Stephen Bishop (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen Bishop
Bishop in 1977
Background information
Birth name	Earl Stephen Bishop
Born	(1951-11-14) November 14, 1951 (age 73) San Diego, California, U.S.
Genres	Middle-of-the-road
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1967–present
Labels	ABC Warner Bros. MCA

Earl Stephen Bishop (born November 14, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and guitarist. He is famous for his hit songs like "On and On", "It Might Be You", and "Save It for a Rainy Day". Stephen Bishop has also contributed music to many movies and even appeared in some of them, including National Lampoon's Animal House.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Stephen Bishop was born and grew up in San Diego, California. He first played the clarinet. However, after seeing the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, he was inspired. He convinced his brother to buy him a guitar. He went to Will C. Crawford High School in San Diego.

Family Life

Stephen Bishop is married to Liz Kamlet. She also works as his manager.

Music Career Highlights

In 1967, Stephen Bishop started his first band called the Weeds. They played music in the style of the British Invasion bands. After the Weeds broke up, Bishop moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to get a solo recording contract. For eight years, many record labels and producers turned him down. But he kept writing songs. Eventually, he got a job with a music publishing company.

Stephen Bishop's big chance came when his friend, Leah Kunkel, gave one of his demo tapes to Art Garfunkel. Garfunkel liked Bishop's songs. He chose two of them, "Looking for the Right One" and "The Same Old Tears on a New Background," for his album Breakaway. Because of Garfunkel's help, Bishop finally signed a record deal with ABC Records in 1976.

His first album, Careless, was a big success. It included two of his most famous songs. The first song released was "Save It for a Rainy Day." This song introduced Bishop to many listeners. It reached number 22 on the Billboard singles chart. His next song, "On and On", became his highest-charting hit. It reached number 11. The Careless album itself went up to number 34 on the Billboard albums chart. Famous musicians like Eric Clapton, Art Garfunkel, and Chaka Khan helped with the album.

Careless sold enough copies to be certified gold. His next album, Bish, released in 1978, also went gold. Bish featured the song "Everybody Needs Love," which reached number 32. This album also has a smooth song called "A Fool At Heart." It features Chaka Khan and Natalie Cole singing background vocals. His third album, Red Cab to Manhattan, came out in 1980. It did not do as well on the charts. It was his last album released in North America for nine years.

Stephen Bishop has written and performed music for many movies. In 1978, he wrote the songs "Dream Girl" and the main theme for National Lampoon's Animal House. He sang both songs in a high voice called falsetto. In 1980, he sang background vocals for the song "This Must Be Love." This song was on Phil Collins' first solo album Face Value.

Bishop's next hit song was "It Might Be You" in 1982. This song was the theme from the movie Tootsie. It was special because Bishop did not write it himself. It was written by Dave Grusin, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman. The song was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Another song written by Bishop, "Separate Lives", was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin sang this song for the 1985 movie White Nights. Bishop wrote this song after breaking up with actress Karen Allen. She also appeared in Animal House. He once said that he writes much better when he feels sad or heartbroken.

Other movies that feature his music include:

• "Somewhere in Between" from The China Syndrome (1979)
• "Your Precious Love" (with Yvonne Elliman) from Roadie (1980)
• "If Love Takes You Away" from Summer Lovers (1982)
• "Unfaithfully Yours (One Love)" from Unfaithfully Yours (1984)
• "Something New in My Life" from Micki & Maude (1984)
• "The Heart Is So Willing" from The Money Pit (1986)
• "All I Want" from All I Want for Christmas (1991)
• "You Can Do Anything" (with Jeff Jones) from Barney's Great Adventure (1998)

Also, an early version of "Walkin' on Air" was in the 1986 movie The Boy Who Could Fly.

In 1989, Bishop released the album Bowling in Paris. Phil Collins helped produce some of the songs. Eric Clapton and Sting also contributed to the album. This album included a new version of "Walkin' on Air." This time, it featured drumming, production, and extra singing from Phil Collins. This version became a hit, reaching number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 1987, the Norwegian music group Bobbysocks! had recorded their own version of "Walking on Air."

