-- Greg Rule, Keyboard Magazine
Bill Champlin was born in Oakland, California on May 21, 1947 to a musical family. His grandparents, mother and sisters have all been singers. Bill is married to Tamara Champlin, a singer/songwriter in her own right, and is the father of three children. His youngest, Will Champlin, is building a name for himself as a prolific songwriter with a distinct sound.
Champlin’s musical career began in 1961 when he formed a band called the Opposite Six. A year later he began writing music. After forming the Sons of Champlin in 1967 he focused his songwriting talents on producing material for the Sons. “They were breathing fire. They were the most talented of all the San Francisco bands”, said Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. The Sons’ first album, “Loosen Up Naturally”, was released in 1969, followed by six more albums before they broke up in 1977. Many of these have been re-released as CD’s and are currently available for purchase.
After the breakup of the Sons, Bill moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session lead and background vocalist on numerous recordings from 1977-1985. Some of the artists that he has worked with include Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, Elton John, Boz Scaggs, Donna Summer, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, Jimmy Smith, Amy Grant, Neil Diamond and Kenny Rogers. In 1978 he released “Single”, his first solo album. In 1979 he won his first Grammy award for co-writing “After the Love is Gone”, which was later recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire. During the recent Chicago/EWF tours in 2004 and 2005, Champlin was asked to perform this song with them, as lead singer.
The National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) awarded Bill the Most Valuable Player peer award for male background vocalists in 1980. In 1981 he won another Grammy for co-writing Turn Your Love Around for George Benson, and released his second solo album that year, “Runaway”. In 1982 he joined Chicago to record Chicago 16. “Bill’s exactly what we’ve been looking for,” said Chicago’s Robert Lamm. His very distinctive and expressive vocals can be heard on Chicago's hit, "Hard Habit to Break".
In 1988 Bill’s recording of the song, “In the Heat of the Night”, was picked up as a show opener by the television show of the same name. The following year Chicago released the song of the year, “Look Away”, featuring Champlin on lead vocals. In 1990 Bill released the critically acclaimed “No Wasted Moments”. That same year he was asked to perform two songs from “No Wasted Moments” at the Tokyo Music Festival, and was presented with their songwriter of the year award.
Next came four solo albums, “Burn Down The Night” (1992), “Through It All” (1994), “He Started To Sing” (1995) and “Mayday” (1996). In July, 1997, “Here in my Heart” topped the adult contemporary charts for Chicago, featuring Champlin on lead vocals. 1997 also saw an a capella release of “West Coast All Stars”, a project he did with Jason Scheff of Chicago, and Toto’s Bobby Kimball and Joseph Williams.
The Sons of Champlin reunited in 1997, with a loyal group of enthusiastic fans traveling great distances to see them perform. They recorded “Live At The Luther Burbank Center” in 1998, as well as “Secret” (CD and DVD) and “Hip Lil' Dreams’ in 2002.
Bill’s newest release is the solo CD / DVD “No Place Left To Fall”. It was recorded at the Barber Shop Studios in Hopatcong, New Jersey for the DreamMakers Music label. It was first released by JVC Japan on September 24, 2008, as well as being release for digital downloading, and later released in Europe by Zink Music on December 10, 2008. The U.S. release by DreamMakers was on August 4, 2009.
With “No Place Left to Fall”, Bill Champlin has made the album he was born to make, a career-defining record with an honesty and immediacy that reflect his old-school approach to music – and his complete disregard for the old-model music industry.
“It’s not completely auto-tuned and processed like a lot of CDs are lately,” says Champlin. “It may not be dead-on perfect, but I think the dead-on perfect records are just that - dead.”
“No Place Left to Fall” captures the many sides of Champlin, thanks to Mark Eddinger and Dennis D’Amico at indie label DreamMakers Music who helped him sort through four CDs worth of material to find the 13 gems that best exemplified the range of his artistry. Rather than insist Champlin deliver a particular kind of album that would fit neatly within a genre bin of the now nearly extinct species we knew as record stores, they encouraged him to do it all – ballsy blues numbers, jazz, straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll, funk, R&B and achingly beautiful pop songs that don’t give a damn if they exceed three minutes. “I felt Bill deserved to make a record without having a set of rules,” says Eddinger.
“I went, ‘Wow, you mean somebody wants me to be myself? Dig that!’” says Champlin, who has time and again had to tell major label executives that no, he wasn’t interested in making an album that sounds like the latest flavor of the month. (Go to Champlin’s MySpace page and you’ll see only one artist listed after the obligatory “sounds like” section: Bill Champlin.)
“A lot of times somebody from a band puts out a solo album and you realize it’s just an extension of that band,” says Champlin, who hit the road in November in support of his new album. “That ain’t what this is. This album is an extension of what I do and where I’ve been coming from. Just wait ‘til you hear the live versions of these songs!”
Bill has also left Chicago. According to his official his press release, 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. The announcement comes on the heels of the August 4th release of “No Place Left to Fall”. “This music is callin’ me,” said Champlin.
