Royce Campbell
Encyclopedia
Royce Campbell is a jazz guitarist.
Royce Campbell was born in Seymour, Indiana, in 1952. The son of a career navy man, Campbell grew up in various cities around the U.S. and abroad, including Asia, Europe, and the West Indies. Exposure to various musical genres while a child contributed to Campbell's musical style and approach in jazz composition and playing.
A love for rock and roll
marked Campbell's first connection with the guitar, at the age of nine, when he discovered Chuck Berry
. Like many guitarists of his generation, Campbell was also influenced by Jimi Hendrix
and Eric Clapton
.
By the time Royce finished high school in the early 1970s, he was certain he wanted to pursue a professional career in music. His uncle, Carroll DeCamp, an arranger/pianist who arranged for Stan Kenton
and Les Elgart
, invited Royce to live with him and study in Indiana, providing most of Royce's musical education in theory and composition, and by age 21, Campbell had begun touring with R&B artist Marvin Gaye
and developing his talents for stage performance. In 1975, Royce was hired by a local music contractor to do three concerts with award-winning film composer Henry Mancini
in Indianapolis. Soon after Royce became the touring guitarist with Henry Mancini
's orchestra, holding that positing until Mancini's death in 1994.
While appearing on recordings as a sideman, and a couple as leader, during the early years of his career, Campbell started recording and touring more on his own during the 1990s, focusing at first on mainstream or straight-ahead jazz. Although he cites Wes Montgomery
as his main influence, horn players such as Dexter Gordon
and Chet Baker
are evident in Royce’s , tone and approach to changes. In 1993, he produced Project G-5: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery which also featured guitarists Tal Farlow
, Jimmy Raney
, Herb Ellis
and Cal Collis. His 1994 album 6x6 featured guitarists Pat Martino
, John Abercrombie
, Larry Coryell
, Dave Stryker
and Bucky Pizzarelli
.With Project G-5: A Tribute to Joe Pass
, in 1999, he combined the talents of Charlie Byrd
, Gene Bertoncini
, Mundell Lowe
, and John Pisano
.
During his career Royce Campbell has released more than 30 CD’s as leader or co-leader among various sideman projects. Eleven of these CDs have made it onto the US national jazz radio charts consecutively. Four of his CDs have reached the top ten. Campbell's soloing is documented among other jazz guitarists of the era, in Mel Bay's Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos: Featuring Solos by the World's Finest Jazz Guitarists!
In November 2010, Royce Campbell was inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Hall of Fame.
Recordings on Moon Cycle Records:
Sideman Recordings:
Royce Campbell was born in Seymour, Indiana, in 1952. The son of a career navy man, Campbell grew up in various cities around the U.S. and abroad, including Asia, Europe, and the West Indies. Exposure to various musical genres while a child contributed to Campbell's musical style and approach in jazz composition and playing.
A love for rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
marked Campbell's first connection with the guitar, at the age of nine, when he discovered 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...
. Like many guitarists of his generation, Campbell was also influenced by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
.
By the time Royce finished high school in the early 1970s, he was certain he wanted to pursue a professional career in music. His uncle, Carroll DeCamp, an arranger/pianist who arranged for Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
and Les Elgart
Les Elgart
Les Elgart was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter.Lester E. Elgart began playing trumpet as a teenager, and by age 20 had landed professional gigs. In the 1940s he played in bands led by Raymond Scott, Charlie Spivak, and Harry James, and occasionally found himself in bands alongside...
, invited Royce to live with him and study in Indiana, providing most of Royce's musical education in theory and composition, and by age 21, Campbell had begun touring with R&B artist Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and developing his talents for stage performance. In 1975, Royce was hired by a local music contractor to do three concerts with award-winning film composer Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
in Indianapolis. Soon after Royce became the touring guitarist with Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
's orchestra, holding that positing until Mancini's death in 1994.
While appearing on recordings as a sideman, and a couple as leader, during the early years of his career, Campbell started recording and touring more on his own during the 1990s, focusing at first on mainstream or straight-ahead jazz. Although he cites Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
as his main influence, horn players such as Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
and Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
are evident in Royce’s , tone and approach to changes. In 1993, he produced Project G-5: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery which also featured guitarists Tal Farlow
Tal Farlow
Talmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...
, Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney was an American jazz guitarist born in Louisville, Kentucky most notable for his work from 1951–1952 and 1962–1963 with Stan Getz and for his work from 1953–1954 with the Red Norvo trio, replacing Tal Farlow. In 1954 and 1955 he won the Down Beat critics poll for guitar...
, Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis
Mitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a...
and Cal Collis. His 1994 album 6x6 featured guitarists Pat Martino
Pat Martino
Pat Martino is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, fusion, mainstream jazz, soul jazz and hard bop idioms.-Biography:...
, John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
, Dave Stryker
Dave Stryker
Dave Stryker is an American jazz guitarist. He has 21 CD’s as a leader to date, and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany, among others...
and Bucky Pizzarelli
Bucky Pizzarelli
John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli is an American Jazz guitarist and banjoist, and the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and upright bassist Martin Pizzarelli. Pizzarelli has also worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett and also ABC with Bobby Rosengarden in...
.With Project G-5: A Tribute to Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
, in 1999, he combined the talents of Charlie Byrd
Charlie Byrd
Charlie Lee Byrd was a famous and versatile American guitarist born in Suffolk, Virginia. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist. Byrd became the American guitarist who best understood and played Brazilian music, especially the Bossa Nova genre...
, Gene Bertoncini
Gene Bertoncini
-Biography:Bertoncini was born in New York City, where he was raised in a musical family. His father played guitar and harmonica. Bertoncini began playing guitar at age seven and by age sixteen was appearing on television. He graduated from high school and attended the University of Notre Dame,...
, Mundell Lowe
Mundell Lowe
Mundell Lowe is an American jazz guitarist.Lowe was born in Laurel, Mississippi on 21 March 1922. In the 1930s he played country music and Dixieland jazz. He later played with big bands and orchestras, and on television in New York City. In the 1960s, Lowe composed music for films and television...
, and John Pisano
John Pisano
John Pisano is a jazz guitarist born in Staten Island, New York.John has accompanied in concert or recording some of music's biggest names, including Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, Natalie Cole, Michael Franks, Diana Krall, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Joe Pass, Frank Sinatra, Barbra...
.
During his career Royce Campbell has released more than 30 CD’s as leader or co-leader among various sideman projects. Eleven of these CDs have made it onto the US national jazz radio charts consecutively. Four of his CDs have reached the top ten. Campbell's soloing is documented among other jazz guitarists of the era, in Mel Bay's Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos: Featuring Solos by the World's Finest Jazz Guitarists!
In November 2010, Royce Campbell was inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Hall of Fame.
Discography
Headline Recordings| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Solo Guitar | RedBud Records |
| 1987 | Around the Town | Raised Eyebrow Records |
| 1990 | Nighttime Daydreams | Timeless Records |
| 1993 | Elegy to a Friend | Raised Eyebrow Records |
| 1993 | Vista | Sin-Drome Records |
| 1994 | A Tribute to Wes Montgomery | Evidence Music |
| 1994 | Vista - WTPI 10th Anniversary Jazz Sampler | WTPI |
| 1994 | 6x6 | Paddle Wheel Records |
| 1994 | Gentle Breeze | Timeless Records |
| 1995 | Make Me Rainbows | Positive Music |
| 1995 | A Tribute to Henry Mancini | Tuxedo Music Ltd |
| 1998 | Pitapat | A-Records |
| 1999 | Hands across the Water | String Jazz Recordings |
| 1999 | A Tribute to Joe Pass | King Record Co. |
| 1999 | Royce Campbell with Strings | Chase Music |
| 1999 | Remembering Wes | Savant Records |
| 1999 | Stella By Starlight. Jazz After Midnight. | St. Clair Entertainment Group |
| 2000 | "Prelude to a Kiss" - Jazz Guitarists Who's Who: The Art of Solo Guitar | King Record Co. |
| 2002 | Trioing | Jardis Records |
| 2003 | A Tribute to Charlie Byrd | Jardis Records |
| 2006 | Trio by Starlight | Philology Jazz Records |
| 2007 | Get Happy: A Tribute to the Life of Joe Kennedy | Foxhaven Records |
| 2008 | Roses & Wine | Philology Jazz Records |
| 2009 | All Standards...and A Blues | Philology Jazz Records |
| 2009 | Movie Songs Project (with Phil Woods) | Philology Jazz Records |
| 2010 | What is This Thing Called? | Philology Jazz Records |
Recordings on Moon Cycle Records:
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Six by Six: A Jazz Guitar Celebration |
| 2004 | A Jazz Guitar Christmas |
| 2005 | Plays for Lovers |
| 2006 | Elegy to a Friend |
| 2006 | Gypsy Soul |
| 2007 | A Solo Guitar Christmas |
| 2008 | The Art of Chord Solo Guitar |
| 2008 | A Jazz Guitar Christmas: Volume 2 |
| 2009 | Solo Wes: A Solo Guitar Tribute to Wes Montgomery |
| 2009 | Solo Mancini: A Solo Guitar Tribute to Henry Mancini |
| 2010 | Solo Trane: A Solo Guitar Tribute to John Coltrane |
| 2010 | Triologue: Concepts |
Sideman Recordings:
| Year | Artist | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Naptown Jazz Quintet | Naptown Jazz | Naptown Jazz Records |
| 1983 | Al Cobine | Cobine Plays Carmichael | Cobine Inc. |
| 1989 | Al Cobine | Al Cobine's Big Band Back on Campus | Cobine Inc. |
| 1993 | Cathy Morris | Cathy Morris | CSM Music |
| 1994 | Cathy Morris | On the run | CSM Music |
| 1995 | The Blue Wisp Big Band | Butterfly and the Smooth One | Sea Breeze |
| 1997 | Cathy Morris | It's about time! | CSM Music |
| 2000 | Robert Jospé | Blue blaze | Robert Jospé |
| 2000 | The Five Guitars | Classical Jazz: A Guitar Tribute to Charlie Byrd | |
| 2003 | Robert Jospé | Time to play | Inner Rhythm Records |
| 2003 | Jamie Shew | The Answers Are You | |
| 2004 | Robert Jospé/Inner Rhythm | Hands on | Random Chance |
Additional sources
- Benedetto, Robert. Making an Archtop Guitar. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publishing, 1994. xiii.
- Cook, Richard, and Brian Morton. The Penguin Guide to JazzThe Penguin Guide to JazzThe Penguin Guide to Jazz is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States...
, 9th Ed. New York, NY: The Penguin Group, 2008. 221, 1209. - Esposito, Russell R. The Golden Milestone,4th Ed. New York, NY: The New York Learning Library, 2007. 320.
- Ingram, Adrian. Mel Bay Concise History of the Electric Guitar. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay PublicationsMel Bay PublicationsMel Bay was a musician best known for his series of music education books. His Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords remains a bestseller.-Childhood and early life:...
, 2006. 106. - Ingram, Adrian. The Gibson L5. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publishing, 1997. 7, 68, 74.
- Larkin, Colin, ed. Encyclopedia of Popular MusicEncyclopedia of Popular MusicThe Encyclopedia of Popular Music was created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the 'modern man's' equivalent of the Grove Dictionary of Music which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.-History of the encyclopedia:...
, 4th Ed. USA: Oxford U P, 2006. - Leonard, Hal, Corp. All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to JazzAll Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to JazzAll Music Guide to Jazz is a non-fiction book that is an encyclopedic referencing of jazz music compiled under the direction of All Media Guide. The first edition, All Music Guide to Jazz: the Best CDs, Albums & Tapes, appeared in 1994 and was edited by Ron Wynn with Michael Erlewine and Vladimir...
, 4th Ed. San Francisco, CA: Backstreet Publishing, 2002. 1063. - Ellis, Andy. "A Tribute to Wes Montgomery." Guitar PlayerGuitar PlayerGuitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
29.2 (Feb 1995): 146. - Resnicoff, Matt. "Project G-5: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery." Guitar PlayerGuitar PlayerGuitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
29.6 (June 1995): 29-30. - Boyd, Herb. "CD Reviews –A Tribute to Henry Mancini." Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
63.6 (June 1996): 45. - Ellis, Andy. "Hands Across the Water." Guitar PlayerGuitar PlayerGuitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
32.12 (Dec 1998): 139. - Koransky, Jason. "Project Shopping." Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
66.6 (June 1999): 53. - Levy, Adam. "Royce Campbell." Guitar PlayerGuitar PlayerGuitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
33.12 (Dec 1999): 41. - Smith, Will. "Six By Six—A Jazz Guitar Celebration." Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
72.7 (July 2005): 76. - Ephland, John. "Rudy Linka-Royce Campbell." Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
74.3 (March 2007): 71. - Koert, Hans. "The Five Guitars." IAJRC Journal 40.4 (Dec 2007): 71-72.
- Ephland, John. "Traveling Guitars." Down BeatDown BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
76.2 (Feb 2009): 71.