< >Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell is a Native American singer-songwriter who has had a lifelong love for music. He made his first attempts at writing songs at an early age after hearing the Beatles and seeing the names of McCartney-Lennon on their records. The first three songs he tried to write were called "Chick-a-dee", "Maggie Pie", and "Swampy Sea". They were inspired by the influences he found while hanging out in woods- he says "if you heard these songs you might think that I should have stayed out there".
Ancestry: Metis
Language: English
Genre: Acoustic, Folk, Country
Albums
Group Members
- Ken Campbell
- James Oldenburg
- Angie Maksymetz
- Ztacy Arbeau
Biography
Ken Campbell is a Native American singer-songwriter who has had a lifelong love for music. He made his first attempts at writing songs at an early age after hearing the Beatles and seeing the names of McCartney-Lennon on their records. The first three songs he tried to write were called "Chick-a-dee", "Maggie Pie", and "Swampy Sea". They were inspired by the influences he found while hanging out in woods- he says "if you heard these songs you might think that I should have stayed out there".
Raised on country music, experiencing the British invasion, and being introduced to classical music by his foster mother, Margaret Smith of Hythe, Alberta taught Ken to appreciate the many different forms that music can take. The first band he played in was a rock group that had converted to playing country music and it was through this experience that he learned to be conscious of the fusions that music can take. Country music being played with a rock, blues or funk feel made his time with the band an enjoyable one because it added a drive to the music. Some of these musical influences seeped into the songwriting that he tried for a couple of years in his late teens. After a long hiatus from songwriting he recently took up writing again and in the last 4 years he penned some numbers that were completions or changed versions of earlier attempts and completed songs from new ideas.
Ken's foster dad, Howard Smith, was the first person to create awareness in him of various social issues and this widened the door to thought process concerning bigger pictures of the world we live in. Margaret Smith stressed the importance of education which became a priority in his life and it is to his foster parents that he would give credit for any major shift that reconstructed his life. The songs he has written all carry some degree of his various musical and social concern influences.
Ken has played rhythm guitar since his days at the Smith farm but has had limited time playing in road groups or local bands. The longest amount of time he has been involved in a musical band was about 10 years at a local church where he played rhythm guitar and performed song specials every few weeks. Gospel music remains high on his list of favorite music to listen to- especially southern gospel.
His immediate plans are to find musicians to perform with while marketing his new recording and gradually doing more shows.
