Born 75 Years Ago Today in San Diego, the Soft Rock Hitmaker Who Wrote for Phil Collins and Had His Guitar Smashed by John Belushi

On this day (November 14) in 1951, Earl Stephen Bishop was born in San Diego, California. An Oscar and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Bishop’s hits include Save It for a Rainy Day (1976), “On and On” (1977) and “It Might Be You” (1982). Throughout his prolific career, he has written hundreds of songs recorded by everyone from Eric Clapton to Barbra Streisand to Beyoncé to Art Garfunkel.

Bishop has also dabbled in film, with roles including “Charming Guy With Guitar” in 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House and “Charming Trooper” in Blues Brothers (1980). In fact, that was his guitar that John “Bluto” Blutarsky (John Belushi) smashed against a staircase wall at the fraternity house.

Today, we’re taking a trip through the musical career of Stephen Bishop in honor of his 75th birthday.

Stephen Bishop Has Penned More Than 650 Songs

Raised in and around San Diego, Stephen Bishop was one of many young boys to experience a life-changing epiphany after seeing the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.

His older brother bought him an electric guitar, and he dove headfirst into the “British Invasion” music, learning the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night” and “Gloria” by Van Morrison’s Them.

While still in high school, Bishop formed his own British Invasion-style band, the Weeds. They gained a following playing frat parties and dances in the San Diego area, but went their separate ways after high school in 1970.

Art Garfunkel Helped Him Break Out

Now on his own, Stephen Bishop moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo recording contract. After facing rejection from “nearly every label and producer” in town, he eventually landed a job making $50 per week as a staff songwriter at Edwin H. Morris Publishing. 

His break came when friend Leah Kunkel, younger sister of the late “Mama Cass” Elliott, slipped one of his demo tapes to Art Garfunkel. The multi Grammy-winner recorded two of Bishop’s songs, “Looking for the Right One” and “The Same Old Tears on a New Background”, for his platinum Breakaway album in 1975.

The visibility landed Bishop a contract with ABC Records, and he released his solo debut, Careless, in 1976. Eric Clapton and Chaka Khan contributed to the album, which included two of his biggest hits — “Save It For a Rainy Day” and “On and On”.

The latter narrowly missed out on the Top 10, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Over the next four decades, Bishop would release 19 albums. He’d record and perform with Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, and Sting. Meanwhile, David Crosby, Kenny Loggins, Johnny Mathis, Steve Perry, and Barbara Streisand have all covered his songs.

Bishop’s next Top 30 hit, “It Might Be You” — from the movie Tootsie — earned an Academy Award nod for Best Original Song. He’d later repeat that feat with one of his original compositions, “Separate Lives”, sung by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin for the 1985 movie White Nights.

[RELATED: Stephen Bishop Looks Back at his Career-Defining Debut Album with a Luxe 50th Anniversary Reissue]

Stephen Bishop released his 20th and final album, THIMK, in August 2025. He announced his retirement from music, but has continued performing in 2026 with dates scheduled into 2027.

Featured image by Michael Putland/Getty Images