Rose, Billy
(1899–1966)> LYRICIST · BROADWAY PRODUCER
Billy Rose Lyricist and Broadway producer William Samuel Rosenberg, New York City, September 6, 1899; Jamaica, West Indies, February 10, 1966. Rose studied shorthand in high school and won a shorthand contest for speed. He became the secretary to financier Bernard Baruch. Rose entered show business in the early 1920s as a lyricist and idea man who had a knack for song titles. Rose’s best years were 1923–1936. His first song was “Barney Google,” which Ernie Hare and Billy Jones recorded…