Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop, born October 21, 1942, is an American blues and rock and roll… Read Full Bio ↴Elvin Bishop, born October 21, 1942, is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.
Remembered by many these days as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elvin Bishop has also tasted pop success with his 1976 smash hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love.” Bishop’s long and varied career has included other musical stops along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to rollicking good time rock & roll. And at every stage along the way, he’s imbued all of his music with deep passion, a uniquely creative spirit, and more than a little bit of sly humor.
Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Elvin Bishop didn’t have much exposure to live music as a youngster. But his family had a radio, and in between the pop schmaltz and the C&W that ruled the airwaves in the 1950s, that radio could sometimes catch the legendary R&B programming beamed throughout the southern part of the U.S. at night by Nashville radio station WLAC. That station introduced Bishop to the classic records of Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, and once his ears had been hooked, there was no turning back for young Elvin. He soon got his first guitar and on his own began scratching out the basic outlines of the blues, R&B and rock & roll that had captured his imagination.
By the time he was preparing to go to college in the late 1950s, Bishop had earned a National Merit Scholarship, allowing him to go to almost any school he chose – and there was only one choice on Elvin’s mind, the prestigious University of Chicago, which just happened to be located on Chicago’s South side, ground zero for much of the urban blues Elvin had been studying only from a distance. He arrived in Chicago in 1959, and before long crossed paths with a kindred spirit in Paul Butterfield. Together, they explored the ghetto blues clubs in the black neighborhoods surrounding the university campus at a time when blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Howlin’ Wolf could be found playing in neighborhood joints on a weeknight. Elvin soaked it all up, gaining impromptu lessons and invaluable stage time in front of discerning audiences, and forging a fluid yet powerful guitar style of his own.
By 1963, Bishop and Butterfield were ready to graduate – not necessarily from the university, but certainly from their apprenticeship under Chicago’s blues elders. Recruiting Howlin’ Wolf’s former rhythm section of Sam Lay on drums and Jerome Arnold on bass, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was born. In 1965, after adding Mike Bloomfield and Mark Naftalin to the lineup, their revolutionary debut LP was released, kicking open the door for virtually all the young white blues bands that followed.
Bishop remained in the fold for three albums with the Butterfield band, including their innovative “East-West” release (on which Bishop and Bloomfield’s intertwining guitars helped set the stage for the Allman Brothers Band among many others who followed), before venturing out on his own. Elvin released four well-received albums on Epic Records in the early ‘70s, before joining Capricorn Records for a couple of LPs and experiencing his biggest pop success, the national hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” from his 1976 LP “Struttin’ My Stuff”.
As popular musical trends evolved, the recording projects tapered off, but road work kept Elvin busy through the ‘80s, and by the time he hooked up with Alligator in 1988, he was returning to his bluesy roots. And that fertile territory has been his focus ever since.
Delta Groove Productions president Randy Chortkoff has been a fan and follower of Elvin’s music through all the many phases of his career, beginning with Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s, so when the opportunity arose to bring Elvin into the Delta Groove fold, Chortkoff jumped at the opportunity. The result was Elvin’s Grammy nominated 2008 CD “The Blues Rolls On”, a project supported by an all-star cast of blues royalty featuring B.B. King, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, George Thorogood , James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Tommy Castro, John Németh, Angela Strehli, plus many more.
Elvin’s brand new release “Red Dog Speaks”, his second on Delta Groove Music, is the exciting next step in his blues journey. Right out of the gate, Bishop leaves no doubt where his heart is, cleverly introducing his long-time cohort - a 1959 Gibson ES-345 that lovingly answers to the name of “Red Dog”, with a gritty slow blues calculated to set the pace for what’s to come. Along the way he smoothly steers the way from strutting blues and R&B, to a good dose of good-time rock & roll, and even an occasional detour through doo-wop, zydeco and gospel. Elvin has made plenty of talented friends over the years, and many of them jumped at the chance to help out including John Nemeth, Buckwheat Zydeco, Roy Gaines, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Kid Andersen who all make guest appearances. And all of it adds up to an amalgam that can only be called “Elvin Bishop music.”
Bishop's official website is at http://www.elvinbishopmusic.com/
Remembered by many these days as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elvin Bishop has also tasted pop success with his 1976 smash hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love.” Bishop’s long and varied career has included other musical stops along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to rollicking good time rock & roll. And at every stage along the way, he’s imbued all of his music with deep passion, a uniquely creative spirit, and more than a little bit of sly humor.
Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Elvin Bishop didn’t have much exposure to live music as a youngster. But his family had a radio, and in between the pop schmaltz and the C&W that ruled the airwaves in the 1950s, that radio could sometimes catch the legendary R&B programming beamed throughout the southern part of the U.S. at night by Nashville radio station WLAC. That station introduced Bishop to the classic records of Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, and once his ears had been hooked, there was no turning back for young Elvin. He soon got his first guitar and on his own began scratching out the basic outlines of the blues, R&B and rock & roll that had captured his imagination.
By the time he was preparing to go to college in the late 1950s, Bishop had earned a National Merit Scholarship, allowing him to go to almost any school he chose – and there was only one choice on Elvin’s mind, the prestigious University of Chicago, which just happened to be located on Chicago’s South side, ground zero for much of the urban blues Elvin had been studying only from a distance. He arrived in Chicago in 1959, and before long crossed paths with a kindred spirit in Paul Butterfield. Together, they explored the ghetto blues clubs in the black neighborhoods surrounding the university campus at a time when blues giants like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Howlin’ Wolf could be found playing in neighborhood joints on a weeknight. Elvin soaked it all up, gaining impromptu lessons and invaluable stage time in front of discerning audiences, and forging a fluid yet powerful guitar style of his own.
By 1963, Bishop and Butterfield were ready to graduate – not necessarily from the university, but certainly from their apprenticeship under Chicago’s blues elders. Recruiting Howlin’ Wolf’s former rhythm section of Sam Lay on drums and Jerome Arnold on bass, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band was born. In 1965, after adding Mike Bloomfield and Mark Naftalin to the lineup, their revolutionary debut LP was released, kicking open the door for virtually all the young white blues bands that followed.
Bishop remained in the fold for three albums with the Butterfield band, including their innovative “East-West” release (on which Bishop and Bloomfield’s intertwining guitars helped set the stage for the Allman Brothers Band among many others who followed), before venturing out on his own. Elvin released four well-received albums on Epic Records in the early ‘70s, before joining Capricorn Records for a couple of LPs and experiencing his biggest pop success, the national hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” from his 1976 LP “Struttin’ My Stuff”.
As popular musical trends evolved, the recording projects tapered off, but road work kept Elvin busy through the ‘80s, and by the time he hooked up with Alligator in 1988, he was returning to his bluesy roots. And that fertile territory has been his focus ever since.
Delta Groove Productions president Randy Chortkoff has been a fan and follower of Elvin’s music through all the many phases of his career, beginning with Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s, so when the opportunity arose to bring Elvin into the Delta Groove fold, Chortkoff jumped at the opportunity. The result was Elvin’s Grammy nominated 2008 CD “The Blues Rolls On”, a project supported by an all-star cast of blues royalty featuring B.B. King, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, George Thorogood , James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Tommy Castro, John Németh, Angela Strehli, plus many more.
Elvin’s brand new release “Red Dog Speaks”, his second on Delta Groove Music, is the exciting next step in his blues journey. Right out of the gate, Bishop leaves no doubt where his heart is, cleverly introducing his long-time cohort - a 1959 Gibson ES-345 that lovingly answers to the name of “Red Dog”, with a gritty slow blues calculated to set the pace for what’s to come. Along the way he smoothly steers the way from strutting blues and R&B, to a good dose of good-time rock & roll, and even an occasional detour through doo-wop, zydeco and gospel. Elvin has made plenty of talented friends over the years, and many of them jumped at the chance to help out including John Nemeth, Buckwheat Zydeco, Roy Gaines, Tommy Castro, Ronnie Baker Brooks, and Kid Andersen who all make guest appearances. And all of it adds up to an amalgam that can only be called “Elvin Bishop music.”
