Peter DeRose
Encyclopedia
Peter DeRose (March 10, 1900 – April 23, 1953) was an American
Hall of Fame
composer of jazz
and pop music
during the Tin Pan Alley
era.
and as a boy exhibited a gift for things musical. He learned to play the piano from an older sister but composing music was a gift that saw him have his first song published at the age of eighteen. After finishing high school, he found a job at a music store as a stock room clerk but a highly successful 1920 composition called "When You're Gone, I Won't Forget" led to his being hired by the New York office of the Italian
music publisher G. Ricordi & Co.
In 1923 he met ukulele
musician May Singhi Breen (1895–1970) performing on radio with a female ukulele group known as the "Syncopators." A personal relationship developed and she left the group to join DeRose in a musical radio show on NBC
called the "Sweethearts of the Air" in which he played piano and she performed on the ukulele
. The popular show ran for sixteen years during which time the two entertainers were married. The show not only provided them with a good living, but was also a vehicle for the introduction of a number of his compositions.
DeRose collaborated with a number of prominent lyricists such as Charles Tobias
, Al Stillman
, Carl Sigman
, Billy Hill
. Some of DeRose's best known works are:
The music of Peter DeRose has been recorded by many other artists including John Coltrane
, Spike Jones
, Art Tatum
, Les McCann
, and Peggy Lee
. In addition to Wagon Wheels, Peter DeRose wrote songs for the Broadway musicals Yes Yes Yvette and Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1928. The most famous of his songs, "Deep Purple", was written in 1934 as a piano composition with lyrics added a few years later by Mitchell Parish
. It was a top hit for Larry Clinton & His Orchestra in 1939 and recorded by Duke Ellington
, Glenn Miller
, Sarah Vaughan
. In 1957, it was a No. 20 hit record for Billy Ward & the Dominoes then a No. 1 hit on the 1963 Billboard charts for Nino Tempo & April Stevens. It would become popular again in 1976 with another duet by Donny
and Marie Osmond
.
In 1932 Peter DeRose wrote religious sheet music with radio star Phillips H. Lord for one of Lord's "Seth Parker" religious music books. DeRose also composed music for the 1941 Ice Capades
show and in the late 1940s and early 1950s wrote songs for several Hollywood motion pictures.
Peter DeRose's final hit was "You Can Do It", written just before his death in New York City in 1953. Interred in Kensico Cemetery
in Valhalla
, his tombstone is etched with the words "Every friend he ever made, he kept".
In 1970, Peter DeRose was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
composer of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
during the Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
era.
Biography
DeRose was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and as a boy exhibited a gift for things musical. He learned to play the piano from an older sister but composing music was a gift that saw him have his first song published at the age of eighteen. After finishing high school, he found a job at a music store as a stock room clerk but a highly successful 1920 composition called "When You're Gone, I Won't Forget" led to his being hired by the New York office of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
music publisher G. Ricordi & Co.
In 1923 he met ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
musician May Singhi Breen (1895–1970) performing on radio with a female ukulele group known as the "Syncopators." A personal relationship developed and she left the group to join DeRose in a musical radio show on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
called the "Sweethearts of the Air" in which he played piano and she performed on the ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
. The popular show ran for sixteen years during which time the two entertainers were married. The show not only provided them with a good living, but was also a vehicle for the introduction of a number of his compositions.
DeRose collaborated with a number of prominent lyricists such as Charles Tobias
Charles Tobias
-Biography:Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.He started his musical career in vaudeville. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on Tin Pan Alley...
, Al Stillman
Al Stillman
Al Stillman was an American lyricist.-Biography:Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman, but changed it to that of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P...
, Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman was an American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
, Billy Hill
Billy Hill (songwriter)
Billy Hill was an American songwriter, violinst, and pianist who found fame writing Western songs such as "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", "The Last Roundup", "Wagon Wheels", and "Empty Saddles"...
. Some of DeRose's best known works are:
- "Somebody Loves YouSomebody Loves You (1932 song)"Somebody Loves You" is a popular song.The music was written by Peter DeRose and the lyrics by Charlie Tobias. The song was published in 1932....