Acting Roles

Stephen Bishop has appeared in several movies. He often played a "charming" character. He worked with director John Landis on four films. He had a small role, called "Charming Guy," in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). He was in the "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble" part of the movie.

In National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), he sang the theme song. He also had a small role as a "Charming Guy with Guitar." In this scene, his guitar was famously smashed against a staircase wall by John "Bluto" Blutarsky, played by John Belushi. The scene was filmed twice. Bishop had the second smashed guitar signed by the cast and framed it.

He also appeared in The Blues Brothers (1980). He was called "Charming Trooper" and broke his watch during a mall chase. He had a very brief appearance in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). He was called "Charming G.I." in a scene set during the Vietnam War. Bishop also appeared as "Blue London" in Harry Jaglom's movie Someone to Love (1987).

Eric Clapton, a famous guitarist, mentioned in his autobiography that Stephen Bishop is one of his favorite singer-songwriters.

Songs Recorded by Other Artists

Many artists have recorded songs that Stephen Bishop wrote. Here are some of them:

• Aswad – "On and On"
• Eric Clapton – "Holy Mother"
• Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin – "Separate Lives"
• Jonathan Coulton - "On and On"
• David Crosby – "Natalie"
• Shelley Duvall – "Tiny Pillow"
• Yvonne Elliman – "Sailing Ships"
• Four Tops – "Save It for a Rainy Day"
• Frida – "Tell Me It's Over"
• Art Garfunkel – "Looking for the Right One", "The Same Old Tears on a New Background", "Sail on a Rainbow", "One Less Holiday", "Slow Breakup", "King of Tonga", "If Love Takes You Away"
• Patricia Kaas – "When I Was in Love"
• Leah Kunkel – "A Fool at Heart", "Under the Jamaican Moon"
• Cheryl Ladd – "Rock and Roll Slave"
• Cleo Laine – "One More Night"
• Kenny Loggins – "Give It Half a Chance"
• Johnny Mathis – "One More Night", "Let Your Heart Remember"
• Megon McDonough – "Not the Same Woman"
• Stephanie Mills – "Give It Half a Chance"
• Luciano Pavarotti – "Holy Mother"
• Steve Perry – "Donna Please"
• Kenny Rankin – "On and On"
• Helen Reddy – "One More Night"
• Rumer − "Separate Lives"
• Diane Schuur – "Red Cab to Manhattan"
• Phoebe Snow – "Never Letting Go"
• James Lee Stanley – "Every Minute"
• Barbra Streisand – "One More Night"

Discography

Albums

• Careless (1976)
• Bish (1978)
• Red Cab to Manhattan (1980)
• Sleeping with Girls (1985; Asia only)
• Bowling in Paris (1989; re-released in 2015 with different sequencing and cover)
• Blue Guitars (1996; released in 1994 in Japan with different tracks and cover)
• Happy Bishmas (2002; re-released in 2003 with different cover)
• Yardwork (2002; released in Japan with different cover)
• The Demo Album 1 (2003)
• The Demo Album 2 (2003)
• Fear of Massage: Demo 3 (2003)
• Stephen Bishop Live at Duo Music Exchange (2006; Japan only)
• America & Friends: Live at the Ventura Theater (2007; Japan only)
• Saudade (2007; Target-only release. Re-released worldwide as Romance in Rio)
• Romance in Rio (2008)
• Be Here Then (2014)
• Stephen Bishop Live (2014; also issued 2015 as The '70s: Stephen Bishop with series cover)
• Blueprint (2016)
• We'll Talk About It Later In The Car (2019)
• Rock Little Reindeer (2019)
• Thimk (2025)

Collections

• Best of Bish (1988)
• On and On: The Hits of Stephen Bishop (1994)
• An Introduction to Stephen Bishop (1997)
• Back to Back (1999; split title with Michael Johnson)
• The Millennium Collection (2002)

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Bishop (músico) para niños