William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, musician, arranger, producer, and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the band

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

from 1981–2009. He performed lead vocals on three of Chicago's biggest hits of the 1980s, 1984's "

Hard Habit to Break "Hard Habit to Break" is a song written by Steve Kipner and John Lewis Parker, produced and arranged by David Foster and recorded by the group Chicago for their 1984 album ''Chicago 17'', with Bill Champlin and Peter Cetera sharing lead vocals. Re ...

" and 1988's "

Look Away "Look Away" is a 1988 power ballad by American rock band Chicago. Written by Diane Warren, produced by Ron Nevison, and with Bill Champlin on lead vocals, it is the second single from the band's album '' Chicago 19''. "Look Away" topped the '' ...

" and " I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love". During live shows, he performed the lower, baritone, vocal parts originated by original guitarist

Terry Kath Terry Alan Kath (January 31, 1946 – January 23, 1978) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He played guitar and sang lead vocals on many of the band's early hit singl ...

, who had died in 1978. He has won multiple

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s for songwriting.

Early career

As a child, Champlin demonstrated a talent for piano and eventually picked up the guitar after being inspired by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

. He started a band called The Opposite Six while at

Tamalpais High School Tamalpais High School (often abbreviated as Tam) is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises almost above Mill Valley. Tamalpais High Scho ...

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. 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 Don Stevenson (born October 15, 1941, Seattle, Washington) is the American drummer and a singer and songwriter for Moby Grape, a band which was formed in San Francisco in 1966 and continues to perform occasionally today. History Don Stevenson fi ...

. 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. Sons of Champlin1

Champlin won a

for Best Rhythm and Blues Song in 1980 for co-writing the hit song "

After The Love Has Gone "After the Love Has Gone" is a single by Earth, Wind & Fire released in 1979 on ARC/ Columbia Records. The song reached No. 2 on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, behind The Knack's "My Sharona" and the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, No. ...

" with Jay Graydon and

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

(which was made popular by

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

) 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 George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

). In 1979, Champlin was approached by the then-widely successful band

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. T ...

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,

, and

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

(of Toto). Among other artists that he worked with were

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...

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Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

The Tubes The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band. Their eponymous 1975 debut album included the single " White Punks on Dope," while their 1983 single " She's a Beauty" was a top-10 U.S. hit and its music video was frequently played in the early ...

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

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, and Nicky Trebek. He also appeared on

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...

's 1982 EP, ''Oh, Julie!'' and was a featured background vocalist on Manilow's ''

Here Comes the Night "Here Comes the Night" is a 1964 song, written by Bert Berns. It became a hit for Northern Irish band Them, fronted by Van Morrison, in March 1965, charting at No. 2 in the UK and No. 24 in the US. Them's single is listed at either No. 33 or No. ...

''.

In 1986, Champlin dueted with

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

on ''Last Unbroken Heart'' for

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

and was released that same year on the album " Miami Vice II" In 1991, he provided backing vocals for

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

' 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 Manuel De Peppe is an Italian actor, musician, composer, arranger, and producer. He spent the majority of his career as an actor and singer, but in 2005 moved to the United States primarily as a composer, music producer and arranger. Early life Man ...

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 Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

that also featured Joe Williams & Peter Friestedt. Champlin teamed up with conductor Lars Erik Gudim and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK) in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

for a special performance that aired December 27, 2011 on NRK TV in

. 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 Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from ...

, 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.

Solo releases

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

, 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 Imagen Records is an American record label based in Washington D.C. History Imagen Records is an independent record label featuring rock artists such as Framing Hanley, New Medicine, 3 Years Hollow, Candlelight Red, and Separations.. Founded ...

and featured Champlin on keys and guitars as well as players Bruce Gaitsch, Carmen Grillo,

Steve Porcaro Steven Maxwell Porcaro (born September 2, 1957) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, and film composer, known as one of the founding members of the rock band Toto and the last surviving Porcaro brother (after the deaths of Jeff in 1992 and M ...

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Cola ...

, George Hawkins Jr., Greg Mathieson, Gordon Campbell,

Lenny Castro Lenny or Lennie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lennie (surname), a list of people * Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter Arts and entertainment Music * ...

