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William Bradford "Bill" Champlin (born May 21, 1947, Oakland, California) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboard player, arranger, producer, and songwriter. His performance work is principally associated with the bands Chicago and the Sons of Champlin. He has won multiple Grammy Awards for songwriting.
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, The Opposite Six, while at Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, California and went on to study music in college, but was encouraged by a professor to drop out of school and pursue music professionally.
The Opposite Six, Champlin's band from high school, changed their name to the Sons of Champlin, and eventually recorded a number of well-reviewed but poorly-selling albums (including Loosen Up Naturally and Circle Filled With Love) by 1977, when the 30 year old Champlin moved to Los Angeles.
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 1979 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 1982 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, which appear on the album Nine Lives; this was the last album in which REO Speedwagon had a predominately hard rock edge.
This work allowed Champlin to become acquainted with other in-demand session men such as Jay Graydon, David Foster, Steve Lukather (of Toto). Among other artists that he worked with were Al Jarreau, Boz Scaggs, The Tubes, Lee Ritenour, Amy Grant, and Nicky Trebek. He also appeared on Barry Manilow's 1982 EP, Oh, Julie!.
David Foster produced two solo albums for Champlin: Single and Runaway. Both albums sold poorly but were promoted poorly by his record company. 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 1997, Champlin revived the Sons of Champlin, with whom he continues to play live shows throughout the West Coast of the United States.
In September 2008, Champlin released a new solo album 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 greats as Jay Graydon, Andreas Carlsson, Diane Warren, Michael Caruso 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 2009 Bill Champlin and his wife Tamara wrote the lyrics to "Til You Believe", a pop ballad composed, arranged, and produced by the Italian-American composer, arranger, and producer Manuel De Peppe.
In the fall of 2011 Bill Champlin played the B3 Hammond Organ on the songs "Moon Cry" and "Mississippi Creek" by Curt Campbell and the Eclectic Beast Band.
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