Champlin once again a solo act

By GARY LINEHAN
The Union Democrat

Singer-musician-songwriter Bill Champlin, a star around the world since his days with the Sons of Champlin in the 1960s and ’70s and the last 28 years as a member of Chicago, will bring his newly revived solo show to the Black Oak Casino in Tuolumne next week.

It will the sixth stop on a West Coast tour promoting Champlin’s new album, “No Place Left to Fall,” his first solo recording in more than 10 years.

Champlin won’t be alone however — he has a backing band on both the album and tour, with three of the members — including his wife, Tamara, on vocals — overlapping.

The Sons are sure to resurface in future projects as well, he said by telephone from Los Angeles.

The casino show, with free admission for guests 21 and over, will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in the Willow Creek Lounge.

It will be Champlin’s third appearance in Tuolumne.

“We like the casino,” he said. “We’ve been there a few times before and will probably do it again in 2010 with the Sons. It should be a fun show. The album will be available at the gig, and we’ll stick around to sign them.”

The new disc, released on the East Coast independent label DreamMakers, also is available at www.billchamplin.net.

The CD is accompanied by a bonus 70-minute DVD that includes a documentary of the making of the album, live footage of recent performances with the Sons and more.

While Champlin reunites his Sons for touring and recording from time to time, he has been a fixture with the chart-topping band Chicago for nearly 30 years.

He handled lead vocals on the No. 1 hit “Look Away,” traded vocals with Peter Cetera on “Hard Habit to Break” and wrote and sang lead vocals on “Hearts in Trouble” for the soundtrack to the blockbuster movie “Days of Thunder.”

A change in musical philosophy ultimately led to the split in August.

“They wanted to revert back to the early days and sound like their old records,” Champlin said. “When they’re telling me to sing like somebody else, that’s where I have to draw the line.”

He harbors no regrets about the gig, which began in the fall of 1981.

“It lasted a good while and I made a few bucks,” he said.

The Chicago’s Web site simply states: “Champlin left Chicago in August 2009 after a remarkable 28 years with the band, and the band wishes him all the best as he embarks on his new solo project.”

Champlin is the winner of two Grammy Awards, both for songwriting.

He co-wrote both “After the Love Has Gone,” which was a hit for Earth, Wind & Fire and the 1979 Grammy R&B Song of the Year, and “Turn Your Love Around,” which became a hit for George Benson and earned another R&B Song of the Year trophy in 1981.

Champlin said his new album emphasizes vocals, with solid musical backing.

“We’re not doing barbershop quartet by any means,” he said. “On the album I do a lot of stacked vocals, but on stage I like to have the people singing right there. Otherwise it’s not a musical job, it’s an acting job.

“The guitar player on this tour, Jerry Lopez, is also probably one of the best singers on earth, so we’re going to tear it up,” he said.

Champlin formed the Sons of Champlin in Oakland in 1967. Their first album, “Loosen Up Naturally,” was released in 1969, followed by six more albums through 1977.

After the breakup of the Sons, Champlin moved to Los Angeles and worked as a session vocalist on numerous recordings from 1977 to 1985. His first solo album, “Single,” was released in 1978.

Champlin and his wife now live in Nashville.