Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Eddie C. Campbell (1939–2018)
(Photo: Eddie C. Campbell Facebook page)Eddie C. Campbell, a blues vocalist and guitarist who toured the world, died Nov. 20 at his home in Oak Park, Illinois, according to a Facebook post from his manager, Barbara Mayson. He was 79 and had suffered from heart problems.
Campbell, who was revered among fans of Chicago blues—particularly the style known as West Side blues—performed with many icons and was a successful bandleader.
The opening track on his debut album, 1977’s King Of The Jungle, was his composition “Santa’s Messin’ With The Kid,” which would later be covered by rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Musicians on Campbell’s original version included harmonica player Carey Bell and bassist Lurrie Bell.
Other leader albums in Campbell’s discography include Let’s Pick It! (1984), Mind Trouble (1988), That’s When I Know (1994) and Gonna Be Alright (1999). Later he recorded two albums for Chicago label Delmark Records: Tear This World Up (2009) and Spider Eating Preacher (2012). The latter was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category Traditional Blues Album.
Campbell was born on May 6, 1939, in Duncan, Mississippi, and as a child moved to Chicago with his family. His mother knew Muddy Waters and arranged for her young son, a prodigy, to sit in with the blues legend’s band.
Campbell also performed with Luther Allison, Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon and Koko Taylor. He served as a bandleader for Jimmy Reed.
Campbell relocated to Europe in the 1980s but returned to the States in 1992. In 2013, he suffered a heart attack and stroke, a devastating health event that permanently derailed his career.
Mayson’s Facebook post announcing Campbell’s death generated comments from around the world, including musicians based in Texas, Argentina and The Netherlands who had collaborated with him. DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
Feb 19, 2026 10:39 AM
Jazz camps have exploded around the globe as a summertime tradition for working on your chops and making new friends.…
Lovers of the big band experience, clockwise from top left, John Clayton, Leigh Pilzer, Ted Nash, David Pietro and Christine Jensen.
Feb 10, 2026 11:00 AM
The popularity of big band music might have peaked in the 1930s and ’40s, but despite the many changes on the jazz…
