b. 25 March 1941, Newark, New Jersey · American songwriter and singer
Weiss was already a working songwriter long before he was a recording artist, co-writing 1960s hits including “Bend Me, Shape Me” and “Hi Ho Silver Lining” with lyricist Scott English. He moved to Los Angeles in 1971, and in 1974 released Black and Blue Suite on 20th Century Records — the album that carried his own recording of “Rhinestone Cowboy.” It is his own performance, his own song, and it is the first version to exist. He later moved to Nashville and continued writing; the song has remained the defining credit of his career.