Career
Born in New Orleans, Rose moved to Hollywood where he found a job working as a comedy sketch writer with George Carlin. Among other assignments he wrote for the Mort Sahl television show. Rose tried his hand as a stand-up comic and eventually began writing songs, performing his own compositions on piano.
Rose recorded his first two records for Tetragrammaton Records.
Following the release of 1968"s 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. He performed his songs ("Gentle People" and "Myrtle"s Pies") on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, He also appeared on American Bandstand, The Merv Griffin Show, The David Frost Show and Hugh Hefner"s Playboy After Dark.
He was master of ceremonies at the Atlantic City People’s Festival of 1969 and the Atlanta People’s Festival of 1970. The song "Fill Your Heart", one of Rose"s best-known compositions, was adopted by Tiny Tim as the B-side of his 1968 hit single "Tiptoe through the Tulips" before the release of Biff"s own version and recorded by David Bowie on his album Hunky Dory (1971) in an arrangement closely following the Rose version.
Rose wrote the song with Paul Williams: Williams later wrote that Rose was his first songwriting collaborator and his first connection to Agricultural and Mechanical Records, having arranged a meeting for him with the publisher Chuck Kaye.
Rose and Williams also wrote "I"ll Walk Away", from Rose"s third, eponymous, record, and "Someday", recorded by Sajid Khan in 1969 (Rose having composed the music and Williams the lyrics). Rose"s songs have also been covered by John Denver ("Molly"), Vetiver ("To Baby") and Pat Boone. Singer-songwriter Cat Stevens has mentioned Rose as an early influence.