PsychepediA

From: Washington D.C., USA

Timothy Alan Patrick Rose was born in Washington D.C. on September 23, 1940 and raised across the Potomac River in Arlington, VA where he met and grew up with famed singer-songwriter Scott McKenzie who lived nearby. Rose learned to play the guitar and banjo, and eventually won the top music award at the prestigious private high school he attended (Gonzaga College Prep School). After a stint in the U.S. Air Force and then as a merchant seaman, he returned to D.C. in 1962 and formed his first band called the Singing Strings, which included his aforementioned friend Scott McKenzie. Not long after, Rose then formed another group that was known as Tim Rose & The Thorns (aka the Feldmans) with none other than Jake Holmes. Later in '62, Rose met Cass Elliot of future Mamas & The Papas fame at a party in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. and formed a folk trio with her and singer John Brown called The Triumvirate, which not long after evolved into the Big 3 when Brown left in 1963 and was replaced by James Hendricks. The Big 3 lasted for a few years, releasing two LPs and gaining national notoriety by appearing on popular television programs like Hootenanny, The Danny Kaye Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

After the Big 3 had broken up in 1964, Rose focused on a solo career that finally took off when he signed with the Columbia label in early 1966, issuing a debut 45 ('Mother, Father, Where Are You' b/w 'I'm Bringin' It Home') that March. A few months later, he then released the foundational single 'Hey Joe (You Shot Your Woman Down)', which is now credited for being the first slower tempo arrangement of the traditional Billy Roberts composition, preceding the Jimi Hendrix Experience's version by over six months. During a two week stint in December of '66, Rose opened first for the Grateful Dead and then the Jefferson Airplane at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco on the heels of his "Hey Joe" success, gaining him further notoriety and respect with the budding hippie counterculture.

In early 1967, Rose issued the single 'Morning Dew', which created some long-lasting controversy when, through a legal loophole, he was able to gain official writing credit with the original composer of the song (Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson) by developing a more uptempo, hard-driving arrangement (this co-writing credit would eventually be overturned through court action in 1998). A self-titled, debut LP was then released later in the year, which contains an extended version of 'Hey Joe (You Shot Your Woman Down)' along with the aforementioned 'Morning Dew'. More 45s followed into 1968, including an excellent cover of the Collectors 'Looking At A Baby' issued as the B-side to 'Long-Haired Boy' in the summer of that year. A followup LP (Through Rose Colored Glasses) was released in 1969, which was panned by the critics and also sold poorly. This disappointment prompted Rose to relocate to London, England where he continued to sporadically cut records and perform live up to his death in 2002.