The two-time GRAMMY® award winner then launched a successful West Coast tour beginning in November of 2009, with the Bill Champlin Band promoting "No Place Left To Fall", followed by a Sons of Champlin tour in March, 2010. He was also invited to Norway last year by the Norwegian Kringkastings Orchestra to perform with his wife, Tamara Champlin, in Oslo. April 28th-30th, 2011, the Bill Champlin Band was live at the Cotton Club In Japan. The Band, since renamed "Champlin", also features Will Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Carmen Grillo, Bobby Watson and Herman Matthews. This current lineup is now performing in Kuwait and Iraq as part of Bobby Kimball's USO Tour. They will return to the States to play a showcase engagement at the Canyon Club July 7, 2011.
In the words of drummer, Billy Ward, “I became a Bill Champlin fan in the early seventies when he led, what was to me, a ground-breaking band, The Sons Of Champlin. He's written and sang on probably over 400 hit songs, the later ones with the band Chicago. His organ playing has him ranked on most peoples "A" list and he plays the heck out of the guitar as well! He is one of the finest musicians I've ever gotten the privilege to play with.” Dennis Cook, in Jambase and Relix Magazine adds, “Age has done nothing to diminish his powers, and in fact, brings nuances to the material that a young cat just can't muster.”
Sara
Bill Champlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way we've been getting on
I didn't see no sign of trouble
All of a sudden, you're gone
How was I meant to know
I left you alone too long
I never thought you needed
But I could be wrong
And Sara, I'll never forget your name
The woman is gone
But the feeling is here to stay
Sara, the melody will remain
Though you'll be gone
Before the sun goes down
Sara tearing apart
The heart you turned around
How could you let me go
And whittle your dreams away
I didn't see you leaving me
Give me a moment to say
How can I let you know
I'm willing to give it all
I'll gather your tears
From all of the years
And catch 'em whenever they fall
I'll catch you whenever you fall
Sara, I'll never forget your name
The woman is gone
But the feeling is here to stay
Sara, stay
The melody will remain
Though you'll be gone
Before the sun goes down
Sara, I'll never forget your name
The woman is gone
But the feeling is here to stay
Sara, stay
Though you'll be gone
Before the sun goes down
Sara, tear apart
The heart you turned around
How could you let me go
The lyrics to Bill Champlin's song Sara tell the story of a man who is reflecting on a lost relationship. He is confused about what went wrong, as he didn't see any signs of trouble before his partner left. He acknowledges that he may have been too distant and not given the relationship the attention it needed. He expresses his regret and vows to catch his partner whenever she falls. He is haunted by the memory of her, and the melody of their love remains even though she is gone.
The song is a poignant and emotional reflection on lost love. The use of Sara's name throughout the song creates a sense of personalization, as if Champlin is directly addressing the person he lost. The lyrics are also somewhat ambiguous, leaving it up to the listener to interpret what went wrong in the relationship.
Overall, Bill Champlin's Sara is a deeply emotional and reflective song that captures the heartache of lost love and the longing for what once was.
Line by Line Meaning
How could you let me go
I am surprised and hurt that you left me without any warning or explanation.
The way we've been getting on
Our relationship seemed to be fine and without issues.
I didn't see no sign of trouble
I was unaware of any problems or conflicts in our relationship.
All of a sudden, you're gone
You left me suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving me confused and hurt.
How was I meant to know
I did not have any indication or reason to suspect that you wanted to leave me.
I left you alone too long
I neglected or did not pay enough attention to our relationship and to you.
I never thought you needed
I did not realize or understand that you required or wanted more emotional support or communication.
All of that talking
I did not think that discussing and expressing our feelings and thoughts was necessary or helpful in our relationship.
But I could be wrong
I might have made a mistake or misjudgment in my assumptions and actions.
And Sara, I'll never forget your name
I still remember and cherish the memory and impact of our relationship, even though you are not here with me anymore.
The woman is gone
You left and are no longer a part of my life or relationship.
But the feeling is here to stay
The emotions and experiences that we shared together still affect me and are meaningful to me.
Sara, the melody will remain
The music and song that we created and enjoyed together will always exist as a reminder of our relationship.
Though you'll be gone
Even though you are not here with me anymore.
Before the sun goes down
Before the day ends or before it is too late to express my feelings and regrets.
Sara tearing apart
You broke and hurt my heart when you left me.
The heart you turned around
You changed and affected my emotions and perspective on love and relationships.
And whittle your dreams away
You gave up on your aspirations and hopes, which also affected our relationship.
Give me a moment to say
Allow me the chance to express my feelings and thoughts about our relationship.
How can I let you know
I am unsure or have difficulty in communicating my feelings and intentions towards you.
I'm willing to give it all
I am committed and willing to do whatever it takes to make our relationship work.
I'll gather your tears
I want to console and support you, even during times of sadness or distress.
From all of the years
I want to acknowledge and address the past emotional experiences and events that we shared together.
And catch 'em whenever they fall
I want to be there for you and help you during moments of emotional vulnerability or weakness.
I'll catch you whenever you fall
I want to be your emotional support and partner, and help you during times of hardship or challenge.
Sara, stay
I wish that you were still with me and a part of my life and relationship.
Contributed by Eli S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.