pat Boone.
Following the release of 1968's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side, Rose made several memorable appearances on Johnny Carson's
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
from 1968 to 1970. He also performed his songs on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, and Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
's Playboy After Dark. He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969, replacing Joni Mitchell who left the stage crying after being razzed by the hip rock audience early Friday of the three day two weeks before Woodstock mega-fest, and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970.
1978's Roast Beef was produced by Mike Nesmith and recorded in a single take.
2005 saw a revival of label interest in Rose's work. A US CD re-released his Tetragrammaton albums and singles, and a UK compilation covered Rose's work from 1968 through 1985.
Musical style
Rose's early work consists of unaccompanied piano and vocals as well as more heavily orchestrated numbers. His lyrics have been described as romantic and humorous, while promoting a left-wing hippieHippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
philosophy. His piano-playing has been described as jaunty, reminiscent of pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Broadway musicals
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
.
Rose's work of the past ten years differs from his early recordings. He has introduced spoken word and rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
elements into his songs; some recordings experiment with extended song forms and eccentric instrumentation. He makes controversial use of racial stereotypes. In his web-based art, Christ and Hitler are referenced often, apparently as icons/personifications of good and evil. Many of his websites, such as jewmanity.com, openly deal with race and religion. This has resulted on various online postings criticizing Rose of being antisemitic and racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. It is said that Rose denies the charge.
Full Length Releases
- Biff, Cliff, and Warren (1961)
- Banjo and Ballyhoo (1963, Angry Young Man Records)
- 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, Buddha)
- Uncle Jesus, Aunty Christ (1972, United Artists)
- Hamburger Blues [w/ Wall Matthews] (1974, Sweet Jane Limited)
- Roast Beef (1978, downpatrecords/Pacific Arts)
- Thee Messiah Album/Live at Gatsby's (1979, downpatrecords/Pacific Arts)
- Bone Again (1996, Fast Eddy)
- The Elizabethan Period [w/ Elizabeth Suggs] (2000, GoddessOne)
- E-Stir Parade (2003, Wascals)
- Live At The Earl Of Oldtown (recorded 1977, released 2003, Wascals)
- The Knight Wigguh and the Nippie Higger (2004, Wascals)
Singles
- What's Gnawing At Me/Molly (1968, Tetragrammaton)
- Buzz the Fuzz/Gentle People (1968, Tetragrammaton)
- Take Care of My Brother/Myrtle's Pies (1969, Tetragrammaton, non-album single)
- I Forgot to Tell You/The Captain (1970, Buddha)
- Rudolph [features Biff and his children Terry, Eben, and Andy Rose] (1971, United Artists)
- Garbage/Lord I Done Bumped Into You (1972, United Artists)
Compilations
- Urban (folk) Renewal: Blue Dog Cellar [live compilation w/ 3 other artists] (1962, Kimberly)
- Put Your Hand in the Hand [odd various artist compilation featuring songs from 1970s Biff Rose] (mid 1970s, Pickwick)
- The Acoustic Highway Collection: The Road To Country Rock [features previously unreleased 1972 track] (EMI, 1996)
- The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side/Children of Light (2005, Water Records)
- Fill Your Heart With Biff Rose (2005, RPM Records)
External links
- http://www.biffrose.com/ One Biff Rose official website
- http://www.biffrose.net/ Another Biff Rose official website
- http://www.biffrose.biz/ Here's another Biff Rose official website
- Biff Rose's message board Biff Rose's musings.
- Biff Rose auf cultrebase.net