Gregory Dean Camp (born April 2, 1967) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American Rock music, rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994 and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). Harwell's ...

and served as a guitarist and songwriter across several stints (1994–2008, 2009–2011, 2014, 2018–2019). Camp is credited as one of the main songwriters for the band, and as such received a Grammy nomination for the song " All Star". Since leaving the band for a solo career in 2008, he has rejoined Smash Mouth periodically. Camp is currently a member of The Defiant.

Biography

Camp was born in

West Covina, California West Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located east of downtown Los Angeles in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, it is part of Greater Los Angeles Area, Greater Los Angeles. The population for the city was 109,501 ...

, but attended Lynbrook High School in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

. Before Smash Mouth, he had been a musician in the California rock scene since the 1980s. He was part of several bands including the Gents, when Steve Harwell and Kevin Coleman approached him to form a new band. Camp declined, but Harwell and Coleman persisted, until Camp agreed to look at the songs they had written. They formed Smash Mouth soon after. Camp wrote Smash Mouth's most memorable songs of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including " Walkin' on the Sun," " All Star," and " Then the Morning Comes". Camp's song "Heave-Ho" was about his experience living in San Jose's St Leo neighborhood. He was the guitarist and backing vocalist from when he co-founded the band in 1994 until he left in summer of 2008, though he has rejoined them periodically. After leaving Smash Mouth, Camp released a solo album, '' Defektor'', on

Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio, booking and promoting bands in his n ...

. ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...

'' wrote that the album "weaves together everything you love about vintage guitar tones, tortured Farfisa, '60s frat-rock vocal hooks, and epic Morricone-esque soundscapes." In June 2009, Camp rejoined Smash Mouth for several concerts as a guest. He also played with the Santa Cruz rock band The Maids of Honor and Los Angeles band The Selectrics. Camp currently works as a songwriter and producer in Los Angeles. In March 2023, it was announced that Camp had co-founded the band The Defiant along with Dicky Barrett of

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...

and members of

The Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

Street Dogs Street Dogs is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together but reunited again in 2024. History In 1997, McC ...

and

The Briggs The Briggs are a punk rock band based out of Los Angeles, California. The band formed in 1999 under the name "I Decline" by brothers Joey and Jason LaRocca and bassist Matthew Stolarz (a.k.a. Duck). In 2001, with the addition of drummer Chris A ...

. Their debut album was released in October 2023.

References

External links

Interview with Greg Camp on his career.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camp, Greg 1967 births Living people Musicians from San Jose, California Writers from San Jose, California People from the San Gabriel Valley American rock guitarists American male guitarists Songwriters from California Interscope Records artists People from West Covina, California Smash Mouth members Guitarists from California 20th-century American guitarists Lynbrook High School alumni Bar/None Records artists