Bishop's official website is at http://www.elvinbishopmusic.com/
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Elvin Bishop Lyrics
Beer Drinking Woman The story's true ladies and gentlemen. All the names have be…
Blues Train Hey everybody, Bishop′s my name I'm your engineer on this ol…
Calling All Cows A Change Is Gonna Come Lyrics (Al Green) I was born…
Can't Even Do Wrong Right I know a cat by the name of Maurice. He′s all…
Crawling King Snake You know I'm a crawlin' king snake, baby, and I…
Fannie Mae WELL, I WANT SOMEBODY TO TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME I…
Fishin' Boy, it sure is a nice day today. I believe I’ll…
Fool Around and Fell in Love I must have been through about a million girls I'd love…
Ground Hog La gente levanta la voz, habla de Iluminatik (C-Mobstaz) Hab…
Have A Good Time Used to party all over town In on every scene We used…
Holler And Shout Let me tell you 'bout the first time I met…
Juke Joint Jump There's a jumpin' little juke joint way out in the sticks …
Just Your Fool I'm just your fool can't help myself I love you baby…
Let It Flow Let it flow Let it flow Let it flow Let it flow Let it…
Midnight Creeper Finjo ser invisível Pra não ter que te encarar Afogo na pisc…
Midnight Hour Blues Gonna wait till the midnight hour When there's no one else…
Murder In the First Degree WELL, SHE'S MURDER MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE MY GIRL'S …
My Dog My dog don't chase chickens My dog don't chase cats My dog…
My Girl I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside…
Neighbor Neighbor Neighbour neighbour, don't you worry what goes on in my…
Old School I wear old fashioned clothes old fashioned shoes Old Gibson …
Party 'Til the Cows Come Home Kick out the windows bust down the doors We're drinkin' half…
Prisoner Of Love Baby please, baby please, come back to me Baby please, baby…
Rock My Soul rock my soul be my light or you'll never know i can't…
She Puts Me In the Mood She puts me in the mood She puts me in the…
Silent Night Silent night, holy night, all is calm all Is bright Round…
So Fine So fine, so fine, so fine, yeah My baby's so doggone…
Spend Some Time Baby, spend some time with me tonight Baby, wrap your arms…
Struttin' My Stuff I'm struttin' my stuff, ya'll I'm struttin' my stuff, ya'll…
Sure Feels Good I never seen such a beautiful day Looked like everything is…
The Little Drummer Boy Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum Our newborn King…
Think If I give up, my friends I know And in return…
Travelin' Shoes Me and my old lady Ain't been gettin' along Things don't g…
True Love I give to you and you give to me True love…
Twist & Shout Well, shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby) Twist…
What The Hell Is Going On Bumping and shooting and, Raping and killing Bloody murder m…
Bill Slais
on Give It Up
I wrote "Give It Up" with Mickey Thomas and no site has the lyrics, apparently...so...here are the lyrics Mick and I wrote..
...I wanna lay out....I wanna stay out....Don't wanna change my ways...
...I do some drinkin' .....I do some thinkin' .....of what's goin' thru my head these days......
...So if you try to find...some kind of peace of mind...you've got to give as well as take...(oh yeh)
...If you can help it....don't be so selfish (double oh yeh)....
...There's a price you gotta pay (mid-terms??..lol)...YEH (his vocal)
CHORUS
...Everybody's gotta give it up.....repeat....Everybody's go to give it up....
..Everybody's got to give it up sometimes...
BRIDGE
Everybody.....Everybody.....in the world... If you find that...special girl (Kari Lake??..lol)
Don't be blinded....Have a good time...You might find out you could learn a lot.....(hmmm)
GUITAR SOLO
You wanna hold on.....to your freedom....you know you can't keep it all your life...(hmm)
So hears my lesson....forget your PRIDE, son..
...You got to make a sacrifice ....(oh yeh)
Everybody's got to give it up....everybody's got to give it up...
Everybody's got to give it up sometimes (even when Red Tsumani's are predicted...lol)
2nd Bridge (words repeated)
RIDE OUT....Everybody's got to give it up....Everybody's got to give it up sometimes....(even in mid-terms..lol)
Bill Slais
on Give It Up
First off.....Elvin did NOT write "Give It Up" ....Mickey (Thomas) and I wrote the song and the lyrics and I own 100 per cent of publishing and have never been paid a dime for writing it with Mick or a nickel for the publishing... and, even worse, it was re-published on the live album ....and then bought and re-re-published on CD...
Just wanted you to know... at 75 and with Vietnam bladder cancer... I gave up on ever getting paid .....it happened a again on another CD release of a Bay Area guitarist on which I wrote 3 songs and give him half writer's though he didn't write a not... I just love the music business....don't you?