Christy Campbell: Still Discovering Things

By Chris Manson
May 14, 2009 Issue

Pleasant-voiced singer Christy Campbell arrived here last winter, but I didn’t become aware of her until recently. “I came here for an entertainment job that didn’t come to fruition,” she says. “I went around to local places and said, ‘I’m a new singer in town.’”

Fortunately, she hooked up with Pat Boone, who got Campbell her first gig at Destin’s Lucky Snapper, followed by appearances at Hammerheads, Harry T’s and the Santa Rosa Golf and Beach Club. “It was definitely a struggle being an unknown person,” says Campbell. “It still is. I’m not rolling in it now!”

She’s certainly paid her dues, working on cruise ships, at theme parks, and in Branson, Missouri. Campbell says those gigs were “a great experience, because it’s very structured and choreographed. It taught me professionalism and showmanship. On the other hand, you only learn the verse and chorus of most songs. A band situation is a lot different than a revue show. I think this is a step forward. I have more creative control and responsibility. I like it that way.”

Accompanied by the dynamic Boone on guitar, Campbell wows Snapper patrons with her renditions of songs by Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Beth Nielsen Chapman and contemporary country divas like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. There are also some nice soul numbers like “Stand by Me” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” during which Boone offers spare but effective accompaniment.

“She’s a really fine singer,” says Boone. “A very talented musician experienced in a lot of different areas. It’s really a pleasure to be playing with her.” Boone is also the guitarist for Campbell’s band, a supergroup if there ever was one—Sol Morgan on bass, Tommy Beavers on drums and Diki Ross on keyboards.

The band plays dance music, party songs and, according to Campbell, “current pop-country that a lot of people aren’t doing around here.”

Her ultimate goal is a recording contract. Campbell has already written and recorded a handful of originals including “It Rained,” which was inspired by her musician father. “He was Anita Bryant’s musical director for 20 years and played with Andy Williams in Branson,” says Campbell. “He passed away when I was 17. The day he passed away, it rained. (The song) is about what I’ve learned, how I felt then, how I feel now, and how he helps me move into the future even though he’s gone.”

Campbell’s vocal influences include Natalie Cole, Jo Dee Messina, Martina McBride and Celine Dion—the stuff she grew up on. Her dad also instilled in her a love for black gospel music and the Doobie Brothers.

Campbell appears at the Lucky Snapper with Boone on May 15, 6-10 p.m.; at Santa Rosa Golf and Beach Club May 22, starting at 6 p.m. (also with Boone); and at the new Breeze (old Royal B location) in Destin with her band May 22-24, starting at 10 p.m. Keep up with additional gigs—and listen to Campbell’s songs—at www.myspace.com/christycampbellmusic.

FRIENDS OF THE BEAT
Black Eyed Blonde drummer Brian Peet slipped the Beat a few of his new songs during a recent gig at AJ’s. The three originals—“Sick of It,” “Haven’t Had a Good Day,” and “Believe in Me”—are instantly memorable and feature the formidable Donnie Sundal (keyboards), Shannon Wallace (guitars) and Eric Lampley (bass). I can’t wait to here more. www.brianpeet.com.

Nik Flagstar—on “honky tonk piano”—and WaCo Ramblers fiddler Jared Reynolds tore through some classic country songs during a Saturday night appearance at downtown Fort Walton Beach’s Panhandle Music Supply. The Beat captured the duo’s smokin’ renditions of Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’” and the George Hamilton IV classic “Abilene” for posterity at www.youtube.com/user/beachcomberdestin.

Congratulations to Pensacola-based the Gills on their recent triumph at Northwest Florida State College’s Battle of the Bands last fortnight. Though the crowd was small, frontman Jesse Wheeler and the band treated the gig like they were opening for Sheryl Crow (which they have). The Gills blew me away with their high-energy set, and we highly recommend their new CD, Forget What You See… Get yours at www.myspace.com/somebodygillme.

RECENT GIGS
Northwest Florida State College gave the jazz-loving public a little something extra this year. Two groups—the NWFSC Jazz Workshop and NWFSC Jazz Ensemble—took the mainstage April 28 at Mattie Kelly Fine and Performing Arts Center to play a nearly two-hour concert for a nearly full house. Directors Tom Latenser and Fred Domulot led the musicians and occasionally sat in.

The performance was divided into two parts, with a short intermission. The first half was a performance by the Jazz Workshop, with the Ensemble taking stage for the second half. Personnel overlapped between the two groups, with vocalists drawn from the music program and the school's Show Choir.

Latenser and Domulot are co-directors of the two groups, which in the past have been led by area music legend Cheryl Jones, a hard act to follow. The number of musicians has increased over the years, with both reed and brass sections getting additional personnel, which is likely the reason for the expanded playlist.

The first half featured works by Pat Metheny, Frank Zappa, Duke Ellington, Dave Holland and others. The second offered tunes by Neal Hefti, Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, Bacharach and David, Milton DeLugg, Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and a crowd pleaser, "Theme From Family Guy."

Several of the tunes were pop songs from the golden age of cocktail lounge music, offering an opportunity to singers Wendy Justice, Serenity Rowland and Rachel Nicholson. The Sandoval work, "Mambo Caliente," made for a hot trumpet-and-rhythm-spiced finale, complete with a mambo demonstration onstage.
- Bruce Collier

Among the many highlights of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s three-hour rock ‘n roll revival in Atlanta April 26—a “Stump the Band” segment that led the Boss to remark, “We’re the greatest bar band in the world! You think we don’t know ’96 F----n’ Tears’?!?” The band—minus Patti Scialfa a/k/a Mrs. Springsteen—also treated the packed Philips Arena to “Jungleland,” “Seeds,” “Trapped,” and highlights from most of the back catalogue, save for Born in the U.S.A. and the woefully underrated Human Touch. So-so tunes from The Rising benefitted from audience participation, and some smart guy captured most of the moments and posted them on YouTube. Thank you, “robsand62”!

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