ABOUT
David Rose (June 15, 1910 - August 23, 1990) was a highly acclaimed songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader with a long career in radio, TV, and film. He served as the musical director for "The Red Skelton Show" during its 21-year run on CBS and NBC, and his whimsical "Holiday For Strings," which became a smash hit in 1944, was famously used as the show's opening theme. With influences from jazz and swing as well as classical, much of Rose's music also makes use of evocative instrumental effects, often to introduce a note of humor as typified by his signature work, "The Stripper."
Born in London, Rose and his family moved to Chicago when he was a child. He studied at the Chicago School of Music and began his career in the early 1930s working for NBC Radio as a pianist and arranger and playing in Ted Fio Rito's band. By the 1940s, he had become the musical director for Mutual, and it was also during this time that he began composing scores for such movies as "The Princess And The Pirate." He began writing TV theme music during the 1950s and, over the years, amassed a long list of credits that included such top TV shows as "Highway Patrol," "The High Chaparral," "Little House On The Prairie," and "Highway To Heaven." He also orchestrated the memorable theme from "Bonanza" and wrote the music to many of that show's episodes.
Rose made his debut on the pop charts in 1944 with "Holiday For Strings" which peaked at #2 and became one of his all-time best known songs through its association with Red Skelton's long-running TV variety show. A long string of hits followed through 1964 that also included "Poinciana (Song Of The Tree)" (1944), "Bewitched (Bothered And Bewildered)" (1950), "Calypso Melody" (1957), "Swinging Shepherd Blues" (1958) the Grammy award-winning "Like Young" (1959, with Andre Previn), and "The Stripper" (1962), which topped both the Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock charts.
Rose's many honors and accolades included four Emmys, a Grammy, and several gold records.
MERCHANDISE
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- David Rose And His Orchestra - CDs, vinyl, & more - Amazon.com
- David Rose And His Orchestra - Digital music - Amazon.com
- David Rose And His Orchestra - Rare vinyl, CDs, & more - MusicStack.com
SONGS
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David Rose And His Orchestra
- The Stripper 1962
(This brassy and bawdy instrumental hit topped both the Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock charts, and it was used in a Noxema shaving cream commercial during the 1960s.)
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