Michael Bishop(II)

Michael Bishop's professional career began as a singer on his mother's television program at the age of 5. Michael was regularly performing, piano, guitar and singing, with his older brother Harold, also an artist, by the age of 10. Five years later as The Boys, they won a battle of the bands titled The Pepsi Boss Battle for KHJ Radio/TV Los Angeles. Subsequently, in 1966, the Bishop brothers signed recording contracts with Mike Curb's Sidewalk Productions and management contracts with Robert Fitzpatrick of Stigwood/Fitzpatrick (BeeGees, Cream, etc.).

His first movie was arranging and performing Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's songs for the cult classic film Wild in the Streets (1968). During seven years with Sidewalk Productions, the Bishops' credits included numerous TV shows, tours, recordings and soundtracks. At this time he became involved with John Lennon at Apple Records to release a solo album, but with the folding of Apple the project never came to fruition. Next Bishop and his brother signed to 20th Century Fox as artists and writers with Pat and Lolly Vegas of Redbone producing. Fox released two singles by the Bishops as the Street Boys on DiscAZ in Paris, Johnny Halliday's label, and Halliday released four singles, of which he sang two.

From there the Bishop brothers went to Motown/Jobete Music, a particular victory since they were white and Michael was a mere 22 years old. The Supremes recorded Michael's song "Loveline." Michael then began writing and recording with artists Hunt and Tony Sales of Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop and David Bowie groups; along with Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar of the Beach Boys, The Ruttles, Bonnie Raitt and The Rolling Stones.

Bishop began a small independent label called Radius Records in the mid-seventies. Radius released various singles and EPs from Seattle to San Diego through Tower Records, Music Plus, and Licorice Pizza. He also produced an hour-long radio show, "Radius Records Hour" for the Los Angeles radio stations KROQ and KNAC. The live interview and recorded music format featured acts such as Talking Heads, The Damned, Ramones, and many more. Renowned journalist John Mendelsohn, who broke the London punk rock story for Jan Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine, renamed Bishop as John Q. Public, a west coast punk rock artist.

For years Bishop performed as John Q. Public, and he began an association with Warren Cann of the influential British group, UltraVox. The two began scoring for the emerging home video market. Cann and Bishop composed and produced music for the first Playmate Home Videos. As Michael Bishop productions, Bishop went on to compose for other Playboy videos, including the 'Madonna' segment of her only nude video, and the Playmate Calendar Theme still used today with the annual calendar video.

In 1984 Bishop received his first composing assignment with "Morning Terror," a feature film for Robert Michael Steloff and Heritage Films. Continuing as a feature film composer, Bishop produced a wide variety of music for Cannon Films, MGM/UA, Full Moon Entertainment, Ashok Amritraj and others, including titles such as Bloodsport (1988), Street Smart (1987), Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987), Shy People (1987), and Prehysteria! (1993), Prehysteria! 2 (1994), and Prehysteria! 3 (1995). Bishop also composed for Leslie Stevens's genre film Three Kinds of Heat (1987). Stevens is known for his involvement with Orson Welles's "Mercury Theater," and his writer/producer credits include The Outer Limits (1963-1965), It Takes a Thief (1968), and Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991).

After producing the soundtrack release for Made in U.S.A. (1987), a Hemdale picture with music by Sonic Youth, for Harold Bronson and Rhino Entertainment, Bishop started up Classified Films with his brother Harold. As Classified, the Bishops have produced and directed their first feature documentary Rage: 20 Years of Punk Rock West Coast Style (2001), released on DVD/VHS worldwide through MVD in 2002. Inspired by the film, Bishop produced a soundtrack CD collection of music by various artists in the film, including original music written and performed for the soundtrack. Along with recordings by Jack Grisham of TSOL, the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Gitane Demone (formerly of Christian Death), Michael wrote and performed the original track "Therapy." The soundtrack "RAGE: 20 Years of Punk Rock, West Coast Style" was released through Restless/Ryko Records in 2003. Since that time Bishop has composed and produced the soundtrack for 'Holly Lewis' and Raider Rhotenacher's short film Oscar (2004), which received praise for its particularly strong music.

In 2005 Bishop returned to songwriting on assignment for the country music genre for executive producer Robert Cooper and Producer Ron Nevison. This new group of songs led to new projects with Danny Sheridan of Eli Radish (David Allan Coe's band). Bishop, Sheridan, and 'Scott Jacoby' (Co-Director of Rage) are developing a feature length documentary on the Country Outlaws. Due to worldwide demand, Bishop's song "Steal the Night," featured in 'Jean Claude Van Damme''s Bloodsport (1988), will be released for the first time and available through RadiusArts in 2006. Bishop continues to oversee the screenings and sales of RAGE, and in 2006 the movie successfully returned to the big screen at Laemmle's Sunset 5, on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Michael Bishop continues his passion composing music in a range of genres for film and recording artists.