Royce Campbell (born June 7, 1952) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

guitarist from Indiana who was a member of the Henry Mancini orchestra for twenty years.

Musical career

He was born in

North Vernon North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,608 as of the 2020 census. History North Vernon was originally called Tripton, sometimes referred to as “The Gem of the Midwest” and under the latter na ...

, Indiana. When he was five, his mother married a career Navy man, and Campbell grew up in cities throughout the U.S. and the world. Exposure to a variety of genres contributed to his musical style. A love for

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

marked his first connection with the guitar, at the age of nine, when he discovered

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

. Like many guitarists of his generation, he was influenced by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

. By the time he finished high school in Spain in the early 1970s, he had decided to pursue a career in music. His uncle, pianist Carroll DeCamp, who had done

arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

for

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

and

Les Elgart Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter. Early Years Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed to ...

, invited him to

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

to live and study. His uncle provided his education in music theory and composition. At 21, he toured with rhythm and blues ( R&B) singer

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

before spending twenty years as a member of the

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

orchestra. He held the job until Mancini's death in 1994.Alexander, Charles. ''Masters of Jazz Guitar: The Story of the Players and Their Music''. London, UK: Balafon Books, 1999, 185. During the 1990s, Campbell recorded more as a leader. In 1993, he produced ''Project G-5: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery'' which also featured guitarists

Tal Farlow Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. As Steve Rochinski notes, "Of all the guitarists to emerge in th ...

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) and ...

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

, and fellow Hoosier Cal Collins. His 1994 album ''6x6'' featured guitarists

Pat Martino Pat Martino (born Patrick Carmen Azzara; August 25, 1944 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Biography Martino was born Patrick Carmen Azzara in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to father Carmen "Mickey" ...

, John Abercrombie,

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...

Dave Stryker Dave Stryker (born March 30, 1957) is an American jazz guitarist. He has recorded over twenty-five albums as a leader and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany. Career Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebr ...

, and

Bucky Pizzarelli John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (January 9, 1926 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli. He worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett (1971) ...

. On ''Project G-5: A Tribute to Joe Pass'' (1999) he combined the talents of

Charlie Byrd Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was an American jazz guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, he collaborated with Stan Getz on the album '' Jazz Samba' ...

Gene Bertoncini Gene J. Bertoncini (born 6 April 1937) is an American jazz guitarist. Biography Bertoncini was born in New York City, where he was raised in a musical family. His father, Mario Bertoncini (1901–1978), played guitar and harmonica. Gene began pl ...

Mundell Lowe James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...

, and

John Pisano John Pisano (born February 6, 1931) is a jazz guitarist born in Staten Island, New York. Biography Pisano has worked with Herb Alpert, Billy Bean, Chico Hamilton, Peggy Lee, and Joe Pass. Discography As leader * ''Makin' It: Guitar Duets'' wit ...

. In November 2010, Campbell was inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Hall of Fame.

Discography

References

Additional sources

* Benedetto, Robert. ''Making an Archtop Guitar''. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publishing, 1994. xiii. * Boyd, Herb. "CD Reviews: A Tribute to Henry Mancini". ''Down Beat'' 63.6 (June 1996): 45. * Cook, Richard, and Brian Morton. ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz''. 9th ed. New York, NY: The Penguin Group, 2008. 221, 1209. * Ellis, Andy. "A Tribute to Wes Montgomery". ''Guitar Player'' 29.2 (Feb 1995): 146. * Ellis, Andy. "Hands Across the Water". ''Guitar Player'' 32.12 (Dec 1998): 139. * Ephland, John. "Rudy Linka-Royce Campbell". ''Down Beat'' 74.3 (March 2007): 71. * Ephland, John. "Traveling Guitars". ''Down Beat'' 76.2 (Feb 2009): 71. * Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, ed. ''All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz''. 4th ed. San Francisco, CA: Backstreet Publishing, 2002. 1063. * Esposito, Russell R. ''The Golden Milestone''. 4th ed. New York, NY: The New York Learning Library, 2007. 320. * Ingram, Adrian. ''Mel Bay Concise History of the Electric Guitar''. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2006. 106. * Ingram, Adrian. ''The Gibson L5''. Anaheim Hills, CA: Centerstream Publishing, 1997. 7, 68, 74. * Koert, Hans. "The Five Guitars". ''IAJRC Journal'' 40.4 (Dec 2007): 71–72. * Koransky, Jason. "Project Shopping". ''Down Beat'' 66.6 (June 1999): 53. * Larkin, Colin, ed. ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. 4th ed. US: Oxford University Press, 2006. * Levy, Adam. "Royce Campbell". ''Guitar Player'' 33.12 (Dec 1999): 41. * Resnicoff, Matt. "Project G-5: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery". ''Guitar Player'' 29.6 (June 1995): 29–30. * Smith, Will. "Six by Six: A Jazz Guitar Celebration". ''Down Beat'' 72.7 (July 2005): 76.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Royce Living people 1952 births American jazz guitarists American jazz composers American male jazz composers People from Seymour, Indiana Guitarists from Indiana 20th-century American guitarists American male guitarists 20th-century American male musicians