Musical performer and composer, Stephen Michael Schwartz, is known to children and their parents across the nation as one third of the phenomenally popular musical group, PARACHUTE EXPRESS. However, unbeknownst to most, Stephen is a show business veteran who began his career at the age of twelve. Independent of his PARACHUTE EXPRESS success, Stephen has appeared in television and film, composed and produced music for a variety of projects, and even penned a RCA recording deal as a solo artist. Multi-faceted with boundless creative energy, his talents seem to have no limits.
Born in Victorville, California, and raised in the the San Fernando Valley, he first felt the show biz ‘itch’ after watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The very next day he asked his parents to buy him a guitar. He took two free lessons and then went on to teach himself to play. From that moment, he started writing songs. Shortly thereafter, after gaining the attention of a talent agent, he began acting in numerous commercials, TV shows and films. Among his credits are: I SPY (in which he played guitar with Bill Cosby), LASSIE, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. His first movie role was WHO’S MINDING THE MINT, in which he played Joey Bishop’s son. While in college, he performed at the Hollywood Troubadour’s famous Monday night hoots in the company of such up and coming artists as Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, and Stephen Bishop where he was spotted by RCA talent scouts and signed to an exclusive record deal. At this point, he started touring the country as a solo musical act.
Around the same time he met Janice Hubbard, a fellow songwriter, who often sang back-up for him, and would later become part of PARACHUTE EXPRESS. He has opened for such performers as David Letterman, Gallagher, Paul Williams and The Association, to name a few. Some unique and memorable highlights were being told to shut up by Groucho Marx at a dinner party and hanging out with Elvis Presley as Stephen and Wolfman Jack were escorted backstage after one of Elvis’ Las Vegas concerts.
In 1980, an acting opportunity arose when he was approached to star in a sitcom as a “David Cassidy-type heart throb” character. The show was "PLEASE STAND BY" -- picked up by NBC for 24 shows. Two years later he starred opposite Gary Crosby in "THE MUSIC SHOPPE", a cable sitcom.
Stephen’s musical career started to take a different turn when he moved next door to his soon-to-be partner inPARACHUTE EXPRESS, Donny Becker. They found they had two important commonalities -- a love of music and love of children. At the time Donny was running a Gymboree franchise in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and wanted to implement original music into the program. He asked Stephen to work with him. Stephen then brought in Janice and the rest is history. Stephen, Donny, and Janice have been working together since 1984 as PARACHUTE EXPRESS. Their music is applauded by adults and children alike. They’ve produced twelve albums to date, two short and two long form videos.PARACHUTE EXPRESS was the very first live artists signed to the Walt Disney Records/Music Box Artist series label. In 1998, Parachute Express formed their own record label, Trio Lane Records, and that year released the multi award-winning album, DOCTOR LOONEY’S REMEDY, which received many awards including the prestigious Indie Award for Best Album for Children (The Grammy for Independent Retailers). Their newest recording, DON’T BLINK, has garnered three prestigious awards -- The Parents’ Choice Gold Award, The NAPPA Award for Audio Excellence and The Top Creative Toy Award.
Although PARACHUTE EXPRESS has been the mainstay of his life, Stephen has been fortunate to have been able to work independently as well. He has composed songs for numerous television and film projects, such as GRUMPY OLD MEN, REVENGE OF THE NERDS, thirtysomething, AMAZING STORIES, HELLO KITTY, and Interscope’s POCAHONTAS. In addition, Stephen’s songs can be heard on the popular animated television series for PBS, JAY JAY THE JET PLANE. Stephen wrote and sings the title theme and penned most of the songs featured in daily episodes. His original composition, MERRY CHRISTMAS, WHEREVER YOU ARE, was chosen by Barry Manilow to be performed annually for his Christmas tour.
Stephen is also composer/lyricist on IT CAME FROM BEYOND, a sci-fi musical spoof that takes place in the '50's. It has come a long way since it's debut performance as part of the New York Music Theatre Festival having been chosen as one of sixteen selections to be mounted in New York City out of four hundred entries submitted. Produced in Hollywood, California at the Right Act Theatre, it was nominated for six Ovation Awards (the Tonys of Los Angeles) including "Best Musical - World Premiere" and "Best Musical in An Intimate Theatre". It won for "Best Supporting Actor" (Stephen Breithaupt as "Colonel Fielding") and is soon to be produced by Robert Katz ("Selena", "Gettysburg", "Gods and Generals") as a 3-D feature film.
Stephen shares his life with his wife and partner, Althea, and his two grown sons, Adam and Zachary, in their home in Glendale, California. As for the future, Stephen plans to continue to create quality children’s music with PARACHUTE EXPRESS and other projects dedicated to uplifting all of us through the power of music.