Background
Buzz Campbell was born on January 19, 1969,in Dallas, Texas. He was first introduced to 1950s doo-wop by his father’s old cassettes.
Guitarist singer singer-songwriter
Buzz Campbell was born on January 19, 1969,in Dallas, Texas. He was first introduced to 1950s doo-wop by his father’s old cassettes.
He plays anything that is close to Rockabilly music, Blues, Swing, Country & Rock & roll. Buzz Campbell is also a renown songwriter. Buzz Campbell and his group have also backed up and performed with such artists as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Bo Diddley, Chris Isaak, and numerous others and has become a mainstay on the California rockabilly scene.
He is now touring all over the American soil, in Canada and has a solid international reputation.
At first it was just a hobby, but in 1991 at his twenty-first Birthday, he saw the Stray Cats perform live at the Bacchanal in San Diego, California The show had such an impact on him that he dropped out of college, to concentrate on the music
Buzz Campbell has named Chuck Berry as his first reel influence and later came Carl Perkins, Cliff Gallup, Scotty Moore, James Burton and the one he said was his biggest influence would be Brian Setzer, of the Stray Cats. This group is internationally known for their debut at Woodstock, their television show in the mid-‘70s, and their cameo in the cult classic movie Grease.
Buzz became the lead guitarist for Sha Na Na, and still occasionally performs with them.
More than 10 years ago, Buzz was given the opportunity to open foreign(Present on both albums: Racin’ the Devil and Black Cat Bone) Buzz even wrote the track, “Crazy When She Drinks” for the Black Cat Bone album. Buzz and Lee met and a long-standing friendship started. Lee was impressed and produced ’s critically acclaimed Civil Defense titled "Blue Café.” Buzz Campbell completed his largest tour to date by opening for the Stray Cats European Farwell Tour in the summer of 2008.
The band warmed up audiences in seven different countries and by the end of the tour, were seen by over 100,000 people.
Buzz is a master of rockabilly, roots country, blues, and roots rock styles. Buzz Campbell is sponsored by Gretsch.
He uses mostly a 2007, 6136 Gretsch White Falcon. Also has a 1958 Gretsch Country Club(mostly for recording on the RHL and albums).
On live performances, he has used a 90s red Gretsch Hot Rod.
When writing songs, he also uses a Gibson acoustic.
Sha Na Na]
He has played with numerous "rockabilly acts", including Lee Rocker, Slim Jim Phantom and Brian Setzer, all original members of the Stray Cats. In 2001, Buzz was approached at a gig by Jocko Marcellino, one of the founding members of the 1950s group, Sha Na Na (2000–2004).