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, Alan Hertz, Tal Morris, Jason Scheff,

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

. Singers included Bill Champlin on lead and background vocals, Tamara Champlin, Gary Falcone, Jason Scheff and

Andreas Carlsson Andreas Carlsson (; born 3 April 1973) is a Swedish music producer and pop songwriter. Biography Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2000. In January 2001, former Cheiron-members Andreas Carlsson, K ...

. Tracks were composed by Bill Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Bruce Gaitsch, Michael Caruso, Greg Mathieson, Jason Scheff and Gary Falcone.

Tenure with Chicago

In 1978, the day after

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

guitarist

died, the band reached out to Champlin suggesting that he audition to take Kath's place. Champlin turned down the offer, saying he could not fill that role. In early 1981, Champlin collaborated with Chicago's drummer,

, by singing some backgrounds with Peter Cetera on a non-Chicago project. Seraphine and Champlin co-wrote a few songs for Chicago that year, and Champlin was invited to sing one of those songs, "Sonny Think Twice", as a guest vocalist. Champlin suggested to Seraphine that

might be a good choice as a producer for Chicago at that time. Seraphine began a campaign to get Champlin into the group, and he joined before the end of 1981. The band did collaborate with Foster on their next album, 1982's platinum certified ''

Chicago 16 ''Chicago 16'' is the thirteenth studio album by the American band Chicago, released on June 7, 1982. It is considered their "comeback" album because it was their first album to go platinum since 1978's ''Hot Streets.'' It made it into the ''B ...

''. Champlin was featured singing several songs, including "Bad Advice", "Follow Me", and "Sonny Think Twice", which he co-wrote and had originally guested on in 1981. Champlin also shared vocals with Cetera on "Waiting for You to Decide". 1984's ''

Chicago 17 ''Chicago 17'' is the fourteenth studio album by American band Chicago, released on May 14, 1984. It was the group's second release for Full Moon/Warner Bros. Records, their second album to be produced by David Foster and their last with foundin ...

'' enhanced Champlin's presence in the group, when he wrote several songs ("Please Hold On" and "Remember the Feeling") and sang (with Cetera) the hit single "

". In 1988, Champlin's voice appeared prominently on several major hit singles from '' Chicago 19'': "

", " I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love", and " You're Not Alone". That year, he also sang the theme to the television show '' In the Heat of the Night''. In 1990, Champlin wrote, produced, and sang lead on "Hearts in Trouble", a song for the movie soundtrack of ''

Days of Thunder ''Days of Thunder'' is a 1990 American sports action drama film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Ca ...

''. Originally a solo song, the producers of the movie decided, for marketing purposes, that it be released under the name of Chicago. So, the band's horn section added a brass arrangement to the track, and subsequently, it was released as a single. In the summer of 1990, Chicago launched their ''Hearts in Trouble Tour''. In 1991, Chicago released the album '' Twenty 1'', featuring the Champlin-sung hit "

Chasin' the Wind "Chasin' the Wind" is a rock ballad song written by Diane Warren and recorded by the band Chicago, for their 1991 studio album '' Twenty 1'', featuring Bill Champlin on vocals. The song was produced and engineered by Ron Nevison and mixed by Humb ...

", which peaked at No. 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the band's last top 40 hit on that chart. In 1993, Chicago recorded its "lost album", not released until 2008 as '' Chicago XXXII: Stone of Sisyphus''. Champlin sings on the tracks "Mah-Jong", "Cry for The Lost", "The Show Must Go On", and "Plaid". Champlin made major contributions to Chicago's big-band tribute '' Night & Day Big Band'' in 1995 and to their 1998 Christmas album '' Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album'', including the additional track "What's It Gonna Be, Santa?" on the album's 2003 re-release. Champlin co-wrote four of the songs on the band's 2006 album ''

Chicago XXX ''Chicago XXX'' is the twentieth studio album, and thirtieth album overall, by the American band Chicago, released on March 21, 2006. It was Chicago's first album of entirely new material since 1991's '' Twenty 1''. Background The album was ...

''. In 2009, Chicago and Champlin announced he would be leaving the group during the band's summer tour with

. Chicago's management released a statement saying, "Bill Champlin is no longer in Chicago. He was a long time band member and we wish him all the best as he embarks on his new solo project, for which he's worked long and hard." A statement by Champlin's publicist said, "After 28 years with Chicago, singer-songwriter-keyboardist Bill Champlin is parting ways with the classic jazz/rock band to focus once again on his solo career." Later, Champlin would state that the abrupt decision was a surprise to him, and that he had no input in it.

