Bishop Mayfield was born in Harlem, N.Y. in 1944. He is a born showman with an incredibly gifted and versatile voice. He began singing in his local church choir and was soon singing solos. At the age of nine he got his first 'paid' gig singing in an off broadway production of The Music Man and his musical career was launched. Soon he was singing up and down the eastern seaboard. In 1966 Mayfield moved to California where he spent a few years in Los Angeles, then a few more in San Francisco, settled in Humboldt County for 30 years, and just recently moved to the Monterey Bay.

"I have been blessed, I love music and I have been lucky to be able live what I love". Over a forty year career Mayfield's funky blues and soulful vocals have given him the opportunity to jam with and open up for some of the music industry's top artists including;

Tower of Power, B.B. King, Al Wilson, Martha Reeves, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley (photo above), The Neville Brothers (photo above), Burning Spear, Pato Baton, Etta James, Esther Phillips, Eric Burden, Buddy Miles, Lydia Pense, The Four Tops, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, the late great Albert Collin's and many others.

Bishop also has a love of West African drum and culture. He has produced hundreds of shows and workshops with some of Senegal's best dancers and drummers. He has studied well and is an accomplished Djembe and Djun Djun drummer himself. "It is truly awesome when one realizes the power of the drum. I've always loved music and drumming whether it is African drumming or otherwise, to me drums have always conveyed the spirit of the people".