Curtis Paul Campbell
Inspired by the San Francisco Bay Area Music Scene Curt Campbell's influences come from bands such as Steve Miller, Tower of Power, Santana and The Doors. Mesmerized by the harmonica playing of front man Huey Lewis, Curt learned to play the blues by listening to the likes of James Harman Charlie Musselwhite and Norton Buffalo. This album is for true music listeners. It's for people who can pick apart the instruments and recognize what's being played on a recording. This album is considered a work of art.
BIOGRAPHY
In 1976 while watching a USO Concert, in Subic Bay, the Philippines, Curt Campbell reached up into the air and caught a Marine Band Harmonica that was thrown off the stage, by the lead singer of the band. Having made a feeble attempt at playing the newfound instrument, Curt soon forgot about it. In 1990 having returned to the Philippines with his SEAL Platoon, Curt tells this story: "After coming in from the field, I was consolidating some special operations gear from one bag to the next, when much to my surprise the Harmonica fell out of a medical kit, where it had lodged itself, laying hidden for 14 years. Looking at the Harmonica in the palm of my hand I realized that this was an omen and that it was in my destiny to learn how to play". "I really taught myself to play the Blues. When I first started to play I didn't understand the dynamics of playing a Harmonica, nor did I read music. I discovered that I was naturally playing across the grain of the music, which is the nature of the Blues. Once I learned how to play I felt a deep connection in my soul like I had been playing all along. I was sure that I had played in a pre-existent state, or in a past life, as it made my spirit soar. I seemed to play the best when I was down and of course that's the spirit of the blues. I hired the best players in the San Francisco Bay Area and well rehearsed I went into Red Rooster Studios to record. This recording is what I'm about and It's what I'm giving back to the Universe". Curt is a retired Navy SEAL living in Long Beach, California. Fluent in Spanish he has recorded with members from Rueben Blades Band in Panama, and would like to take "The Eclectic Beast Band" on the road to places like Cuba, Northern Europe and the Middle East.
The Band: The chemistry between the players on this album is remarkable. Garth Webber (on Guitar from Miles Davis), Dewayne Pate (on Bass from The Robben Ford Band, Allman Brothers), The Fabulous Bryant Mills (on Drums from the John Lee Hooker Band), Johnnie Bamont (on the Sax from the Bands like Elvin Bishop, Huey Lewis, Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power, and currently Howard Tate), Tony Lafrano (on Piano from Etta James and Bonnie Rait), Jeff Baxter (Acoustic Guitar/Doobie Bros. and Steely Dan), and the incomparable Carlos Reyes (on the Electrified Fiddle). This album was recorded "Live" at Red Rooster Studios and is considered a work of art.