[2][3] Originally a clarinetist, he persuaded his brother to buy him a guitar after seeing the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.

[7] After the Weeds folded, Bishop moved to Los Angeles in search of a solo recording contract.

[7] During a lean eight-year period, where he was rejected "by nearly every label and producer,"[1] he continued to write songs eventually landing a $50-a-week job with a publishing house.

The album has a smooth classic called "A Fool At Heart" which features Chaka Khan and Natalie Cole on background vocals.

In 1978, he contributed the original song "Dream Girl" and theme to National Lampoon's Animal House, which he sang in falsetto.

Bishop's composition "Separate Lives", sung by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin, from the 1985 movie White Nights, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In addition, the original version of "Walkin' on Air" (written and performed by Bishop) was featured in the 1986 film The Boy Who Could Fly.

In 1989, Bishop released the album Bowling in Paris with Phil Collins (the co-producer on some of the songs), Eric Clapton, and Sting contributing.

The album included a revamped version of "Walkin' on Air", this time featuring drumming, production, and additional vocals from Collins.

He had a cameo role, billed as "Charming Guy", in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977); he appeared as a hustler in the infamous "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble" segment.