Craig Campbell - Class of '89
Chief's on Broadway
∙
Nashville
Wednesday, October 23 at 7:30 pm CDT
Concert Venue
Wednesday, October 23 at 7:30 pm CDT
Concert Venue
Entry Options
Details
Description
Craig Campbell is paying homage to the songs and influences that helped shape him as an artist with his new album and live show. Class Of ’89
For the album, he reinvented six classic country tracks that are special to him, including “Killin’ Time,” “Too Cold At Home” and “On The Other Hand.” Additionally, the album cover was taken by a local photographer in Campbell’s hometown of Lyons, Georgia after he won his first talent show singing another featured track, “Be My Baby Tonight.”
“Killin’ Time was the first album (cassette) I ever bought with my own money. That album changed my life,” he recalls. “‘Too Cold At Home’ is a song we played every show. That song became a staple for us, and the fans got to where they expected us to play it. And ‘On The Other Hand’ was the first song my wife ever heard me sing. She didn’t even really know me at the time but she says that’s the moment I landed on her radar!”
“I have been dreaming of recording this album for as long as I can remember,” continues Campbell. “These songs are some of the reasons I fell in love with country music in the first place. Every song on this album has a story, and each one of those stories shaped me into the country singer I am today. There will never be anyone that can do these songs as good as the originals, but at the very least I hope I made them proud.”
Working toward the traditional side of contemporary country, singer, songwriter, pianist, and Georgia native Craig Campbell is blessed with a deep, expressive voice, an awareness of the genre's history, and a no-gimmicks approach to performance that brings out the sincerity in his songs.
In 2002, he relocated to Nashville, quickly immersing himself in the music scene. He landed a steady gig at The Stage, one of the biggest clubs in historic Lower Broadway and doing demo sessions for other singers. Fellow Georgian Luke Bryan suggested Campbell try his hand at writing his own songs, and in time he mastered the craft, honing his original material at gigs. He met another singer, Mindy Ellis, fell in love, and the pair married; he also began playing piano in her band, which in turn led to a touring stint with Tracy Byrd. Keith Stegall caught one of Campbell's performances at The Stage in 2008 and the young singer was soon signed to Bigger Picture, which released a debut single, "Family Man," in 2010, following it with a full-length album, the self-titled Craig Campbell, in 2011. "Family Man" peaked at number 14 on the Country Singles chart, and two more singles taken from the album, "Fish" and "When I Get There," made the Country Top 40
Campbell kept up a hectic touring schedule, and in May 2013 Bigger Picture released his second album, Never Regret. Two singles from the album charted on the Country Singles chart, "Outta My Head" (which peaked at number 25) and "Keep Them Kisses Comin'" (which rose to number 15). In May 2014, however, Campbell got the bad news that Bigger Picture was going out of business, though the singer lobbied country radio stations to keep spinning his music despite the lack of label support. Since Campbell was known as Bigger Picture's best-selling artist with a solid chart history, other labels soon came calling, and in December 2014 he announced he'd signed a new deal with Red Bow Records. May 2015 saw Campbell release his debut for his new label, the single "Tomorrow Tonight." A second single, "Outskirts of Heaven," arrived a year later and peaked in the Top 40 of the Hot Country Songs chart.
Last year was an ambitious time of music for country hitmaker, who released the 16-song The Lost Files: Exhibit A and the 17-song Exhibit B, the second of which landed on the first ballot of the ACM Awards.