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	Most famously, Rose’s song ‘Fill Your Heart’ was recorded by ] on his album '']'' (1971).		Most famously, Rose’s song ‘Fill Your Heart’ was recorded by ] on his album '']'' (1971).

	Progressive rock band Yes’s keyboard player ] worked as a session musician on Hunky Dory and commented that Rose's version had "obviously influenced David" in the ~~recording~~.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Rick Wakeman: On 'Piano Portraits,' David Bowie, Yes in the Rock Hall of Fame and More (Q&A) \|url=http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2017/01/12/rick-wakeman-interview-piano-portraits-yes-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-david-bowie/#sthash.JywzZriC.dpbs \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122175254/http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2017/01/12/rick-wakeman-interview-piano-portraits-yes-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-david-bowie/#sthash.JywzZriC.dpbs \|archive-date=January 22, 2017 \|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref>. Bowie also covered Rose’s song, ‘Buzz the Fuzz’, in live concerts recorded from the early 70’s.<ref> https://www.bowiebible.com/songs/buzz-the-fuzz/</ref>		Progressive rock band Yes’s keyboard player ] worked as a session musician on Hunky Dory and commented that Rose's version had "obviously influenced David" in the recording—-so much so that for the hand-written back cover sleeve for Hunky Dory, Bowie wrote “Biff” in parenthesis, under the songs title. <ref>{{Cite web \|title=Rick Wakeman: On 'Piano Portraits,' David Bowie, Yes in the Rock Hall of Fame and More (Q&A) \|url=http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2017/01/12/rick-wakeman-interview-piano-portraits-yes-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-david-bowie/#sthash.JywzZriC.dpbs \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122175254/http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2017/01/12/rick-wakeman-interview-piano-portraits-yes-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-david-bowie/#sthash.JywzZriC.dpbs \|archive-date=January 22, 2017 \|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref>. Bowie also covered Rose’s song, ‘Buzz the Fuzz’, in live concerts recorded from the early 70’s.<ref> https://www.bowiebible.com/songs/buzz-the-fuzz/</ref>

	Wakeman is quoted in an interview saying that “David Bowie’s hero vocally, was Biff Rose.”<ref> http://www.metal-discovery.com/Interviews/rickwakeman_interview_2010_pt3.htm</ref>		Wakeman is quoted in an interview saying that “David Bowie’s hero vocally, was Biff Rose.”<ref> http://www.metal-discovery.com/Interviews/rickwakeman_interview_2010_pt3.htm</ref>

Revision as of 19:45, 1 August 2023

American comedian and singer-songwriter

Biff Rose
Birth name	Paul Conrad Rose III
Born	(1937-10-15)October 15, 1937 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	25 July 2023(2023-07-25) (aged 85)
Occupations	Comedian Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	1964 – 2023
Labels	Tetragrammaton Buddah United Artists Pacific Arts RPM

Musical artist

Paul "Biff" Rose (October 15, 1937-July 25, 2023) was an American comedian and singer-songwriter.

Biography

Born in New Orleans, Rose started out in the Greenwich Village folk scene as a banjo playing singer/comedian. His popularity there prompted a 1964 NY Times profile on the young singer.. Rose then moved to Hollywood where he worked alongside George Carlin and John Davidson as an actor and writer on The Kraft Summer Music Hall. Rose also worked on The Mort Sahl Show, as an improvisational actor and writer. It was there that he met Paul Williams, which resulted in their short lived songwriting partnership, writing the songs Fill Your Heart, I’ll Walk Away, Someday and When Love is Far Away.

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. Rose performed on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, American Bandstand,, The David Frost Show,The Merv Griffin Show and Hugh Hefner's Playboy After Dark. He emceed the Atlantic City Pop Festival of 1969 and the Atlanta Pop Festival of 1970.

Death

Biff Rose died of liver cancer at his home in Madison, Wisconsin on the morning of July 25, 2023.

Music

Rose recorded his first two records for Tetragrammaton Records. His first release was 1968's The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side, which contained his hit single "Buzz the Fuzz".

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. Following these releases, David Bowie made a recording of the song.

“Biff Rose and I wrote the song. He had started it – I think he had the first verse down, and I came in somewhere around ‘The dragons have been bled.’ I just started writing lyrics to it. He’s the first one who went to A&M Records and played them all the songs he’d written, including some that I’d written. They signed him, and then they wanted to see me as well. I wound up with a record deal”—-Paul Williams on Fill Your Heart.

Besides Rose’s songs having been recorded by David Bowie and Tiny Tim, they have also been recorded by John Denver (‘Molly’), indie group, Vetiver (‘To Baby’) and Pat Boone (‘What’s Gnawing at Me’ and ‘Molly’). Singer-songwriter Cat Stevens counts Rose as an early influence .

A then unknown Bruce Springsteen opened up for Biff Rose at Max's Kansas City on February 1973.. In attendance that evening was David Bowie who had gone specifically to see Biff. Bowie ended up being taken with the young Springsteen, who he’d at first dismissed as merely a “Dylan copyist.”..

Influence on David Bowie

Most famously, Rose’s song ‘Fill Your Heart’ was recorded by David Bowie on his album Hunky Dory (1971).

Progressive rock band Yes’s keyboard player Rick Wakeman worked as a session musician on Hunky Dory and commented that Rose's version had "obviously influenced David" in the recording—-so much so that for the hand-written back cover sleeve for Hunky Dory, Bowie wrote “Biff” in parenthesis, under the songs title. . Bowie also covered Rose’s song, ‘Buzz the Fuzz’, in live concerts recorded from the early 70’s.

Wakeman is quoted in an interview saying that “David Bowie’s hero vocally, was Biff Rose.”

“Bowie and I met one time, January 31, 1973 . I opened for Springsteen the night he became a star, Max’s Kansas City, NYC. Herb Gart got me the gig. Herb managed Don McLean and sold ‘Bye Bye Miss American Pie’ to the world. The NY papers all said I was headlining and in small print below – “also appearing: Bruce Springsteen”. Bowie was a ‘tourist’ who just happened to be in town and came to see me, but fell in love with Bruce. Nevertheless, Bowie came up to me after the show with this shit-eating grin on his face staring down. He’s taller. I said: “Thank you for doing ‘Fill Your Heart’, but did you have to sop the whole arrangement?” He seemed not to hear me or grasp what I was saying, but kept smiling.” —-Biff Rose

Alleged Racism

In October 2017, Indy Week pointed out that Rose's website contained "blatantly racist and anti-semitic material." Rose used his social media and websites to publish cartoons and poems—some screwball puns and turns of phrase—others deliberately controversial, attempting to rile, push buttons and start dialogue; It’s likely Rose was using this inflammatory, attention grabbing humor as a means to reflect and question society rather than promote actual personal feelings. He continued to post racist and anti-semitic language and ideas, including drawings that utilized visual ethnic stereotypes and graphic depictions of homophobia and misogyny.