Junior Campbell

Last updated

Junior Campbell
Pictured in May 2016.jpg
Campbell pictured in May 2016
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Campbell Jnr
Born (1947-05-31) 31 May 1947 (age 76)
Origin Parkhead, Glasgow, Scotland
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, band member, singer-songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, film composer
Instrument(s)Guitar, piano, vocals
Years active1961–present
Labels CBS, Decca, Deram, Rocket, Private Stock, Sanctuary, BMG Rights Management

Junior Campbell (born William Campbell Jnr, 31 May 1947) is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. [1] He was a founding member, lead guitarist, pianist, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of their biggest successes, including "Reflections of My Life", "I See the Rain" and "Rainbow".

Contents

"Reflections of My Life" has produced sales of over two million units. In 1998 Campbell and co-writer Dean Ford (Thomas McAleese) were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by the BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the US alone. [2] He also wrote and produced his own solo hits, "Hallelujah Freedom" and "Sweet Illusion" and "Carolina Days".

Campbell is also known for composing music for film and television drama, and as an arranger and producer for many musicians including Barbara Dickson. He is also known for co-composing the music and co-writing the lyrics for 182 episodes and 31 songs of the children's TV series Thomas & Friends [3] from 1983–2003, including "The Island Song", "He's A Really Useful Engine", "The Snow Song" and "Accidents Happen", and also composing the music for Tugs , a thirteen part children's television series from the same production crew as Thomas.

Early life

Campbell was born in Glasgow, Scotland. [3] He grew up in Springboig, in the east end of Glasgow, and was educated at Thorntree Primary in Greenfield and Eastbank Academy in Shettleston. His paternal grandfather Alfredo Cancellari was an Italian immigrant born near Lucca, Italy, who changed his surname to Campbell in the early 1900s when he settled in Scotland.

As a youngster, Campbell had a distinct unique[ citation needed ] style of guitar playing, whereby, similar to Albert King, Elizabeth Cotten and Dick Dale, he played right hand guitar, left-handed, literally upside down without changing the stringing, {unlike Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney who restrung to conventional stringing}, although he tuned to "open E" tuning (List of guitar tunings) rather than standard Guitar tuning.[ citation needed ]

Career

Marmalade: 1961-1971

He joined Pat Fairley to form The Gaylords, on his fourteenth birthday in May 1961 (later to become Dean Ford & the Gaylords, then Marmalade in 1966), acting as lead guitarist, piano player, and singer.

With Marmalade, he co-wrote and produced the multi-million-selling "Reflections of My Life", "Rainbow" and "I See The Rain", amongst others, in a line of hits from 1967 to 1971. [4] Campbell's reverse tape guitar solo on "Reflections of My Life" and "I See the Rain" are particularly noteworthy – the latter was Jimi Hendrix's favourite cut of 1967.[ citation needed ]

with Marmalade (2nd from right) in 1968 Marmalade 1968.jpg
with Marmalade (2nd from right) in 1968

During his years with Marmalade, the band used Keith Mansfield as an orchestral arranger on all of their first record successes with CBS, including "Loving Things", "Wait For Me Mary Ann", "Obladi Oblada", "Baby Make It Soon" and also "Reflections of My Life", when the band moved to Decca, and Campbell studied Mansfield's scores at close range, was so impressed with the craft of arranging for orchestra, and the sound and expertise of orchestral musicians in the recording studio, that this led to a major turning point in his career, so much so, he then commenced arranging orchestral accompaniment on the band's sessions himself.

Tired of touring, Campbell left Marmalade in March 1971.[ citation needed ] Campbell was the main songwriting partner for lead singer Dean Ford, and by their next album "Songs" (November 1971), Ford only wrote two songs.

Solo career and composing: 1971-present

During the 1970s, he had two self-penned solo records released, both of which, "Hallelujah Freedom" (#9) (1972), (with Doris Troy on backing vocals), and "Sweet Illusion" (#15) (1973), [1] made Top 20 chart appearances in the UK Singles Chart. [5]

1970's Deram Records promo pic during solo recording career Jnr deram promo.jpg
1970's Deram Records promo pic during solo recording career

He then went on to study orchestration and composition with Eric Gilder and Max Saunders at the Royal College of Music and became an arranger and record producer for many artists as diverse as Miller Anderson, (Bright City, 1971), Matthews Southern Comfort, Barry Ryan, The Tremeloes, Freddie Starr and Barbara Dickson, arranging and producing her first hit single and album, "Answer Me". He also arranged and conducted Dickson's performances in her first-season run on the BBC Television series The Two Ronnies in 1976.

Campbell has composed music for television drama and film, including the 1989 war film That Summer of White Roses (starring Tom Conti, Rod Steiger, Susan George, and Alun Armstrong); the 1993 fantasy film Merlin: The True Story (aka October 32nd, starring Nadia Cameron-Blakey, James Hong, Richard Lynch and Rodney Wood) and the 1994 BBC Worldwide Television drama BAFTA winner Taking Over the Asylum , which starred Ken Stott, David Tennant and Elizabeth Spriggs.

