J.C. Campbell's Profile on OurStage
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BIOGRAPHY:
J.C. CAMPBELL - COUNTRY BLUES RECORDING ARTIST
Award Winning/Multi-Nominated, Country Blues Singer/Songwriter, J.C. Campbell's latest project "Lazy James" was chosen as Best Blues CD at the 2008 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards. As a Workshop Presenter, he's been sharing his songs and message with the youth to inspire the future to dream big.
"I would describe my music as Country Blues". ~J.C. Campbell
His debut CD "Life Up Til Now" was embraced by the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award Committee and garnered a double nomination for the acoustic album in the "Best Folk and Best Country Album" categories.
Lazy James spins ten original tracks. Love brought J.C. new life and inspiration to "Keep On Tryin'". The songs on this project reflect his experiences on the hard road of life.
The Country Blues Recording Artist charted in at 1 on CFBX 92.5 FM in Kamloops B.C. for 4 weeks in the specialty charts under Blues and reached the second spot on the top 30 charts.A number 1 spot was also achieved at NCI-FM radio in Winnipeg M.B. with "Keep on Tryin", a song of encouragement. J.C. charted on college campus radio as well and received thumbs up from Country Recording Artist/Actor, Mark Collie after he performed it at a rehearsal for a show he was to do with him. Mark told him "I don't hear too well, but I know I hit when I hear one and that's a hit!"
In 2007, a trip to Nashville, TN. and good "Fortune" led him to co-write with Nashville Hit Songwriter and Chief Creative Officer of Ole' Music Publishing Gilles Godard, who has written hits for Terri Clark, Patty Loveless and Tracy Byrd to name a few.
2008 Songwriting Workshop led by the incomparable Buffy St.Marie was organized by the Aboriginal Music Program. J.C. was one of five Songwriters to be invited to share their original material.
With uniquely expressive vocals, every J.C. Campbell song stirs up undeniable emotion.
New Release anticipated Spring 2011.
*******JC Campbell********
*******Lazy James*********
CD REVIEW
Jamison Mahto/Reporter
Indigenous in the News
www.iicoc.com
jamison@iicoc.com
I know that when you hear a good Country CD it's guaranteed that you're going to hear some hard storytelling about hard drinkin', hard women, and hard livin' interspersed with some great slide guitar or pedal steel playing. That's what you get from JC Campbell's CD Lazy James. In fact the slide work on this album is much in the blues genre if it weren't for JC's vocals. That's a pure country sound in those vocal chords and heart.
J.C. Campbell, resident of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is a singer/songwriter who combines blues, country, and rock for a unique blend all his own. Nominated for best blues CD and best song writer at the 2007 Aboriginal People's Choice Awards, he sings heart felt original compositions with a strong baritone country-blues voice and after hearing the material on the CD, I know that he and I have walked some similar steps along a similar path.
The musicians on the CD include Jay Ross on lead, acoustic, rhythm and an absolutely brilliant slide guitar. JC Campbell on an acoustic guitar, of course, and DJ St. Germain on the bass and also some lead guitar. Tim Sutton rounds out the instruments and he's solid on drums. JC Campbell works the background vocals with Tracy Bone, also a major country talent in her own right.
In the song Fortune, a brilliant sweet slide guitar fits perfectly with the sentiment of the song about how good times and bad times have an intimate relationship. "Don't let the bad times get you down, the good stuff is good enough to turn things around."
The song Far From You is a crying in your beer honky-tonk love song about missing a loved one. "I don't want to be far from you, I don't want to not hear, I don't want to not feel, I don't want to not be by your side." It's a clever and beautiful use of a double negative. This song is a spare country folk piece sung with just an acoustic guitar accompaniment as if JC is singing to his loved one right there in the studio, up close and personal. Beautiful.
Wino is that song about hard drinkin' that I mentioned earlier in this review. There seems to be an angelic chorus in the background. The choir relates to the nature of alcohol and alcoholism and our communities relationship to the disease of alcoholism and the inherent loneliness in it.
The title track Lazy James is an autobiographical piece that lyrically lets us in to the life and experience of JC. When he sings "Here comes Lazy James, taking his sweet time, there ain't no worry, he's in no hurry, in a lazy state of mind" you know that he's lived the things that he sings about.
One of the things that you get in great country music are great male/female vocal duets. Kenny and Dolly, Kris and Rita, George and Tammy, Loretta and Conway to name just a few that everyone but the neophyte will recognize even without last names. On this CD the song No Lies, a high point of this work, starts out with a scratchy record sound that gives this piece an old school country feel to it. A duet with Tracy Bone, it is also the title of Tracy's own CD which was nominated for a 2007 Aboriginal People's Choice Award in the category Best Country CD. This is a particularly strong vocal performance with a lyrical sentiment that speaks about honesty in your intimate relationships. Whoo. Hot.
Go Ahead starts with some strong rock oriented slide guitar and the lyrical sentiment is about urging your loved one to aspire to their dream and telling them to be confident in their dream because their love is strong and supportive of their efforts to do that. "Don't worry, I ain't goin' nowhere and I'll be right here when you get back." Once again there is some sweet bottleneck slide guitar work.
Keep On Tryin' again features some excellent slide work by Jay Ross that provides the framework for a positive sentiment that tells us to never give up on our journey to peace of mind.
This CD is strong instrumentally, vocally and lyrically. It features one of the finest love song duets in Indian Country today. This is the stuff that makes Honky Tonkin' worth it. Sometimes there is a vision of light down at the bottom of that glass. Does it really get any better than that? I'm glad that I can add this one to my archives of talented Native American musicians and their music.
Professional Highlights:
* 2008 Dauphin Countryfest performer
Country Recording Artist Mark Collie
Scotiabank Mainstage Performer - Aboriginal Day Live @ The Forks - Winnipeg, MB.
* 2008 Songwriting Workshop with Buffy St. Marie
* Vancouver Island Music Festival ('07 Songwriter's Circle/Aboriginal Music Program Concert)
* A.P.T.N. (Aboriginal People's Television Network) Musical Series "The Mix" - Taped live performances/interviews 2007 Vancouver Island Music Festival
*'07 McPhillip's Street Station Casino "Main Stage"- Opened for Country Recording Artists Shane Yellowbird and Donny Parenteau
*2007 Co-wrote songs with Nashville Hit Songwriter and Chief Creative Officer of Ole' Music Publishing, Gilles Godard who penned hits for Terri Clark & Patty Loveless
*2007 CBC Radio Live broadcast - "Red Road Music" In-The-Round Songwriter's Circle"
