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Peter DeRose
May Singhi Breen (left) with DeRose, c. 1929
Background information
Born	(1896-03-10)March 10, 1896 New York City, US
Died	April 23, 1953(1953-04-23) (aged 57) New York City, US
Genres	Jazz, pop
Occupation	Songwriter
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1919–1953
Formerly of	Charles Tobias,Al Stillman,Carl Sigman,Billy Hill

Peter DeRose (orDe Rose) (March 10, 1896 – April 23, 1953) was an American composer of jazz and pop music during the era ofTin Pan Alley. In 1970, he was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.

A native ofNew York City, a son of Anthony and Armelina Agresti De Rose,^[1] he showed a gift for all things musical at an early age. He learned to play the piano from an older sister. F.B. Haviland published his first song, "Tiger Rose Waltzes", when he was 18 years old. After graduating fromDeWitt Clinton High School in 1917, he found a job at a music store as a stock room clerk. His composition "When You're Gone, I Won't Forget" led to a job at the New York office of Italian music publisherG. Ricordi & Co.^[2]

In 1923, DeRose metMay Singhi Breen when she performed on radio with the ukulele group The Syncopators. A relationship developed, and she left the group to join DeRose in a musical radio show onNBC calledThe Sweethearts of the Air in which he played piano and she played ukulele. The show lasted for 16 years, during which time the two entertainers were married, in 1929.^[1] The show not only provided them with a good living, but was also a vehicle for introducing his compositions.^[2]

DeRose collaborated with lyricists such asCharles Tobias,Al Stillman,Carl Sigman,Billy Hill. His music has been recorded byJohn Coltrane,Spike Jones,Art Tatum,Les McCann, andPeggy Lee. He wrote songs for the Broadway musicalsYes Yes Yvette andEarl Carroll's Vanities of 1928. He also wrote music for the hit playBurlesque (1927).

"Deep Purple", DeRose's most famous song, was written in 1934 as a piano composition, with lyrics added a few years later byMitchell Parish. It was a hit forLarry Clinton & His Orchestra in 1939 and was recorded byArtie Shaw,Glenn Miller,Duke Ellington, andSarah Vaughan. In 1957, "Deep Purple" was a No. 20 hit record forBilly Ward & the Dominoes, then aNo. 1 hit on the 1963Billboard chart for Nino Tempo and April Stevens. It became popular again in 1976 in the duet byDonny andMarie Osmond.

In 1932, DeRose wrote music with radio starPhillips H. Lord for one of Lord's Seth Parker religious music books. DeRose also composed music for the 1941Ice Capades show. In the late 1940s and early 1950s he wrote songs for several Hollywood films. His last hit was "You Can Do It", written shortly before his death in New York City in 1953. He is interred inKensico Cemetery inValhalla.

In 1970, Peter DeRose was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.^[3]

• "Somebody Loves You" (1932) – Words by Charlie Tobias; recorded byEddy Arnold in 1966
• "Wagon Wheels" (1934) – Used in the Broadway musicalZiegfeld Follies in 1934 and performed byBing Crosby andPaul Robeson
• "Deep Purple" (1934) – Popularized byLarry Clinton and His Orchestra withBea Wain and later byNino Tempo andApril Stevens as a duet
• "Rain" (1934) – Performed byElla Fitzgerald
• "Have You Ever Been Lonely?" (1934) – A hit for thePaul Whiteman Orchestra, it was recorded byTeresa Brewer in 1960,Patsy Cline in 1961, andJim Reeves in 1962.
• "On a Little Street in Singapore" (1938) – Performed byHarry James andFrank Sinatra
• "Lilacs in the Rain" (1939) – Written withMitchell Parish, it was recorded byTony Martin (1939),The Ravens (1949),Carl Perkins (pianist) (1955),Carmen McRae (1956), andJunior Mance (1959).
• "Buona Sera" – An international hit forLouis Prima in 1956
• "All I Need is You" (1942), co-written withBenny Davis andMitchell Parish – Recorded in 1942 byVaughn Monroe and His Orchestra,Gene Krupa and His Orchestra,Ella Fitzgerald and the Keys,Benny Goodman and his Orchestra with vocals byPeggy Lee, and in 1958 byChris Connor^[4]
• "The Song of the Seabees" (1943) – Words bySam M. Lewis^[5]
• "Autumn Serenade" (1945), co-written withSammy Gallop – Recorded in 1945 byThe Modernaires withPaula Kelly, it has been recorded many times over the years by artists includingJohn Coltrane andJohnny Hartman (1963),June Christy, andKurt Elling.^[6]
• "A Marshmallow World" (1949) – A Christmas song recorded byBing Crosby,Johnny Mathis,Dean Martin, andKim Stockwood (1999)

• Free scores by Peter DeRose at theInternational Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• DeRose sheet music collection
• Peter De Rose recordings at theDiscography of American Historical Recordings.
• Peter DeRose discography atDiscogs
• Peter DeRose atIMDb

• 1896 births
• 1953 deaths
• 20th-century American male musicians
• 20th-century American jazz composers
• American male jazz composers
• Burials at Kensico Cemetery
• Composers from New York City
• DeWitt Clinton High School alumni
• Jazz musicians from New York (state)
• Musicians from New Rochelle, New York

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