In this Jan. 8, 2013 photo, Spencer Campbell tests out his student?s guitar before beginning his first lesson at NMSU-C in Carlsbad, N.M. Campbell recently returned to Carlsbad after a successful musical career in Los Angeles and Nashville. Campbell has performed with singer Sheryl Crow and has recorded with various other artists such as Kenny Rogers, Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack and Wynonna Judd. (AP Photo/Carlsbad Current-Argus, Natalie Gross)
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) ? He is on a first-name basis with celebrities and has toured the world more than 20 times, but after seeing Spencer Campbell?s fingers fly across the strings of an electric bass guitar and hearing all about his successful musical career, you?d never guess that he is a predominately self-taught musician.
Born and raised in Carlsbad, Campbell?s love for music began at an early age. The musician claims to have played ?percussion? with pots and pans for hours on end when he was a baby in an attempt to make music out of all the clanging and clashing. When he was around 4 years old, Campbell?s parents bought him his first drum set, with which he was able to make musical sounds much more acceptable to the human ear. Campbell moved to Oklahoma during his high school years to live with his father and soon expanded his musical endeavors to include the piano and guitar.
?I became really serious about the bass in the 11th grade,? Campbell recalled. ?I stopped playing football because I was afraid of breaking my wrist.?
Upon graduation from high school in Edmond, Okla., Campbell moved to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue a music career among famous country, gospel and rock ?n? roll artists. Campbell said that the first well known artist he played with was Greg Volz, of the Christian rock band Petra, in the late 1980s. He was joined as Volz?s backup musician by superstar drummer Joe English, who Campbell said was known for playing for Paul McCartney & Wings during the 1970s.
Campbell?s career required him to be accomplished at the classical guitar, electric bass and upright string bass. ?I was one of the top 15 bass players in Nashville. I probably still am,? Campbell said.
He was predominantly a session musician ? a guitarist that recording artists hired specifically to play for albums.
Campbell has performed on two tours with singer Sheryl Crow and has recorded with various other artists such as Kenny Rogers ? with whom he recorded five albums ? Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack and Wynonna Judd, who he claims can blow anyone away with her powerful voice. But country music wasn?t the only genre Campbell was associated with during his Nashville career. He played with several gospel artists, such as Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award winner Amy Grant.
But the guitarist has always had a passion for rock ?n? roll, and has played for famous rock artists including the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks and cross-over artists Billy Preston and Seal, with whom he appeared on ?The Rosie O?Donnell Show? while it was still on air.
But with the turn of events in the music business due to the ability to illegally download music from the Internet, Campbell said the scene for session musicians changed, and he decided to move his family back to his hometown. He now owns a ranch along the Loving Highway and enjoys horseback riding with his 8-year-old daughter, Chloe.
?I became a sappy, half rock ?n? roll dad,? said Campbell. ?I can?t do the road anymore. I can?t stand to be away from her.?
Since his recent return to Carlsbad, Campbell said he has been hounded by requests to teach music lessons, so he decided to start teaching voice and guitar lessons in conjunction with New Mexico State University Carlsbad.
?This is perfect for my stage of life,? Campbell said. ?I?m happy to be associated with the college, and I?m really excited to give back to the community I grew up in.?
Campbell will be teaching musicians of all ages and stages and began his first lesson with Robert Defer of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce at 1p.m. Jan. 8.
Defer, who has been playing guitar for 20 years, brought both an electric bass and a classical guitar to his lesson. He asked Campbell to specifically work with him on strumming techniques and finger picking patterns.
?I?m all yours,? Defer told Campbell, and he is expecting to learn a lot from his teacher.
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Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/
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