Campbell playing custom made Fender left hand guitar with reverse stringing, circa 1982 Junior Campbell playing left handed, reverse strung.jpg
Campbell playing custom made Fender left hand guitar with reverse stringing, circa 1982

He also composed the music for the 1998 BBC Television adaptation of the Minette Walters murder mystery The Scold's Bridle , starring Miranda Richardson, Bob Peck, Siân Phillips, Douglas Hodge, Trudie Styler, and Beth Winslet. [3]

Campbell co-wrote the music and lyrics for the internationally successful children's TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends with Mike O'Donnell, [1] composing all music and songs during the classic period of Thomas films from 1984–2003, but when ownership of the production changed hands in 2003 during all episodes of season 7 for the British dub, and 21 episodes of season 7 for the American dub, Campbell (and his co-writer) departed the series after becoming embroiled in what proved to be a protracted legal dispute in a claim to recover substantial historic royalties with HIT Entertainment, the new owners. [6] [7] Campbell and O'Donnell also wrote the soundtrack for the TV series TUGS in 1989.

In November 2013, Junior Campbell – The Very Best Of .... Back Then was released through Union Square Music. It was a 32 track compilation album available for digital download.

Personal life

Campbell lives near Horsham in Sussex with his wife Susie.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Solo

Singles

TitleCat no.Release date
"Goodbye Baby Jane" c/w "If I Call Your Name" Deram DM 344October 1971
"Hallelujah Freedom" c/w "Alright With Me"Deram DM 364October 1972
"Sweet Illusion" c/w "Ode To Karen"Deram DM 387June 1973
"Reach Out (An' Help Your Fellow Man )" c/w "Pretty Belinda"Deram DM 403October 1973
"Sweet Lady Love" c/w "If I Could Believe You Darlin'"Deram DM 414May 1974
"Ol Virginia" c/w "Wullie Sings The Blues"Deram DM 424October 1974
"Carabino Lady" c/w "Southern Man" Rocket ROKN 509April 1976
"Baby Hold On" c/w "Long Long Road"Rocket ROKN 518January 1977
"Highland Girl" c/w "Climb on Board" Private Stock Records 141February 1978
"America" c/w "Radio Man"Private Stock Records 171September 1978
  • All songs written by Junior Campbell – except "Baby Hold On" (co-written with Len (Chip) Hawkes)

Albums

  • Second Time Around – 1974 – Deram Records SML 1106 [1] [8]
  • Second Time Around – 2001 – Sanctuary Records CMDDD 398 compilation containing original Deram album and all Deram/Private Stock singles, plus selection of previously unreleased tracks.

Dean Ford and the Gaylords

Singles

TitleCat No.Release Date
"Twenty Miles" c/w "What's The Matter With Me"Columbia DB7264April 1964
"Mr Heartbreak's Here Instead" c/w "I Won't"Columbia DB7402November 1964
"The Name Game" c/w "That Lonely Feeling"Columbia DB7610June 1965
"He's A Good Face (But He's Down And Out)" c/w "You Know It Too"Columbia DB7805December 1965

Marmalade

Singles

YearTitle
(Songwriters)
UK Singles Chart [9] US Billboard Hot 100 Chart US Adult Contemporary
1966"Its All Leading up to Saturday Night"
(Geoff Stephens)
-
-
-
1966"Can't Stop Now"
(Kelleher/Fitzpatrick/Wood)
-
-
-
1967"I See The Rain"
(William Campbell/Thomas McAleese)
-
-
-
1967"Man in a Shop"
(William Campbell/Thomas McAleese)
-
-
-
1968"Lovin' Things"
(Jet Loring/Artie Schroeck)
#6
-
-
1968"Wait For Me Mary-Anne"
(Alan Blaikley/Ken Howard)
#30
-
-
1968"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
(Lennon/McCartney)
#1
-
-
1969"Baby Make It Soon"
(Tony Macaulay)
#9
-
-
1969"Butterfly"
(Barry Gibb/Maurice Gibb/Robin Gibb)
-
-
-
1969"Reflections of My Life"
(William Campbell/Thomas McAleese)
#3
#10
-
1970""Rainbow"
(William Campbell/Thomas McAleese)
#3
#51
#7
1971"My Little One"
(William Campbell/Thomas McAleese)
#15
-
-
1971"Cousin Norman"
(Hugh Nicholson) *Label credit as musical arranger
#6
-
-

Albums

  • There's a Lot of it About – 1968
  • Reflections of the Marmalade – 1970

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Dickson</span> Scottish singer, actress (b. 1947)

