Born Today In Music

September 23rd

1940 - Tim Rose
American singer-songwriter Tim Rose, who spent much of his life in London, England and had more success in Europe than in his native country. Rose had a minor hit with 'Hey Joe' in 1966 and later Keith Richards' girlfriend at the time, played Rose's recording of the song to Chas Chandler (Hendrix's manager) resulting in Jimi Hendrix recording the song. Rose died on September 24, 2002.

Tim Rose


Tim Rose, c. 1966

Background information
Birth name: Timothy Alan Patrick Rose
Born: September 23, 1940; Washington, D.C., U.S.
Origin: Greenwich Village, New York, U.S.
Died: September 24, 2002 (aged 62); London, England

Timothy Alan Patrick Rose (September 23, 1940 – September 24, 2002), was an American singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in London, England, and had more success in Europe than in his native country.

{snip}

Biography

Early years

Rose was born in Washington, D.C., and raised by his mother Mary, who worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, his aunt, and his grandmother in an area known as South Fairlington Historic District, in Arlington, Virginia, where he was to meet Scott McKenzie, who lived nearby. Rose learned to play the banjo and guitar, and won the top music award in high school. Rose graduated from Gonzaga College Prep School, a noted Jesuit institution in DC, class of 1958. From there he joined the United States Air Force (in the Strategic Air Command), in the pre-Vietnam era, and was stationed in Kansas. He later worked as a merchant seaman on the S.S. Atlantic and in a bank, before becoming involved in the music industry.

His first band was The Singing Strings, which included his friend McKenzie, who later joined with John Phillips (eventually of The Mamas & the Papas) in a local group called The Abstracts, later The Smoothies and eventually The Journeymen. Other members of the Strings were Buck Hunnicutt, Speery Romig and Alan Stubbs. In 1962, Rose teamed up with ex-Smoothie Michael Boran as Michael and Timothy. Jake Holmes, Rich Husson and Rose formed a group called The Feldmans, later known as Tim Rose and the Thorns.

{snip}

Solo career

{snip}

"Hey Joe"
Main article: Hey Joe

In 1966, he was getting a lot of airplay with his version of "Hey Joe". It was written and had been copyrighted in 1962 by singer Billy Roberts, but Rose claimed he heard it sung as a child in Florida, and as of 2009, Rose's official website still claims the song is "traditional". As of 2009 no documentary evidence from US archives or elsewhere has been provided to support the claim that the song is "traditional" (though Country singer Carl Smith did have a hit in 1953 with a song of the same title written by Boudleaux Bryant). Prior to Rose's recording, The Leaves, The Surfaris, Love and The Byrds had all recorded fast-paced versions of the song. Rose's version (crediting himself as author), unlike the others, was a slow, angry ballad, which received US radio airplay and became a regional hit in the San Francisco area in 1966, as well as upstate New York cities like Buffalo and Albany. Jimi Hendrix had seen Rose performing at Cafe Wha? in New York City, and released a similarly slow version in 1966 which became a huge hit, first in the UK, then worldwide. It was Linda Keith, Keith Richards' girlfriend at the time that played Rose's recording of "Hey Joe" to Chas Chandler (Hendrix's manager and former bass player for The Animals).

Rose re-recorded "Hey Joe" in the 1990s, re-titling it "Blue Steel .44", again claiming songwriting credit.

"Morning Dew"
Main article: Morning Dew

"Morning Dew" was to go on to become a rock standard. Rose heard Fred Neil's recording of the song penned by Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson, arranged it with a harder, rock feel and added his name to the songwriting credit, although Dobson consistently questioned his right to a credit. Fred Neil, signed to Elektra, was the first person to record the song after her. Jac Holzman of Elektra contacted her for permission, knowing she had written it, and that was how it came to be published by the Nina Music Co., the music publishing company set up by Holzman's wife Nina. Subsequently, the Nina Music Co. was bought by Warner/Chappell Music.

{snip}

Death


Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London

Detail

In 2002, Rose had completed a successful tour of Ireland with co-writer and guitarist Mickey Wynne and had a number of gigs planned around the UK. He died at Middlesex Hospital, London of a heart attack during a second operation for a lower bowel problem on September 24, 2002, at the age of 62. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

He had no children. A number of posthumous recordings featuring Rose have since been released.

He was the subject of BBC programme Heir Hunters in November 2011, where investigators look for descendants of deceased people who did not leave a will.

{snip}

The Leaves- Hey Joe

Verdiez
928 subscribers

1,106,103 views Dec 23, 2007
This is the original version of the song made famous by Hendrix later. This is also the source for Frank Zappa's parody on the song as it appears on the "Only Money" album (Hey punk where r u going with this botton on your shirt" etc).Jim Pons is the bass player of this band, later to join "The Turtles", and later , with Eddie & Flo to the 70' version of the Mothers of Invention.