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Piece Description
Chuck Campbell didn't hone his steel guitar sound by playing honkytonks or dances. He developed his style over years of playing Sunday services at the House of God Church his father pastors in Rochester, New York. The church has a tradition of steel guitar music that dates back to the Depression, when Hawaiian guitars became popular, and a legendary performer named Willlie Eason electrified congregations by making his instrument "talk." In recent years, the Campbell Brothers band has started performing outside of their church, and Chuck Campbell has become a leading evangelist of the sacred steel. The NEA named him one of nine National Heritage Fellowship winners for 2004. As in all the pieces in David Schulman's CPB-supported Musicians in their own words series, the story is told through a mix of the performer's voice and music. There is no reporter's voice heard, allowing the feature to be seamlessly incorporated into station news, talk, or music programming. This piece will fit the new ATC cutaway, and works well pegged to local performances. Campbell Brothers' tour schedule includes: Nov 3 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Nov 4 Dartmouth, MA Univ of Massachusetts Nov 13 New York, NY Spirit Performance Center Nov 19 Homer, AK Alice's Champagne Palace Nov 20 Anchorage, AK Discovery Theatre Nov 27 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts This piece debuts on PRX.
Broadcast History
This piece debuts on PRX.
Transcript
Keywords: Chuck Campbell, sacred steel guitar, pedal steel, slide guitar, Church of God, gospel, blues, Pentecostal, Campbell Brothers, "Morning Train," Musicians in their own words, WUNC, David Schulman
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Chuck Campbell: In his own words
Tape time: 3:30 (including :22 music tail)
Add approx :25 for intro/outro
This piece will fit the new ATC
TAPE IN: "I think every member of our church ...."
TAPE OUT: Ends with :22 music tail
Last spoken words: "...evangelizing the steel guitar."
over the music tail.
Musical Works
All excerpts from the CD, "Sacred Steel on Tour," featuring Chuck Campbell, pedal steel, with the Campbell Brothers.
Additional Files
- (description) (ChuckCampbellPRXscript)




Emon Hassan
Posted on April 30, 2005 at 09:40 AM | Permalink
Review of Chuck Campbell: In his own words
You won't quite know what Chuck Campbell is really playing by the sound of it until you look up close. A pedal steel guitar player with the Campbell Brothers, Chuck's guitar convincingly assumes the identity of several intruments, including re-creation of voices and everyday sounds, not because of the instrument itself, but the way he is able to interpret them.
His ability to do all of that while complimenting the songs is impressive in an age where flashy acrobatics around an instrument is considered an achievement.