Barbara Ruth Dickson is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include "I Know Him So Well", "Answer Me" and "January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK Albums Chart from 1977 to date, and had a number of hit singles, including four which reached the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart. The Scotsman newspaper has described her as Scotland's best-selling female singer in terms of the numbers of hit chart singles and albums she has achieved in the UK since 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marmalade (band)</span> Scottish rock band

Marmalade are a Scottish pop rock band originating from the east end of Glasgow, originally formed in 1961 as The Gaylords, and then later billed as Dean Ford and the Gaylords, recording four singles for Columbia (EMI). In 1966 they changed the band's name to The Marmalade and were credited as such on all of their subsequent recorded releases with CBS Records and Decca Records until 1972. Their greatest chart success was between 1968 and 1972, placing ten songs on the UK Singles Chart, and many overseas territories, including international hits "Reflections of My Life", which reached No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and No. 3 on the UK chart in January 1970, and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", which topped the UK chart in January 1969, the group becoming the first-ever Scottish artist to top that chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Batt</span> English singer-songwriter, arranger and director

Michael Philip Batt, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry.

Simon May is a British composer. He has composed many British television theme tunes, including EastEnders and Howards' Way, and the music for the 1988 film The Dawning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norrie Paramor</span> English record producer (1914–1979)

Norman William Paramor, known professionally as Norrie Paramor, was a British record producer, composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and orchestral conductor. He is best known for his work with Cliff Richard and the Shadows, both together and separately, steering their early careers and producing and arranging most of their material from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Paramor was a composer of studio albums, theatrical productions, and film scores.

Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me", "Be My Baby", "Chapel of Love", and "River Deep - Mountain High" ; "Leader of the Pack" ; "Sugar, Sugar" ; "Without Us", and "I Honestly Love You".

The Simon Park Orchestra is a group which is most notable for performing "Eye Level", the theme tune for the television series Van der Valk composed by Jan Stoeckart, which spent four weeks at the number one position in the UK Singles Chart in September 1973. The song also peaked at number 13 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Jim Sullivan</span> British guitarist (1941–2012)

James George Tomkins, known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan, was an English guitarist.

Robert Stanley Crewe was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons.

William Alan Hawkshaw was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for movies and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company in the 1950s to the 1970s, composing and recording many stock tracks that have been used extensively in film and TV.

Keith Mansfield is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the Grandstand theme for the BBC.

Leslie David Reed was an English songwriter, arranger, musician and light-orchestra leader. His major songwriting partners were Gordon Mills, Barry Mason, and Geoff Stephens, although he wrote songs with many others such as Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, Peter Callander, and Johnny Worth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun</span> 1967 single by Cat Stevens

"I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun" is a song that Cat Stevens wrote, composed, and recorded in 1967, and was produced by Mike Hurst of Decca Records's recently added Deram Records label. It was released as a 45 in the UK, reaching number 6 in the UK Singles Chart, and it was featured on U.S pressings of his debut album Matthew and Son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All or Nothing (Small Faces song)</span>

"All or Nothing" is a song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of the British rock band Small Faces and released as a single in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reflections of My Life</span> 1969 single by Marmalade

"Reflections of My Life" was a 1969/1970 hit single for the Scottish band, Marmalade. It was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell and singer Dean Ford. Released in late 1969, it was the band's first release on Decca following an earlier spell at CBS.

Michel Rubini is an American musician, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and composer. A professional classical pianist since early childhood, he was a prolific session musician of the 1960s and '70s, part of a group known as "The Wrecking Crew", and worked with such artists Ray Charles, Frank Zappa, Sonny and Cher and Barbra Streisand. He has also written several film scores, notably for Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983) and Michael Mann's Manhunter (1986), and the television series Capitol (1982-87) and The Hitchhiker (1984-87). He is the son of violinist Jan Rubini.

"Hallelujah Freedom" is a song written and recorded by Junior Campbell in September 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Ford</span> Scottish singer and songwriter

Dean Ford was a Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his tenure as lead vocalist and frontman of the beat pop group Marmalade from 1966 to 1974. Ford co-wrote the group's worldwide hit "Reflections of My Life" with fellow band member Junior Campbell. "Reflections of My Life" has sold more than two million units globally, and in 1998 the writers were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the U.S. alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Fairley</span> Musical artist

Patrick Fairley was a Scottish musician, who was the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for Marmalade from 1961 to 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow (The Marmalade song)</span> 1970 single by the Marmalade

"Rainbow" is a song by Scottish rock band the Marmalade, released as a single in June 1970. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 218. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  2. "THE MARMALADE". Carlinmusic.com. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Junior Campbell at IMDb
  4. "Marmalade | Songs". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 91. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  6. "Barbara Dohmann QC". Blackstonechambers.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  7. "Tom Hickman QC". Blackstonechambers.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  8. "Junior Campbell | Album Discography". AllMusic . 31 May 1947. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 351. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.

Other sources