Craig Campbell (born 16 July 1969,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

) is a retired British

freestyle BMX Freestyle BMX is bicycle motocross stunt riding on BMX bikes. It is an extreme sport descended from BMX racing that consists of five disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, and flatland. In June 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced t ...

rider and

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

. Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the freestyle era in the 1980s, he was one of the first European riders to compete on

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soil. Since retiring at an early age of twenty one in 1991, he established himself as a disc jockey.

Biography

Born near Southend, Essex; Campbell first came to attention in 1983 when

Bob Haro Bob Haro (born June 29, 1958, in Pasadena, California) is an American former (retired from active competition) professional freestyle BMX rider turned artist and business executive. He is the founder of Haro Bikes and was one of the most important ...

, needing a British rider to represent his

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

, noticed Campbell's performance at a competition taking place at

Harrow Skate Park Harrow Skate Park or Harrow Solid Surf is one of only two remaining 1970's shotcrete skateparks still operating in the United Kingdom. It is located next to Byron Park and Harrow Leisure Centre in Wealdstone in the London Borough of Harrow, Engla ...

thus sponsoring him in the process, making him the first non-American rider to receive a full sponsorship by Haro, resulting in Campbell's sudden popularity. Throughout his career, he have won a number of titles, amongst those are the UK King Of the Skatepark in 1984 and the UKBFA British Pro Freestyle Champion in 1985. He also was one of the first European riders to compete in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and was the first to experiment with the Rocket Air on a BMX bike in 1986 after seeing Christian Hosoi performing it on a skateboard, although Ron Wilkerson was stated by some source to being the pioneer, though he popularised the move. He is also credited for revolutionising the 540

wallride A wallride or wall ride is a maneuver in skateboarding in which a rider positions their skateboard parallel to a wall, putting the wheels on the side of the wall as they ride along it. The trick is noted for its particular grace. History 1970s ( ...

, again on a BMX bike during a 2hip event in 1988. In 1985, his association with Pro-Lite led him to get his own signature frame, built by Freewheeler, it became the best selling freestyle bike of the year, outselling its following two rivals. In 1987, Campbell, now without a sponsor, was spending a year working in a sound mixing studio, producing soundtracks for TV commercials. Realising that his friend, Jess Dyrenforth, was in the United States getting paid to ride on shows, that prompted Campbell and his friends Nick Phillip and Lee Reynolds to move there to further their BMX career in the following year. In 1991, as his contract with GT came to an end, he returned to the United Kingdom. As he was finding difficulty in making a living from freestyle BMX as well as a growing interest in music meant he retired in 1991 at the age of twenty one, where he established a career as a

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Craig Living people English male cyclists British BMX riders English DJs 1969 births People from Southend-on-Sea (district)