Mark Bishop is an American Southern Gospel singer, songwriter and producer from Irvine, Kentucky. He begins his career in family singing, performing with his father Kenneth and brother Kenny in The Bishops, a group that tours nationally for 17 years and becomes a significant name in Southern Gospel music radio and the concert circuit.

As part of The Bishops, Bishop serves as the group’s main songwriter as well as a vocalist. The group records 25 releases and places 27 songs in the Top 40, including 12 Top 5 hits and three number one songs. His songs for the group include “Reach The World,” “When Jesus Is All That I Have” and “You Can’t Ask Too Much of My God,” which is named Song of the Year in 1997 by the Southern Gospel Music Songwriter’s Association. His writing is also recorded by other Gospel artists including The Kingsmen, Legacy Five, Brian Free and Assurance and Allison Durham Speer, and his songs are performed by church choirs and on television programmes such as In Touch with Charles Stanley, The Word Today with John Hagee, The Grand Ole Opry and the Bill Gaither Homecoming series.

Solo career

After The Bishops retire in 2001, Bishop moves into solo work. His solo career produces 16 Top 40 songs, five Top 5 songs and two consecutive number one songs, “Can I Pray For You” and “I Got Here As Fast As I Could,” in 2004 and 2005. He is named Singing News Magazine Soloist of the Year in 2005, and his album Everyday is nominated for Best Southern Gospel Album by the Gospel Music Association in 2008. He also performs on major Southern Gospel concert stages and is one of only three soloists to sing on the main stage at the National Quartet Convention.

Recognition and recordings

Bishop receives a Gospel Music Association Dove Award in 2000 for producing The Bishops’ Kentucky Bluegrass album, which is named Best Bluegrass Gospel Album of the Year. He records exclusively for Sonlite Records. His voice is described by audiences as distinctive within Southern Gospel music, and his performance style combines singing, songwriting and presentation. He lives in Irvine, Kentucky with his wife Carolyn and their daughters, Courtney and Haley.