Stephen Bishop

Earl Stephen Bishop, known professionally as Stephen Bishop, was born on November 14, 1951, in San Diego, California. He is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who initially played the clarinet before transitioning to guitar after being inspired by The Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bishop formed his first band, The Weeds, in 1967, and later moved to Los Angeles seeking a solo recording contract. After years of rejection, he secured a job with a publishing house and gained recognition when Art Garfunkel recorded two of his songs for the album Breakaway (1975). Bishop's breakthrough came with his debut album Careless in 1976 on ABC Records, featuring the singles "Save It for a Rainy Day" and "On and On", which peaked at Number 22 and Number 11 respectively on the Billboard singles chart. His subsequent albums included Bish (1978) and Red Cab to Manhattan (1980). Bishop contributed music to several films, including "Dream Girl" and the theme for National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). He also had notable hits with "It Might Be You" (1983), the theme from Tootsie, and "Separate Lives" from White Nights (1985), both of which were nominated for Academy Awards. In 1989, he released Bowling in Paris, featuring collaborations with Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, and Sting. Bishop also appeared in various films, often billed as "Charming Guy." He followed with albums Yardwork (2002), Romance in Rio (2008), Be Here Then (2014), Blueprint (2016), We'll Talk About It Later in the Car (2019), and Thimk (2025).