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Junior Campbell (born William Campbell Jr., 31 May 1947) is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, pianist, and singer with the Scottish band
Marmalade Marmalade (from the Portuguese ''marmelada'') is a fruit preserves, fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It also has been made from lemons ...
and co-wrote and produced some of their biggest successes, including "
Reflections of My Life "Reflections of My Life" was a 1969/1970 hit single for the Scottish band, Marmalade. It was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell and singer Dean Ford (credited to his birth name, Thomas McAleese). Released in late 1969, it was the ba ...
", "
I See the Rain "I See the Rain" is a 1967 song recorded by The Marmalade, written by lead guitarist William Junior Campbell and vocalist Dean Ford (born Thomas McAleese). This was the band's third CBS Records release, following their 1966 name change from De ...
" and "
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
". "Reflections of My Life" has produced sales of over two million units. In 1998 Campbell and co-writer
Dean Ford Dean Ford (born Thomas McAleese; 5 September 1945 – 31 December 2018) was a Scottish people, Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his tenure as lead vocalist and frontman of the beat pop group Marmalade (band), Marmalade from 1966 to ...
(Thomas McAleese) were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by the BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the US alone. He also wrote and produced his own solo
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
, " Hallelujah Freedom" and "
Sweet Illusion "Sweet Illusion" is a song written and recorded by Junior Campbell in April 1973 as a follow-up single to " Hallelujah Freedom", which had seen success in the UK Singles Chart at the end of the previous year. The recording took place at Decca ...
" and "Carolina Days". Campbell is also known for composing music for film and television drama, and as an arranger and producer for many musicians including
Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...
. He is also known for co-composing the music and co-writing the
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...
for 182 episodes and 31 songs of the children's TV series ''
Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' is a British children's television series which aired from 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021. Based on ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, the series was developed for ...
'' from 1983–2003, including “Thomas’ Anthem”, "The Island Song", "Really Useful Engine", "The Snow Song" and "Accidents Will Happen", and also composing the music for ''
Tugs A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, such ...
'', a 13 part children's television series from the same production crew as ''Thomas''.


Early life

Campbell was born in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland. He grew up in
Springboig Springboig is a neighbourhood in the east end of the Scottish city of Glasgow, situated north of the River Clyde. Administratively, it has been within the city's East Centre ward since 2017, having previously been in the Baillieston ward. Sp ...
, in the east end of Glasgow, and was educated at Thorntree Primary in Greenfield and
Eastbank Academy Eastbank Academy is a Scottish secondary school in the suburb of Shettleston in Glasgow, Scotland. Today the institution is a non-denominational comprehensive school, and its catchment area includes Shettleston, Tollcross, Sandyhills, Mount V ...
in
Shettleston Shettleston (, ) is an area in the Glasgow#East End, east end of Glasgow in Scotland. Toponymy The origin of the name "Shettleston" is not clear and, like many place-names of possibly medieval origin, has had a multitude of spellings. A papal bu ...
. His paternal grandfather Alfredo Cancellari was an Italian immigrant born near
Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...
, Italy, who changed his surname to Campbell in the early 1900s when he settled in Scotland.


