Mr. Steve Bilao Tyrell
Class of 1963

Born Stephen Bilao, Tyrell graduated from St. Thomas in 1963. He began writing songs, singing at local gigs, and producing records as a young teenager. By the time he was a sophomore in high school, he was well-known in the music industry around the country and had his first hit record, “Payday Someday,” which reached #2 on the Top 40 chart. Upon graduation from St. Thomas, he moved to New York and started working with Scepter Records. Shortly after his move there he met and began working closely with Burt Bacharach, Hal David and Dionne Warwick.

In his five decades in the music business, Steve has achieved great success as an artist, producer, songwriter, music supervisor and performer. He is a Grammy winning producer and a two-time Emmy nominee. His productions have produced top 10 recordings in all five decades and have been nominated for Academy and Golden Globe Awards as well.

His work in the studio has included collaborations with such diverse and legendary
artists as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Aaron Neville, Dionne Warwick, LL Cool J, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chris Botti, Dave Koz, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler and Stevie Wonder. His songs have been recorded by the estimable likes of Ray Charles, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and Elvis Presley, and his song “How Do You Talk To An Angel,” written and produced for Aaron Spelling’s Fox television series “The Heights,” was a No. 1 pop hit in 1992 and earned Tyrell one of his two Emmy nominations. As a music supervisor and music producer for film and TV, Tyrell has worked with such distinguished directors as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Nancy Meyers, Betty Thomas and Charles Shyer. As an artist, all five of his American Standards albums have achieved top five status on Billboard’s Jazz charts and his first album “A New Standard” was among the best selling jazz albums for over five years.

With his breakthrough performances in “Father of the Bride” and “Father of the Bride II,” Steve Tyrell reinvented and re-popularized classic pop standards for a modern audience. With the grit and soul of a lifetime producing hits for artists ranging from Linda Rondstadt and Diana Ross to 2005’s Grammy-winner Rod Stewart (“Stardust…Vol. 3”), Steve himself has sold hundreds of thousands of albums and gained a passionate following all over the world. The songs he has sung in big hit movies “The Way You Look Tonight,” “I’ve Got A Crush On You,” and “The Simple Life,” have launched thousands of weddings and millions of romances. With sold out shows across America, plus international raves from Moscow, London, Germany, Spain and Tokyo, his following increases year after year.

Steve has been a resident of California since 1977. He has three children, Christina, Lauren and Nick. His album “Back to Bacharach,” released in June 2008, reunited him with his longtime friend and mentor Burt Bacharach.