An entertainer at the piano, who composed all his own material. His career was long, from the Victorian times to around his death. His later career saw him becoming one of the first piano entertainers on the radio, being dubbed Wireless Willie. He also recorded some of his radio material, being dubbed as "Alleged Humour at the Piano". He suffered from asthma during his career and after a holiday to relieve his illness, complications developed and Rouse died in 1928 in a nursing home.