Stephen Bishop (singer)
| Stephen Bishop | |
|---|---|
 Bishop in 1977 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 14, 1951 |
| Origin | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, blues rock, pop rock, soft rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, actor |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | ABC, Warner Bros., MCA |
| Website |
www |
Earl Stephen Bishop[1] (born November 14, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and guitarist. Stephen Bishop's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing.
History
Bishop was born in San Diego, California, and attended Will C. Crawford High School.[2] He had a major hit in 1977 with the song "On and On", which was a Number 11 hit in the U.S.; his other hits include "Save It for a Rainy Day", "Everybody Needs Love", "Something New in My Life" and "It Might Be You", the theme from the movie Tootsie. He has also performed many movie themes, including the theme from National Lampoon's Animal House which he sang in falsetto. He also provided his talent to the theme song in the Christmas movie All I Want for Christmas.
His song "Separate Lives", sung by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin from the movie White Nights, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1986, losing to "Say You, Say Me" from the same film. Bishop wrote the song about his breakup with actress Karen Allen, who also appeared in Animal House. Bishop said: "I write much better when I'm heartbroken and sad or melancholy."[3]
Bishop also wrote the theme to the 1984 remake of the movie Unfaithfully Yours, entitled "One Love (Unfaithfully Yours)". The song received regular airplay during this period, usually on soft rock/adult contemporary radio stations. Despite moderate radio success, a soundtrack for the movie was never released. The song eventually appeared on Bishop's best-of compilation album Best of Bish. The only other known pressing of this song is on a promotional vinyl 45.[4]
In 1989, he released his fifth album, called Bowling In Paris (mixed with the Sleeping With Girls sessions) with Phil Collins (co-producer and musician on some songs), Eric Clapton, Sting, Steve Lukather, Ronnie Caryl, Michael Omartian (producer and musician on several tracks), Mo Foster, Adrian Lee, and more. In 1987, the Norwegian swing/pop duo Bobbysocks! recorded "Walking on Air" (as "Walkin' on Air") on their LP Walkin' on Air.
Bishop's songs which have tracked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart are "It Might Be You". which peaked at Number 25 in 1983; "Save It For a Rainy Day" (Number 22, 1977); "On and On" (Number 11, 1977); and "Everybody Needs Love" (Number 32, 1978).
In addition to singing the theme song off-screen, Bishop had a cameo role in National Lampoon's Animal House as the aspiring folk singer whose guitar John Belushi smashes. Bishop still keeps the smashed guitar as a memento. He appeared in another John Landis movie, The Blues Brothers as the "charming trooper" who breaks his watch during the mall chase. Bishop also had a cameo in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), appearing as a hustler in the infamous "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble" segment. He was the musical guest on the March 11, 1978, episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.
Bishop contributed the song The Heart Is So Willing for the 1986 remake of the film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, called The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. He also sang the end credit song, "We Can Do Anything", from Barney's Great Adventure. Bishop wrote the theme song Somewhere in Between and the soundtrack music for the Michael Douglas film, The China Syndrome.
Patrick Bateman, the fictional anti-hero from Bret Easton Ellis' film American Psycho, is an avowed fan of Bishop.
Partial discography
Albums
- Careless (1976)
- Bish (1978)
- Red Cab to Manhattan (1980)
- Sleeping with Girls (1985; Asia only)
- Bowling in Paris (1989)
- Blue Guitars (1994; re-released with new cover in 1996)
- Happy Bishmas (2002; re-released with new cover 2003)
- Yardwork (2003; Japan edition has alternative cover)
- The Demo Album 1 (2003)
- The Demo Album 2 (2003)
- Fear of Massage: Demo 3 (2004)
- Stephen Bishop Live (Live in Japan) (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)
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AC | AU | ||
| 1977 | "Save It For a Rainy Day" | 22 | 6 | – |
| 1977 | "On and On" | 11 | 2 | 66 |
| 1977 | "Never Letting Go" | - | – | – |
| 1978 | "Everybody Needs Love" | 32 | 5 | – |
| 1979 | "Animal House" | 73 | – | – |
| 1979 | "Looking For The Right One" | - | – | – |
| 1980 | "Your Precious Love" (w/ Yvonne Elliman) | 105 | – | – |
| "Send a Little Love My Way" | 108 | 31 | – | |
| 1982 | "If Love Takes You Away" | 108 | 22 | – |
| 1983 | "It Might Be You" | 25 | 1 | 50 |
| 1984 | "One Love (Unfaithfully Yours)" | 87 | 4 | - |
| 1986 | "The Heart Is So Willing" | – | 31 | – |
| 1987 | "Something New in My Life" | - | – | - |
| 1989 | "Walking On Air" | – | 13 | – |
| 1990 | "Mr. Heartbreak" | – | 42 | – |
Collections
- Best of Bish (1990)
- 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)
References
- ↑ "California Birth Index, 1905-1995". Ancestry.com.
- ↑ San Diego Reader Stephen Bishop entry Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ↑ Separate Lives Songfacts. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
- ↑ According to the official site, stephenbishop.com, "One Love (Unfaithfully Yours)" is available on the vinyl and CD release Best of Bish
External links
- Official website
- Stephen Bishop at the Internet Movie Database
- Audio interview with Stephen Bishop on the Sodajerker On Songwriting podcast
- Stephen Bishop at AllMusic
- Fan Site February 8, 2014 show
|