Walter Bishop
Walter Bishop Sr. (January 9, 1905 – January 8, 1984) was a Jamaican-American drummer, composer and songwriter. Bishop was born in Jamaica, but emigrated to the United States prior to beginning his professional career. He and his family lived in the Sugar Hill district of the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. Bishop played drums on recordings by pianist Alex Hill and trumpeter Jabbo Smith during the 1920s and 1930s. His song "Swing, Brother, Swing" was recorded by Billie Holiday with Count Basie, among other performers. Other songs written by Bishop include "Jack, You're Dead," which was a #1 R&B hit in 1947 as recorded by Louis Jordan, "The Stuff is Here (and It's Mellow)," and "Bop! Goes My Heart," which was recorded by Frank Sinatra. His song "My Baby Likes to Bebop" was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, and by Nat "King" Cole with Johnny Mercer, and his calypso "Sex is a Misdemeanor" was recorded by Vanessa Rubin. He was the father of American jazz pianist Walter Bishop Jr. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Normal, Died January 8, 1984
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1948
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, drums, composer, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-034967 | 10-in. | 6/9/1939 | There's only one in love (And yet there should be two) | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Bill Stoker | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-041379 | 10-in. | 10/2/1939 | Rehearsal in love | Dolores Brown ; Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-056445 | 10-in. | 10/7/1940 | Is it love, or is it conscription? | Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-064029 | 10-in. | 4/4/1941 | Dog house polka (Papa's in the dog-house now) | Art Kassel Trio ; Kassels-in-the-Air Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal trio | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-071860 | 10-in. | 2/18/1942 | Shhh, it's a military secret | Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires | Jazz/dance band, with female-male duet and mixed vocal ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | D7VB-0467 | 10-in. | 2/17/1948 | Jack, you're dead! | Aristokats | Male vocal duet, with instrumental quartet | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-2018 | 10-in. | 11/8/1947 | My baby likes to be-bop (and I like to be-bop too) | William Johnson ; Musical Notes (Bill Johnson) | Male vocal solo, with vocal quartet and jazz quintet | composer | |
| Columbia | W145604 | 10-in. | 2/1/1928 | One o'clock blues | Connie's Inn Orchestra (Leroy Tibbs) ; Leroy Tibbs | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | C2312 | 10-in. | 9/13/1938 | Monkeys is the cwaziest people! | Prairie Ramblers | String band, with male vocal duet | songwriter | |
| Columbia | W24880 | 10-in. | 7/5/1939 | Swing, brother swing | Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bishop, Walter," accessed December 26, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/114291.
Bishop, Walter. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 26, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/114291.
"Bishop, Walter." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 26 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Bishop, Walter, 1905-1984 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008104387
Wikidata: Wally Bishop - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7963302
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56427236
MusicBrainz: Walter Bishop, Sr. - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2248133b-4485-4cb5-bbbf-f81d88a9079d
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