John Campbell: Timeline

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John Campbell Timeline - Events, Locations, & Relationships in Time

[ Biographical Sketches ] - [ Concert Performances ] - [ Obituary Notes ]

[ 1950s ] [ 1960s ] [ 1970s ] [ 1980s ] [ 1990s ]

Photo courtesy of http://www.lantaarn.nl/walloffame/johncampbell.htm

1950s

1952

January 20 - John Allen Campbell is born in Shreveport, LA.

1960s

1968: November 3 - John is severely injured in a car accident; Campbell lost sight in his right eye in the crash, a lung collapsed and 5,000 stitches were required to reconstruct his face.

1970s

1973

October 26 - John forms an electric power trio band called Junction with Tim Delaney on bass and Skip Bohrer on drums. Skip Bohrer is replaced by John "Satch" Haupt.

November 21 - John marries Jerry Sue Sutton in Corpus Christi, Texas. They divorce two years later.

1974

Junction performs throughout South Texas in Corpus Christi, Rockport, Kingsville, and Harlingen.

1979

John records original arrangements of several blues standards including Walking Blues, The Sky is Crying, and Mojo Hand at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas. [This session would be posthumously released as the Tyler, Texas Sessions in 2000 on Sphere Sound.]

Tony Martin, John's soundman in the late 1970's, has contributed a great photo of John that shows how he appeared in 1979.

Photo courtesy of http://www.martinbydesign.com/images/photos/John_Campbell_300dpi.jpg

John on-stage sitting in with the A-Train in Shreveport in the late 1970's

1980s

1982

John attends Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas (1982-1984). He forms an electric blues band with his brother Bill Campbell on rhythm guitar, Lex Williford on drums, and Jim Magruder on bass.

After Lightnin Hopkins death, John acquires Hopkins 1934 National Resophonic Guitar from Rockin Robins in Houston, Texas.

1983

December 16 - John Marries Jan Montgomery in Nacogdoches, Texas. They divorce two years later.

1984

July 1 - John's daughter Elizabeth is born.

1986

September - John moves from Nacogdoches, Texas to New York City

John meets Teo Leyasmeyer - piano player and booking agent for Abiliene Cafe - John begins opening for acts like Hubert Sumlin, Hot Tuna, Johnny Littlejohn and others.

John appears at the 1986 Mississippi Delta Blues Festival

1987

November - John performs at the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in Greenville, MS.

John performs at the Popeye's Music Festival in New Orleans and meets Quint Davis.

1988

John starts playing regularly (Friday & Saturday evenings) at a Vietnamese Restaurant named Monsoon's. (The restaurant will later be named "Crossroads.")

John is hired as a music coordinator by Festival Productions (Quint Davis) for the Benson & Hedges Blues Festivals. John performs at the Philadelphia and St. Louis festivals.

March 25 John performs at Under Acme benefit for the Mississipi Blues Project.

April 18-19 - A Man and His Blues recorded at Splice of Life Studios in Brighton, MA

A Man and His Blues released on CrossCut Records (Germany)

1989

Photo courtesy of John Allison.

March 17 - John appears on local public access TV show - Guitar Show hosted by Christian Roebling. After the show is aired - fans start lining up around the block for his Crossroads performances.

July 7-20 - John makes his first trip to Europe. John performs at the Bermindale Festival in Bremen, Germany; the Golden Krone in Darmstadt; and at the Belgium Rhythm and Blues Festival in Peer, Belgium.

John performs at the Benson & Hedges Blues Festivals in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago.

B.B. Becker, Dr. John's road manager becomes John's mangager.

September 16 - John's stepfather Vernon T. Polk dies.

1990s

1990: April - Cree McCree article, Delta Force: The Blues According to John Campbell is printed in Details magazine. The Details article is John's first national press coverage.; John performs at the Benson & Hedges Blues Festivals in New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

1991

John performs at the Benson & Hedges Blues Festivals in New York, Atlanta, San Diego, Houston, St. Louis, Dallas, and Chicago.
Zonder Kennedy - accompanies John on rhythm guitar for several appearances.

March - John records One Believer at Fantasy Studios in Berkley, CA.

July 11 - John marries Dolly Fox in New York City.

September 13 - One Believer released by WEA/Elektra

September - December - John goes on tour opening for Buddy Guy

Band Lineup

Zonder Kennedy - rhythm guitar
Jimmy Pettit - bass
Davis McLarty - drums

1992

February - John plays a series of solo performances opening for Johnny Winter.

March-April - John travels to Europe for a series of solo dates in Ireland, the UK, and France.

April 27 - John's mother Ellen Harold Polk dies of Cancer.

July - John returns to Europe for a series of summer blues festivals in the UK, France, Denmark, Germany and Austria -

Band Lineup

Zonder Kennedy - rhythm guitar
Jimmy Pettit - bass
Davis McLarty - drums

August 1-15 - Howlin Mercy recorded at the Power Station, New York City

October - John tours the Eastern United States with Chris Whitley as co-headliner -

Band Lineup

Zonder Kennedy - rhythm guitar
Richard Cousins - bass
Robert Medici - drums

December 23 - John's daughter Paris is born.

1993

February 2 - Howlin Mercy released by WEA/Elektra

February-May - John tours US & Western Europe to support Howlin Mercy

Band Lineup

Zonder Kennedy - rhythm guitar
Jimmy Pettit - bass
Robert Medici - drums

June - John begins work on a third album. Tommy Shannon of Double Trouble fame - sits in on bass for rehearsals.

June 13 - John Campbell dies in his sleep of heart failure at home in New York City, NY.

June 17 - Funeral services are held at St. Vincent’s Ferrare, 66th and Lexington, in Manhattan. Dr. John delivers the eulogy at the funeral. He said of John: "This earth is no place I'm proud to call home. All these people touched by him understand there must be a better place. He gave us more than music, he gave himself. He came from that Delta roots and Mississippi mud and showed us the way to something much higher."