Biography

A versatile American comedian, musician, and actor, Stephen Lynch pairs his envelope-pushing material with sincere melodies and musicianship, resulting in comedy that's both wildly provocative and absurdly earnest. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Lynch has appeared in a pair of Comedy Central specials, been a regular on The Opie and Anthony Show, starred in the Broadway adaptation of The Wedding Singer, and released four concert albums and four studio LPs, including 3 Balloons (2009), Lion (2012), and My Old Heart (2019). Born in Pennsylvania and reared in Saginaw, Michigan, Lynch spent his formative years in community and high school musical theater, and eventually earned a BA in drama from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. It was there that he began writing songs with a comedic bent, drawing inspiration from singer/songwriters like Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, as well as the iconic heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. He moved to New York City in the late '90s with the intention of becoming an actor, but soon found himself playing to packed houses in comedy clubs like Carolines and Catch a Rising Star. During this time, he also became a regular on the popular radio program The Opie and Anthony Show. In 2000 he appeared in his first Comedy Central Presents special and released his debut album A Little Bit Special via HaHa Records; he spent the next few years eschewing the comedy club scene in favor of touring music venues, colleges, and universities, where he developed a huge fan base performing both solo and alongside contemporaries like Jeff Foxworthy, Bobcat Goldthwait, Lewis Black, and Steven Wright. Superhero, his first concert LP, arrived in 2003, followed by a second live album, The Craig Machine, in 2005. In 2006 Lynch took on the role of Robbie Hart in the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer, which earned him a Tony Award nomination. He got back on the road the following year, touring with a host of notable comics on Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour, and in 2008 he embarked on his first European tour and concluded the year with his second Comedy Central Presents special. He released his sophomore studio effort, 3 Balloons, in 2010, with the double live/studio album Lion arriving in 2012. Recorded at La Luna Studios and during his two-show run at the Reality Factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, My Old Heart (another double live/studio LP) was released in 2019. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi