David Rose Collection

David Rose
(1910 – 1990)

"Bwaaaaaah DaDa, Bwahh DaDa. Dah Dee Wahwah, BaBoomBoom Wah!" Just hearing a few strains of perhaps the most famous trombone lines of all time brings to mind a dark room with a pretty girl on a small stage under a tight spotlight and not wearing very much while the men in the room strain their eyes to see what she is showing… and what she is not!

"The Stripper" is one of those tunes that most of us have heard so many times we hardly think about it. Burlesque artists have stated that "The Stripper" is one of the best strip-tease tunes of all time. However, the song did not simply come into existence in the first burlesque hall. It was recorded in 1958 by composer David Rose, and became a hit by accident.

David Rose was born in London, 1910, and grew up in Chicago. He was just 16 when he began playing with Ted Fio Rito's band. NBC also hired him as a standby pianist. In the early Thirties, his talent gained him a reputation as a hit maker while leading the WGN house orchestra. Here he composed a number of swing hits like "Break It Down", "Jigsaw Rhythm", "Itchola", and "I've Got It". Many of his numbers were recorded by Louis Prima.

Rose became singer Martha Raye's second (of seven) husband in October 1938. Raye and Rose divorced in May 1941, and in July, he married Judy Garland. Garland and Rose had no children, but it was later reported that studio head Louis B. Mayer forced Judy to undergo an abortion during the marriage, claiming that a baby would harm her "girl next door" image. The procedure left Judy permanently scarred and doomed the marriage to Rose. They divorced in 1944. On December 28, 1948, he married Betty Bartholomew and remained with her for the rest of his life. They had two children.

In 1940, Rose was invited to take over as music director for KHJ, Los Angeles, part of the Mutual/Don Lee Network. His show, California Melodies, was carried nationally over Mutual. While at KHJ, he composed "Holiday for Strings". During the War, Rose joined the Army and was assigned to the entertainment corps where he met Red Skelton, who was also serving. He and Skelton became good friends, and when the comedian began hosting The Raleigh Cigarettes Program, he asked Rose to be his music director. David stayed with Red for 20 years, well into his television career. Rose also did the music for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall's syndicated radio project, Bold Venture.

In 1962, Rose and his band recorded "Ebb Tide" for MGM Records. The company wanted to get the disk released quickly, but Rose had already left town. When it was time to press the record, it was realized that there was no B-Side. An office boy was assigned to review Rose's old tapes and pick something that sounded good. He chose "The Stripper", and the B-side recording reached the top of Billboard's top 100 in July 1962. It was the year's Number 5 hit.

A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6514 Hollywood Blvd was dedicated to honor David Rose's contributions to Recording. The Star shares its location with a Star honoring Marlin Hurt, the actor who created the character Beulah for Fibber McGee and Molly.