Bebe Buell (born Beverle Lorence Buell on July 14, 1953, in Portsmouth, Virginia) is a former American model and singer, but is best known for dating and marrying a long series of rock musicians.

Her mother, Dorothea, sent her pictures to the Ford Modeling Agency , and received notice that the agency was interested after only three days. She began modeling professionally at the age of 17, and moved to New York City. There she met and dated rock star Todd Rundgren for several years.

She was Playboy Playmate of the month for November 1974 -- one of the first top-line fashion models to pose for the racy magazine, although it cost her her contract with Ford.

During and after her open relationship with Rundgren, she also became intimate with many other famous musicians, including Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Jimmy Page, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. She is the mother, with Tyler, of actress Liv Tyler, born 1977; Buell allowed Liv to believe that Rundgren was her father until much later in her life, as Tyler was still deeply addicted to drugs at the time. Buell then moved on to Stiv Bators and Rod Stewart, and in 1978, she had a tempestuous affair with the married Elvis Costello.

In 1980, Buell recorded an EP on Rhino Records with the band The B-Sides, produced by Ric Ocasek and Rick Derringer, but achieved no commercial success. The rock band Power Station began in 1984 when latest boyfriend John Taylor (of Duran Duran fame) pulled some famous friends together to provide backing for another of Buell's musical efforts.

She founded another band called the Gargoyles in the late 1980s, and released a couple of singles. A few large record companies were showing interest, but Buell withdrew when the paternity of her daughter Liv became known. In the 1990s, Buell served a brief and successful stint as her daughter's manager.

Buell married musician Coyote Shivers (of Sharkskin and The Conspiracy) in 1992, but they divorced in 1999. Liv left home at that point, and her mother returned to music to record some solo albums with producer Don Fleming.

In 2001, she wrote an autobiography (with help from Victor Bockris) entitled Rebel Heart: An American Rock and Roll Journey (ISBN 0312266944, ISBN 0312301553). She is currently working on a second book. Buell married musician Jim Wallerstein (of Vacationland) in 2002, and returned to modeling in 2003.

Kate Hudson's character Penny Lane in the 2000 movie Almost Famous was based on Buell's life, and Hudson was nominated for an Oscar for the role.

Discography

with The B-Sides

• Covers Girl (1981), 12" EP
• A Side of the B-Sides (1984), 12" EP

with the Gargoyles

• Gargoyle (1993), Single
• Jacuzzi Jungle (1987), 7" Single

Solo

• Free To Rock
• Retrosexual, (1994)
• Little Black Egg (1982), 7" Single

External links

• Official site
• Playboy.com bio and pictures (nudity)
• Internet Movie Database entry