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Bob
Campbell, a veteran of the Australian folk music scene, is a
singer, musician, writer, poet, teacher and story teller who
has performed in many parts of the world and throughout Australia.
The musical background to Bob Campbell stretches to his maternal
grandmother, Magdeline McHugh, whose family came from Co Fermanagh,
Ireland, and all played the fiddle. This musical tradition passed
on to Magdeline’s children who became the Harmony Boys
Old Time Band. They played throughout the Great Depression in
the Sandy Hollow Hall, built by Bob’s paternal grandfather,
George Ham, to cater for the hundreds of families working on
the Sandy Hollow Railway line. Bob’s father, Bull Campbell,
as well as being a renowned boxer and rugby league player, entertained
at parties playing the gum leaf. Bob’s uncle, Jim Ham,
now in his nineties, has played in dance bands his entire life
and still plays the piano and banjo at home near Brisbane.
Bob’s first public performance was at the age of four
when his father stood him on the bar of the Windsor Castle Hotel,
East Maitland where he recited the Ten Commandments to the gathered
company. His first instrument was the button accordion and when
in his teens he learned the guitar, and for one year studied
under jazz guitarist Jimmy Charles. Tiring of playing the guitar
and singing in the usual pub rock and roll bands, Bob and friends
formed the Maitland Bush band in 1968, and he took up the five
string banjo and fiddle. When legendary box player, the late
Jacko Kevans, joined the band in the early seventies, he encouraged
Bob to concentrate on Irish traditional music. That began a
love affair with the music that took him to Ireland and many
other parts of the world in pursuit of the musical spirit, but
his music has continued to be distinctively and essentially
Australian. He has lived and played music for long periods of
time in Germany and Ireland but in recent years has lived on
his small property near Gulgong where he has worked in his profession
of teacher as the principal at the Red Hill Environmental Education
Centre.
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He
spent much of the nineties based in Berlin from where he toured
solo as well as with Australian and German musicians until
1998 when he returned to Gulgong.
He has long been known as a fiddler and singer but in recent
years he has concentrated on guitar, which he has played since
childhood, and on song writing and solo performing as well
as regular performances with Home Rule and with concertina
player Sharon Frost.
As well as recording with Home Rule in the past decade he
has made a number of solo recordings. ‘View From Red
Hill’, has an environmental theme, ‘Freedom On
The Wallaby’ is a collection of Henry Lawson material
spoken and sung by Bob with most of the musical arrangements
and accompaniment by himself.
His most
recent recording is of contemporary songs by himself and others
with virtuoso musicians, Matt Gaudry and Rob Long. This CD
will be launched early in 2009.
He has
recently written and performed a radio and stage play on the
theme of Aboriginal bushranger, Jimmy Governor who actually
killed the owner of Bob’s current home ‘Sportsman’s
Hollow’ near Ulan. This show had its stage debut at
the Prince Of Wales Opera House for the Henry Lawson Festival
in June 2008. The show is currently being recorded for radio.
In
2008, Bob played regularly for kids and tourists in his own
area as well as playing at concerts, dances and festivals
as far apart as Newcastle, Grafton, Nimbin, Bourke, Lightning
Ridge and many places in between. His next festival appearances
will be the Gulgong New Year Festival and the John O’Brien
festival at Narrandera in March 2009.
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With
Sharon Frost Playing for the Gulgong New Years Eve street
dance |
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