We had the opportunity to spend time with Craig Campbell over the past couple of months. The more time I spend with him, the more I get the feeling he is a long, lost member of the family. This feeling made Craig an easy addition to Southern Fellow.
Now, let’s get to the interview and be sure to check out the recipes, too. We created one around Craig and the other is something from my family. You can locate our giveaway at the bottom of the interview. Let’s get to it! Here is our interview with Mr. Craig Campbell.
Tell us about your road to Nashville.
From the time I was 15, I knew I wanted to be on stage the rest of my life. After graduating high school, I took a job as a correctional officer for about 2 years. All the while, I was looking for any bar with a stage to sing on when I was off work. In 2002 I made the decision to make the move to Nashville. After moving to Music City, I had some really cool jobs/gigs. I played piano for Luke Bryan and Tracy Byrd on the road. At the same time I was playing music on Lower Broadway in Nashville; writing songs, and singing demos for other songwriters, to make ends meet. While playing at The Stage, I was discovered by a radio promotion executive. He introduced me to producer Keith Stegall and after a year of negotiations, I signed my first deal with Bigger Picture Group. A year later, I released my first song, Family Man. The rest is history.
Describe the perfect country song.
That song would be truthful, inspiring and moving all at the same time.
If you could not play music, what do you think you would be doing?
I love building things. I enjoy watching a project come together. With that said, I would probably be in custom construction.
How do you balance your family and music career?
Unfortunately, we have been living this life long enough now that we are used to it. I am home a lot and I also make sure not to miss anything important. We are blessed to have technology to stay in touch with each other so that helps.
We are always developing recipes here at Southern Fellow; when writing music, what recipe do you use?
I am an idea guy. I have ideas pop up in my head with the story attached. I then take that idea to songwriter friends of mine that I feel would be the best to bring that story together with music and melody.
What risks are worth taken?
Every risk is worth taking if it’s something you’re passionate about. Waking up every day knowing I get to play music for a living is the reward to the risk I took moving to Nashville and it was absolutely worth it.