born in regina, saskatchewan on april 25, 1949, bishop studied piano as a child, began playing the guitar in her teens, and later took voice lessons in winnipeg with alicja seaborn. she earned a ba (regina) in 1969. after performing in the early 1970s with the all-women dance band walpurgis night, first as a pianist and then as a singer, she began a solo career at the 1976 regina folk festival.