Bill Champlin and WunderGround

Gary Falcone, Burleigh Drummond, Bill Champlin

Champlin formed a band in 2018, entitled "Bill Champlin and the WunderGround" that included members singer-guitarist, Gary Falcone; singer, Tamara Champlin; bass player, Bill Bodine and Ambrosia's drummer,

Burleigh Drummond Burleigh Drummond (born September 25, 1951) is an American drummer, percussionist, producer, songwriter, and singer. He is a founding member and the only drummer/percussionist for the five-time Grammy Award nominated band Ambrosia. He currently ...

and keyboardist-singer, Mary Harris releasing an album "Bleeding Secrets" and played shows in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

area, to promote and support the music.

Champlin Williams Friestedt

In 2012 Champlin joined Joseph Williams and Peter Friestedt, who had been previously releasing an album under the name "Williams Friestedt" in 2011, for a European Tour. As a result of the tour a Live DVD/CD, recorded in Gotenburg on Mar, 25 2012 was released under the name "Bill Champlin Joseph Williams Peter Friestedt *All Star Band*" and hit the top of the Swedish charts. Champlin knew both Williams and Friestedt well, as they had worked together in the past already during the recordings of Friestedt's solo albums "The L.A. project" and "The L.A. project Vol. 2". So they decided to join forces and subsequently released under the name "Champlin Williams Friestedt" several singles, a self-titled album "Champlin Williams Friestedt" in 2015 and "2" in 2020.

Personal life

Bill Champlin resides in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He has two sisters, Mimi Champlin and Sally Champlin. Champlin was married in the 1970s and had two children, Bradford Raymond Champlin and Amy Jo Kelly. Champlin has been married since 1982 to his second wife, singer-songwriter Tamara Champlin, and together they have son Will Champlin, who finished third on Season 5 (2013) of '' The Voice''. In 1983, the same year son Will was born, Bill and Tamara performed music together on screen in the film '' Copper Mountain''. On September 13 2016, Champlin's son Bradford, died from complications due to esophageal cancer. He was 51.

Discography

Studio albums

*1978: ''Single'' (

Full Moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This mea ...

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

) *1981: ''

Runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proc ...

'' ( Elektra) ''#178 Billboard Top 200 Album chart'' *1990: ''No Wasted Moments'' (Elektra) *1992: ''Burn Down The Night'' (

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definitio ...

) *1994: ''Through It All'' (Turnip The Music Group) *1995: ''He Started To Sing'' (Turnip The Music Group) *2008: ''No Place Left To Fall'' (DreamMakers Music) *2015: ''Champlin, Williams, Friestedt'' (AOR Heaven) *2018: ''Bleeding Secrets'' Bill Champlin & WunderGround (Wunderground Records) *2020: ''Champlin, Williams, Friestedt II (Black Lodge Records) *2021: ''Livin' for Love'' (Imagen Records)

Live albums

*1996: ''Mayday'' (Champlin Records) *2012: ''Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns: Live with the Champlins'' (Strokeland Records) *2012: Champlin Williams Friestedt *All Star Band* (LA Project Productions)

Singles

*1978: "What Good is Love" *1981: "Satisfaction" *1981: "Take It Uptown" *1981: "Tonight, Tonight" ''#55 Billboard Hot 100 singles chart'' *1981: "Sara" ''#19 Billboard AC chart, #61 Hot 100 singles chart'' *1986: "The Last Unbroken Heart" (with Patti LaBelle) ''#15 Billboard AC chart'' *1990: "The City" *1991: "Memories of Her" *1994: "In the Heat of the Night" *1996: "Southern Serenade"

References

External links

*
Craig Carreno Photography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champlin, Bill 1947 births Living people American male composers 20th-century American composers American blues guitarists American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists American rock guitarists American session musicians American rock singers Chicago (band) members Epic Records artists Grammy Award winners Musicians from Oakland, California People from Mill Valley, California Tamalpais High School alumni Guitarists from California 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century American keyboardists