Interview with Craig Campbell

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Interview with Craig Campbell
Country Thunder Arizona, Florence, AZ, USA,
Interview conducted on April 12, 2019
by Mary Andrews

Singer/songwriter Craig, Campbell, has been considered the bridge between traditional country and modern day country music. Campbell learned to play piano at the tender age of ten. He formed a band called Out of the Blue as a teen and became a bandleader in the famous Nashville honky-tonk, The Stage before becoming a country hitmaker starting in 2010.

Campbell’s energetic set later in day demonstrated him to be a personable entertainer, telling the crowd, “This show was brought to you by some sort of alcoholic beverage” and breaking things up with a handful of covers (including “The Dance” and “Let It Go”) performed on piano, which he introduced as “the part of the show where I get to serenade you guys.” There was a blend of Bon Jovi rock songs with Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink” and introducing Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses” by asking “You mind if I play a real country song?”

Unrated Magazine was able to have an on-site interview with Campbell and here are the highlights.

Mary Andrews: Is this your Country Thunder appearance? Will you be here the entire day?

Craig Campbell: No, it is not our first appearance. We will be around most of the day at least until after my performance. We have an early flight out in the morning so I don’t know how long we will stay.

You are from Georgia?

I am from Georgia, born and raised, but I’ve been in Nashville for so long now. I will have lived in Nashville longer than I lived in Georgia.

When did you move to Nashville?

I moved to Nashville in 2002. I had to chase that neon rainbow. I wanted to sing for a living and I felt like Nashville was the best place to make all those dreams come true.

In reading your bio online, you started playing piano in church when you were about ten years old.

I did. I played piano in church for a long time. My mama sang in the church often. When I graduated from high school, I went into the department of corrections as a correction officer, not as an incarcerated person. A couple of years after that I decided that I wanted to play music for a living so I put a band together and played all over the country for a couple of years. Then I moved to Nashville and here we are.

What other musical instruments do you play?

I play a little bit of acoustic guitar, rhythm stuff. The piano is my first instrument. I’ll play piano today on a few songs today.

You’ve had a bunch of hit records. Who is your biggest musical influence?

I’ve been blessed. I’ve been able to sustain in this business. And that is a good thing. I grew up listening to some of the best country singers of the 90s. Clay Walker is on the show tonight and he’s one of my biggest influences. More influences include Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Shenandoah, Diamond Rio, Lee Roy Parnell, Brooks and Dunn, just some of the best singers from 1989 to 1997. I was taught by the best and all of those guys influenced me.

How did you evolve from singing in the church to more secular music?

I had a passion for country music. It gave me chills when I was playing just regular hymns at church. I didn’t feel the same way about church music as I did about country music. That’s all.

Have you written most of your music?

I’ve written half of them.

The better half I assume?

Well with some people, that’s debatable.

Are you married? Do you have kids?

I’ve been married going on for 14 years. I have two little girls. Presley is 11 years old and Kenny Rose is eight. I’m blessed on that side too. I couldn’t ask for more.

Do you have any dreams left to come true?

For me, it is to keep being able to do what I am doing. I want to have more hits on the radio. Whatever I do, I hope my family is proud of me. That’s about all.

Do you have new music coming out?

I do have new music that I am working on. I had a new album that was released last summer, See You Try. It’s an EP. There are six songs on there including the singles “See You Try” that was a single last year and “The Outskirts of Heaven.” Both have gotten a lot of airplay and videos on YouTube. I’m working on some new stuff and I will hopefully have out very soon.

Do you write alone or with other writers?

I’m a co-writer. I don’t write by myself much.

If you were interviewing yourself, what would you ask that hasn’t been asked before?

I’m a co-writer. I don’t write by myself much.
Um: If you were interviewing yourself, what would you ask that hasn’t been asked before?

I don’t know. I have a great social media presence. My social life and my music are fairly open to the public. There is not much anybody can’t find about me on social media and the internet. I don’t know what there is to tell that you can’t look up.