" (1932) - piano composition and with lyrics recorded by Eddy ArnoldEddy ArnoldRichard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
in 1966; - "Wagon Wheels" (1934) - used in the BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical, Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
in 1934, and performed by singers such as Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Paul RobesonPaul RobesonPaul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
; - "Deep PurpleDeep Purple (song)"Deep Purple" was the biggest hit written by pianist Peter DeRose, who broadcast, 1923 to 1939, with May Singhi as "The Sweethearts of the Air" on the NBC radio network. "Deep Purple" was published in 1933 as a piano composition. The following year, Paul Whiteman had it scored for his suave "big...
" (1934) http://www.olsoncomputers.com/prime/MIDIs/Alphabetical/Unsorted3/deeppurple.mid - popularized by Larry ClintonLarry ClintonLarry Clinton was a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader.-Biography:Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York. He became a versatile musician, capable of playing trumpet, trombone, and clarinet...
and His Orchestra featuring Bea WainBea WainBea Wain was an American Big Band-era vocalist born in New York City, New York. On a 1937 recording with Artie Shaw, she was credited as "Beatrice Wayne", which led some to assume that was her real name. On record labels, her name was shortened to "Bea" by the record company, ostensibly for space...
and later by Nino TempoNino TempoNino Tempo is an American musician, singer, and actor.A musical prodigy, Nino Tempo learned to play the clarinet and the tenor saxophone as a child. He was a talent show winner at four years of age and appeared on television with Benny Goodman at seven...
and April StevensApril StevensApril Stevens is an American singer.She has recorded since she was 15 years old. Her most popular solo recording was her RCA Victor recording of "I'm in Love Again" . Accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Henri René, Stevens' recording peaked at No...
as a duet; - "Rain" (1934) - performed by Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
; - "Have You Ever Been Lonely?Have You Ever Been Lonely?"Have You Ever Been Lonely?" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill , published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard.**1933 Ted Lewis, Ray Noble**1955 Jaye P...
" (1934) - originally a hit for the Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
Orchestra, it was recorded by Teresa BrewerTeresa BrewerTeresa Brewer was an American pop singer whose style incorporated elements of country, jazz, R&B, musicals and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs. Born Theresa Breuer in Toledo, Ohio, Brewer died of a neuromuscular...
in 1960, Patsy ClinePatsy ClinePatsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
in 1961, and Jim ReevesJim ReevesJames Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
in 1962; - "On a Little Street In Singapore" (1938) - performed by Harry JamesHarry JamesHenry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
and Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
; - "A Marshmallow World" (1949) - Christmas song recorded by numerous artists including in 1963 by Johnny MathisJohnny MathisJohn Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, Dean MartinDean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
1966 album, Kim StockwoodKim StockwoodKim Stockwood is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. She was a member of Atlantic Canadian regional music group Shaye from 2003-2009 with Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean ....
(1999); - "Buona Sera", an international hit record for Louis PrimaLouis PrimaLouis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
in 1956.
The music of Peter DeRose has been recorded by many other artists including John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
, Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
, Les McCann
Les McCann
Les McCann is an American soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.-Biography:...
, and Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
. In addition to Wagon Wheels, Peter DeRose wrote songs for the Broadway musicals Yes Yes Yvette and Earl Carroll's Vanities of 1928. The most famous of his songs, "Deep Purple", was written in 1934 as a piano composition with lyrics added a few years later by Mitchell Parish
Mitchell Parish
Mitchell Parish was an American lyricist.-Early life:Parish was born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky to a Jewish family in Lithuania. His family emigrated to the United States, arriving on February 3, 1901 on the SS Dresden when he was less than a year old...
. It was a top hit for Larry Clinton & His Orchestra in 1939 and recorded by Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
. In 1957, it was a No. 20 hit record for Billy Ward & the Dominoes then a No. 1 hit on the 1963 Billboard charts for Nino Tempo & April Stevens. It would become popular again in 1976 with another duet by Donny
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
and Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond
Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
.
In 1932 Peter DeRose wrote religious sheet music with radio star Phillips H. Lord for one of Lord's "Seth Parker" religious music books. DeRose also composed music for the 1941 Ice Capades
Ice Capades
The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Shows often featured former Olympicand National Champion figure skaters who had retired from amateur competition....
show and in the late 1940s and early 1950s wrote songs for several Hollywood motion pictures.
Peter DeRose's final hit was "You Can Do It", written just before his death in New York City in 1953. Interred in Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery
Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York, was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads which served the city...
in Valhalla
Valhalla, New York
Valhalla is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place that is located within the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, in Westchester County. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
, his tombstone is etched with the words "Every friend he ever made, he kept".
In 1970, Peter DeRose was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
.