Raymond Charles Campi (April 20, 1934 – March 11, 2021) was an American singer and musician, nicknamed "The King of
Rockabilly". He first recorded in the mid-1950s. Campi's trademark was his white
double bass, which he often jumped on top of and "rode" while playing.
Biography
He was born in
New York City, in April 1934, and lived in
Yonkers, New York, during his earliest years. After his family moved in 1944 to
Austin, Texas, Campi began a lifetime of performing and recording music in numerous genres, including
folk,
country, and
rock and roll as well as rockabilly. Early on he recorded on
Domino Records Domino Records may refer to:
* Domino Records (1916), American producer of early phonograph, from 1916 to 1917
*Domino Records (1924), American record label, from 1924 to 1933
* Domino Records (Canada), produced by the Compo Company in the 1920s a ...
.
In the 1950s, Campi recorded for several labels, including
Dot Records, and recorded the first tribute record to the 1959
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
plane crash, "The Ballad of Donna and Peggy Sue", backed by the
Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include " Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of w ...
's band. He also worked with a diverse range of singers, including
Mae West (who recorded his song "Caterpillar") and
Ian Whitcomb.
He rarely concentrated on his musical career exclusively, working a wide variety of jobs, notably twenty-five years, from 1967, spent as a junior high school
teacher in
Van Nuys, California. During these years Ray Campi were a teacher for
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varia ...
and
Dorsey Burnette kids. He fiercely criticized the mainstream music industry, in particular its connections with
drug culture
Drug cultures are examples of countercultures that are primarily defined by spiritual, medical, and recreational drug use. They may be focused on a single drug, or endorse polydrug use. They sometimes eagerly or reluctantly initiate newcomers, ...
.
His musical career took off in the early 1970s when he was rediscovered by
Ronny Weiser Ronny Weiser (born 1946 in Milan, Italy), also known as Rockin' Ronny Weiser, is an American record producer and founder of rockabilly record label Rollin' Rock.
In Milan, Ronny discovered American rock'n'roll and rockabilly watching an Elvis Pre ...
, the owner of
Rollin' Rock Records. Soon after, Ronny bought the double bass for him. But during the fifties, Ray Campi played on bass-guitar. After 4 days of practise, Ray recorded "Pan American Boogie" in Ronny's bedroom.
Soon after Ray began touring Great Britain and Europe more often and regularly played at festivals there. He also recorded with German, Finnish, British and Dutch rockabilly bands over two decades, and produced his own albums with artists such as
Rosie Flores
Rosie Flores (born September 10, 1950) is an American rockabilly and country music artist. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage. She currently resides in Au ...
,
Bobby 'Fats' Mizell and Ian Whitcomb. Campi performed on several solo albums by Kevin Fennell, his lead guitarist from 1977 to 2015. Campi also performed and recorded with his longtime musical associate Rip Masters.
Campi died in his sleep at home on March 11, 2021, at the age of 86.
Recognition
Ray Campi was a member of the
Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Early discography
Many of Ray Campi's earliest 1950s recordings were not issued until the 1980s and 1990s, mostly on European albums. But the following were issued on 45-rpm and, in some cases, 78-rpm. "Caterpillar" was considered his most popular record until his revival in the 1970s.
*TNT 145 "Caterpillar"/"Play It Cool" 1956
*Dot 15617 "It Ain't Me"/"Give That Love to Me" 1957
*Domino 700 "My Screamin' Screamin' Mimi"/"Uh Huh Huh" 1958
*Domino 701 "You Gambled"/"No Time" 1958
*D-104 "Ballad of Donna and Peggy Sue"/"The Man I Met (Tribute to the Big Bopper)" 1959
*Verve 10208 "Our Man in Havana"/"Reprieve of Love" 1960
*Colpix 166 "Cry For Happy"/"Hear What I Wanna Hear" 1960
References
External links
*
*
*
Entries at 45cat.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campi, Ray
1934 births
2021 deaths
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century double-bassists
American double-bassists
American rockabilly musicians
Country musicians from New York (state)
D Records artists
Male double-bassists
People from Yonkers, New York
Radar Records artists
Slap bassists (double bass)