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	1975–present
Labels	ABC Warner Bros. MCA

Stephen Bishop is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was born on November 14, 1951. He is known for his popular songs like "On and On" and "It Might Be You". Stephen Bishop also wrote music for and appeared in many movies, including National Lampoon's Animal House.

Stephen Bishop's Early Life

Earl Stephen Bishop grew up in San Diego, California. He first played the clarinet. But after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, he convinced his brother to buy him a guitar. He is married to his manager, Liz Kamlet. Stephen went to Will C. Crawford High School.

Stephen Bishop's Music Career

Starting a Band and Writing Songs

In 1967, Stephen Bishop started his first band called the Weeds. They played music like 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 said no to him. But he kept writing songs. He eventually got a job writing songs for a publishing company, earning $50 a week.

First Big Break in Music

Stephen Bishop's big chance came when his friend, Leah Kunkel, gave one of his demo tapes to Art Garfunkel. Garfunkel liked two of Bishop's songs. He recorded "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.

First Albums and Hit Songs

His first album, Careless, came out in 1976. It had two of his biggest songs. The first song, "Save It for a Rainy Day", became popular. It reached number 22 on the Billboard singles chart. His next song, "On and On", was 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 this album.

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

Music for Movies

Stephen Bishop has written and performed music for many movies. In 1978, he wrote and sang "Dream Girl" for National Lampoon's Animal House. He sang it in a high voice called falsetto. In 1980, he sang background vocals for Phil Collins' song "This Must Be Love".

Bishop's next big hit was "It Might Be You" in 1982. This song was the main theme for 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 he wrote, "Separate Lives", was sung by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. It was from the 1985 movie White Nights. This song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Bishop wrote "Separate Lives" about his breakup with actress Karen Allen. She also appeared in Animal House. He once said, "I write much better when I'm heartbroken and sad."

He also contributed to other movie soundtracks:

• "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)

The original version of "Walkin' on Air" was in the 1986 film The Boy Who Could Fly.

Later Albums and Collaborations

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

Stephen Bishop's Acting Roles

Stephen Bishop has appeared in several movies. He often played a "charming" character. He worked with director John Landis on four films.

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 one famous scene, John Belushi's character, Bluto, smashed Bishop's guitar against a staircase. The scene was filmed twice. Bishop got the second smashed guitar signed by the cast and framed it.

He also appeared in The Blues Brothers (1980). He played a "Charming Trooper" whose watch breaks during a chase. He had a very short appearance in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) as a "Charming G.I." in a Vietnam War scene. Bishop also appeared as "Blue London" in Harry Jaglom's Someone to Love (1987).

Eric Clapton wrote in his autobiography that Stephen Bishop is one of his favorite singer-songwriters.

Songs by Stephen Bishop 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"

Stephen Bishop's Albums

• Careless (1976)
• Bish (1978)
• Red Cab to Manhattan (1980)
• Sleeping with Girls (1985; Asia only)
• Bowling in Paris (1989)
• Blue Guitars (1996)
• Happy Bishmas (2002)
• Yardwork (2002)
• 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)
• Romance in Rio (2008)
• Be Here Then (2014)
• Stephen Bishop Live (2014)
• Blueprint (2016)
• We'll Talk About It Later In The Car (2019)

Stephen Bishop's Collections

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

Stephen Bishop's Singles

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Bishop (músico) para niños