Buzz Campbell
Encyclopedia
Buzz Campbell is an American
guitarist
, vocalist and songwriter
. He plays anything that is close to Rockabilly
music, Blues, Swing, Country & Rock & roll. Buzz Campbell is also a renown song writer. He has played with numerous "rockabilly acts", including Lee Rocker
, Slim Jim Phantom
and Brian Setzer
, all original members of the Stray Cats
. Buzz Campbell and his group have also backed up and performed with such artists as Chuck Berry
, Jerry Lee Lewis
, Willie Nelson
, Bo Diddley
, Chris Isaac
, and numerous others and has become a mainstay on the California rockabilly scene. He is now touring all over the American soil, in Canada and has a solid international reputation.
. He was first introduced to 1950s doo-wop
by his father’s old cassettes. He soon thereafter picked up the guitar, and with the influence of his uncle, began to learn 1950s-style rock and roll. At first it was just a hobby, but in 1991 at his twenty-first Birthday, he saw the Stray Cats
perform live at the Bacchanal in San Diego, Calif. The show had such an impact on him that he dropped out of college, to concentrate on the music.
Buzz Campbell has named Chuck Berry
as his first reel influence and later came Carl Perkins
, Cliff Gallup
, Scotty Moore
, James Burton
and the one he said was his biggest influence would be Brian Setzer
, of the Stray Cats.
(2000–2004). This group is internationally known for their debut at Woodstock, their TV show in the mid-‘70s, and their cameo in the cult classic movie Grease
. Buzz became the lead guitarist for Sha Na Na
, and still occasionally performs with them. In 1995 Buzz also participated in the groupe called "The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash(They are now called: Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons)", on the lead guitar. More than 10 years ago, Buzz was given the opportunity to open for Lee Rocker
.(Present on both albums: Racin’ the Devil and Black Cat Bone.) Buzz even wrote the track, “Crazy When She Drinks” for the Black Cat Bone album. Buzz and Lee met and a long standing friendship started. Lee was impressed and produced Hot Rod Lincoln’s critically acclaimed CD titled "Blue Café.”
Buzz Campbell completed his largest tour to date by opening for the Stray Cats European Farwell Tour in the summer of 2008. The band warmed up audiences in seven different countries and by the end of the tour, were seen by over 100,000 people.
Buzz is a master of rockabilly, roots country, blues, and roots rock styles.
.
He uses mostly a 2007, 6136 Gretsch White Falcon .
Also has a 1958 Gretsch Country Club(mostly for recording on the RHL and Lee Rocker albums).
On live performances, he as used a 90s red Gretsch Hot Rod.
When writing songs, he also uses a Gibson acoustic.
Astraunaut Girl(2001)
Tokyo Bop(2003)
RunAway Girl(2006)
The Best of Buzz Campbell & Hotrodlincoln(2008)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, vocalist and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He plays anything that is close to Rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
music, Blues, Swing, Country & Rock & roll. Buzz Campbell is also a renown song writer. He has played with numerous "rockabilly acts", including Lee Rocker
Lee Rocker
Lee Rocker is an American rockabilly double bass player. He is the son of the classical clarinetists Stanley Drucker and Naomi Drucker. His sister Roseanne is a country music singer-songwriter...
, Slim Jim Phantom
Slim Jim Phantom
Slim Jim Phantom is the drummer for Stray Cats. Alongside band mates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 1980s.-Biography:...
and Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
, all original members of the Stray Cats
Stray Cats
Stray Cats are an American Rockabilly band formed in 1980 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer , upright bassist Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S...
. Buzz Campbell and his group have also backed up and performed with such artists as Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Chris Isaac
Chris Isaac
Chris Isaac is a former quarterback with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.After playing his college football at Eastern Kentucky University, Isaac joined Ottawa for the 1982 season. In his first start he set the team record with 471 yards passing and tied a record with 5...
, and numerous others and has become a mainstay on the California rockabilly scene. He is now touring all over the American soil, in Canada and has a solid international reputation.
The early years
Buzz Campbell was born on January 19, 1969,in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He was first introduced to 1950s doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
by his father’s old cassettes. He soon thereafter picked up the guitar, and with the influence of his uncle, began to learn 1950s-style rock and roll. At first it was just a hobby, but in 1991 at his twenty-first Birthday, he saw the Stray Cats
Stray Cats
Stray Cats are an American Rockabilly band formed in 1980 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer , upright bassist Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S...
perform live at the Bacchanal in San Diego, Calif. The show had such an impact on him that he dropped out of college, to concentrate on the music.
Buzz Campbell has named Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
as his first reel influence and later came Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
, Cliff Gallup
Cliff Gallup
Clifton E. "Cliff" Gallup was an American electric guitarist, who played rock and roll in the band Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps in the 1950s.-Biography:...
, Scotty Moore
Scotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
, James Burton
James Burton
James Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 , Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
and the one he said was his biggest influence would be Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
, of the Stray Cats.
Career
In 2001, Buzz was approached at a gig by Jocko Marcellino, one of the founding members of the 1950s group, Sha Na NaSha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
(2000–2004). This group is internationally known for their debut at Woodstock, their TV show in the mid-‘70s, and their cameo in the cult classic movie Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
. Buzz became the lead guitarist for Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
, and still occasionally performs with them. In 1995 Buzz also participated in the groupe called "The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash(They are now called: Mark Stuart and The Bastard Sons)", on the lead guitar. More than 10 years ago, Buzz was given the opportunity to open for Lee Rocker
Lee Rocker
Lee Rocker is an American rockabilly double bass player. He is the son of the classical clarinetists Stanley Drucker and Naomi Drucker. His sister Roseanne is a country music singer-songwriter...
.(Present on both albums: Racin’ the Devil and Black Cat Bone.) Buzz even wrote the track, “Crazy When She Drinks” for the Black Cat Bone album. Buzz and Lee met and a long standing friendship started. Lee was impressed and produced Hot Rod Lincoln’s critically acclaimed CD titled "Blue Café.”
Buzz Campbell completed his largest tour to date by opening for the Stray Cats European Farwell Tour in the summer of 2008. The band warmed up audiences in seven different countries and by the end of the tour, were seen by over 100,000 people.
Buzz is a master of rockabilly, roots country, blues, and roots rock styles.
The Gear
Buzz Campbell is sponsored by GretschGretsch
The Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
.
He uses mostly a 2007, 6136 Gretsch White Falcon .
Also has a 1958 Gretsch Country Club(mostly for recording on the RHL and Lee Rocker albums).
On live performances, he as used a 90s red Gretsch Hot Rod.
When writing songs, he also uses a Gibson acoustic.
Hot Rod Lincoln
Blue Cafe(1999)Astraunaut Girl(2001)
Tokyo Bop(2003)
RunAway Girl(2006)
The Best of Buzz Campbell & Hotrodlincoln(2008)