Bill Champlin
Bill Champlin was born in Oakland, California, United States on May 21st, 1947 and is the Guitarist. At the age of 76, Bill Champlin biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, songs, and networth are available.
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William Bradford "Bill" Champlin, born May 21, 1947, is an American singer, guitarist, arranger, producer, and songwriter.
He formed Sons of Champlin in 1965, which also appears today, and was a member of the band Chicago from 1981 to 2009.
In 1988, he appeared lead vocals on three of Chicago's biggest hits of the 1980s, including "Hard Habit to Break" and "Look Away" and "I Don't Want to Die Without Your Love."
He appeared on live shows as the lower, baritone, and vocal parts of original guitarist Terry Kath, who died in 1978.
He has received numerous Grammy Awards for songwriting.
Personal life
Bill Champlin lives in Los Angeles, California. Mimi Champlin and Sally Champlin are two of his siblings. Bradford Raymond Champlin and Amy Jo Kelly were married in the 1970s and had two children. Champlin has been married to his second wife, singer-songwriter Tamara Champlin, since 1982, and the couple have son Will Champlin, who finished third on Season 5 (2013) of The Voice. In 1983, Will Begins' first year in the same year, Bill and Tamara performed together on film in the film Copper Mountain. Champlin's son Bradford died of esophageal cancer complications on September 13, 2016. He was 51 years old.
Early career
As a child, Champlin demonstrated a talent for piano and eventually picked up the guitar after being inspired by Elvis Presley. He started a band called The Opposite Six while at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California. He then studied music in college, but was encouraged by a professor to drop out and pursue music professionally.
The Sons of Champlin and solo career
The Opposite Six, Champlin's band from high school, had changed their name to the Sons of Champlin and had recorded a number of well-reviewed (although not commercially successful) albums (including Loosen Up Naturally and Circle Filled With Love) by 1977, when 30-year-old Champlin moved to Los Angeles. During the 1969–1970 period, Champlin was uncertain of the future of the Sons of Champlin, so he joined with Jerry Miller of Moby Grape in The Rhythm Dukes, following the departure of Don Stevenson. The band achieved a significant degree of acclaim as an opening act for many popular performers of that time, and recorded one album, ultimately released in 2005 "Flashback".
In LA he began extensive studio session work. He was especially in demand for his singing, appearing on hundreds of recordings throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) awarded Champlin the Most Valuable Player peer award for male background vocalists in 1980.
Champlin won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song in 1980 for co-writing the hit song "After The Love Has Gone" with Jay Graydon and David Foster (which was made popular by Earth, Wind & Fire) and a second Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song in 1983 for co-writing the song "Turn Your Love Around" with Jay Graydon and Steve Lukather (which was made popular by George Benson).
In 1979, Champlin was approached by the then-widely successful band REO Speedwagon to add background vocals on some of their songs appearing on their album Nine Lives; which was the last album in which REO Speedwagon had a predominantly hard-rock edge.
This work allowed Champlin to become acquainted with other in-demand session men such as Jay Graydon, David Foster, and Steve Lukather (of Toto). Among other artists that he worked with were Al Jarreau, George Duke, Boz Scaggs, Elton John, The Tubes, Lee Ritenour, Amy Grant, and Nicky Trebek. He also appeared on Barry Manilow's 1982 EP, Oh, Julie! and was a featured background vocalist on Manilow's Here Comes the Night.
In 1986, Champlin dueted with Patti LaBelle on Last Unbroken Heart for Miami Vice and was released that same year on the album "Miami Vice II"
In 1991, he provided backing vocals for Kim Carnes' album Checkin' Out the Ghosts (released only in Japan); in 1997, Champlin revived the Sons of Champlin and continued to play with them between tours with Chicago. Throughout the 1990s he released several solo albums and toured Europe and Japan in support of his live solo album "Mayday". In 2009 Champlin collaborated with the Italian-American composer, arranger, and producer Manuel De Peppe and in 2011, Champlin played the Hammond B3 organ on the songs "Moon Cry" and "Mississippi Creek" by Curt Campbell and the Eclectic Beast Band.
He and second wife, singer/songwriter Tamara Champlin, were part of the Scandinavian tour headlined by Leon Russell that also featured Joe Williams & Peter Friestedt. Champlin teamed up with conductor Lars Erik Gudim and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK) in Oslo, Norway for a special performance that aired December 27, 2011 on NRK TV in Norway. In 2014-2017 he performed several acoustic shows with Tamara Champlin in the US, Europe, Japan, South & Central America where they joined the Rock Pack Tour, guested with California Transit Authority featuring Danny Seraphine, played concerts to benefit Eddie Tuduri's Rhythmic Arts Project with the Pockets. They entertained with other indie artists for the Lone Wolf Entertainment Foundation and rejoined the re-formed Sons of Champlin for a series of shows in the Northwest. In 2017, he and Tamara were part of the Ambrosia & Friends Tour.
David Foster produced two solo albums for Champlin: Single (1978) and Runaway (1981). Both albums sold poorly due to lack of adequate promotion by his record company, although the latter album did include a pair of minor hits on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Sara" and "Tonight, Tonight"). In the 1990s, Champlin released five more solo albums: No Wasted Moments, Burn Down the Night, Through It All, He Started to Sing, and Mayday. The last was a live recording of songs from his career, and included musicians Greg Mathieson, Jerry Lopez, Eddie Garcia, Tom Saviano and Rochon Westmoreland.
In September 2008, Champlin released No Place Left To Fall and a companion DVD in Japan on JVC/Victor. The record was produced by Champlin and Mark Eddinger, and featured musicians Bruce Gaitsch, George Hawkins, Jr., Billy Ward, Tamara Champlin, Will Champlin, and Eddinger, with guest appearances by Steve Lukather, Peter Cetera, Michael English, Jerry Lopez and enlisted such songwriting/player greats as Jay Graydon, Andreas Carlsson, Diane Warren, Michael Caruso, Tom Saviano and Dennis Matkosky. The record was released in Europe by Zinc Music in December 2008 and in the U.S. by DreamMakers Music in August 2009.
In January, 2021, Champlin's solo album "Livin For Love" was released by Imagen Records and featured Champlin on keys and guitars as well as players Bruce Gaitsch, Carmen Grillo, Steve Porcaro, Vinnie Colaiuta, George Hawkins Jr., Greg Mathieson, Gordon Campbell, Lenny Castro, Marc Russo, Alan Hertz, Tal Morris, Jason Scheff, Abraham Laboriel. Singers included Bill Champlin on lead and background vocals, Tamara Champlin, Gary Falcone, Jason Scheff and Andreas Carlsson. Tracks were composed by Bill Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Bruce Gaitsch, Michael Caruso, Greg Mathieson, Jason Scheff and Gary Falcone.