Career


Marmalade: 1961-1971

Campbell joined Pat Fairley to form the Gaylords, on his 14th birthday in May 1961 (later to become Dean Ford and the Gaylords, then
Marmalade Marmalade (from the Portuguese ''marmelada'') is a fruit preserves, fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It also has been made from lemons ...
in 1966), acting as lead guitarist, piano player, and singer. With Marmalade, Campbell co-wrote and produced the multi-million-selling "
Reflections of My Life "Reflections of My Life" was a 1969/1970 hit single for the Scottish band, Marmalade. It was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell and singer Dean Ford (credited to his birth name, Thomas McAleese). Released in late 1969, it was the ba ...
", "Rainbow" and "
I See The Rain "I See the Rain" is a 1967 song recorded by The Marmalade, written by lead guitarist William Junior Campbell and vocalist Dean Ford (born Thomas McAleese). This was the band's third CBS Records release, following their 1966 name change from De ...
", amongst others, in a line of
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
from 1967 to 1971. Campbell's reverse tape guitar solo on "Reflections of My Life" and "I See the Rain" are particularly noteworthy – the latter was
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
's favourite
cut Cut or CUT may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** ...
of 1967.During his years with Marmalade, the band used
Keith Mansfield Keith Mansfield (born 1940 in Slough, England) is a British composer and arranger known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes, including the ''Grandstand'' theme for the BBC. Career Mansfield's other works include "The Young S ...
as an orchestral arranger on all of their first record successes with CBS, including "Loving Things", "Wait For Me Mary Ann", "Obladi Oblada", "Baby Make It Soon" and also "
Reflections of My Life "Reflections of My Life" was a 1969/1970 hit single for the Scottish band, Marmalade. It was written by their lead guitarist Junior Campbell and singer Dean Ford (credited to his birth name, Thomas McAleese). Released in late 1969, it was the ba ...
", when the band moved to Decca, and Campbell studied Mansfield's scores at close range, was so impressed with the craft of arranging for orchestra, and the sound and expertise of orchestral musicians in the recording studio, that this led to a major turning point in his career, so much so, he then commenced arranging orchestral accompaniment on the band's sessions himself. Campbell was the main songwriting partner for lead singer
Dean Ford Dean Ford (born Thomas McAleese; 5 September 1945 – 31 December 2018) was a Scottish people, Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his tenure as lead vocalist and frontman of the beat pop group Marmalade (band), Marmalade from 1966 to ...
, and by their next album "Songs" (November 1971), Ford only wrote two songs.


Solo career and composing: 1971-present

During the 1970s, Campbell had two self-penned solo records released, both of which, " Hallelujah Freedom" (#9) (1972), (with
Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She was ...
on backing vocals), and "
Sweet Illusion "Sweet Illusion" is a song written and recorded by Junior Campbell in April 1973 as a follow-up single to " Hallelujah Freedom", which had seen success in the UK Singles Chart at the end of the previous year. The recording took place at Decca ...
" (#15) (1973), made Top 20
chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
appearances in the UK Singles Chart. Campbell then went on to study orchestration and composition with
Eric Gilder Eric Gilder (25 December 1911 – 1 June 2000) was an English teacher, conductor, composer and pianist. He was best known as the principal of the Eric Gilder School of Music. Education Gilder was a pupil at Henry Thornton School in Clapham from ...
and Max Saunders at the
Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...
and became an arranger and record producer for many artists as diverse as Miller Anderson, (''Bright City'', 1971),
Matthews Southern Comfort Matthews Southern Comfort (MSC) is a British country rock/folk rock band, formed in 1970 by former Fairport Convention singer Ian (later Iain) Matthews. The original line-up consisted of Matthews, lead guitarist Mark Griffiths (who later becom ...
, Barry Ryan,
The Tremeloes The Tremeloes (formerly Brian Poole and The Tremeloes) are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with ...
,
Freddie Starr Freddie Starr (born Frederick Leslie Fowell; 9 January 1943 – 9 May 2019) was an English stand up comedian, impressionist, singer and actor. Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat rock and roll group the Midniters during the early 1960s, ...
and
Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...
, arranging and producing her first hit single and album, "
Answer Me "Answer Me" is a popular song, originally titled "Mütterlein", with German lyrics by Gerhard Winkler and Fred Rauch. "Mütterlein" was published on 19 April 1952. English lyrics were written by Carl Sigman, and the song was published as "An ...
". He also arranged and conducted Dickson's performances in her first-season run on the
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
series ''
The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo se ...
'' in 1976. Campbell has composed music for television drama and film, including the 1989 war film ''
That Summer of White Roses ''That Summer of White Roses'' () is a 1989 Yugoslav-British film directed by Rajko Grlić. This was the last film to include an appearance by American actress Shania Berryman. Plot In the summer of 1944, in a peaceful resort town in the Nazi-o ...
'' (starring
Tom Conti Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor. Conti has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and two Golden Globe Awards ...
,
Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger ( ; April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Ranked as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars", he is closely associ ...
, Susan George, and
Alun Armstrong Alan Armstrong (born 17 July 1946), known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English character actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar ...
); the 1993 fantasy film '' Merlin: The True Story'' (aka ''October 32nd'', starring Nadia Cameron-Blakey,
James Hong James Hong (born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. Known as one of the most prolific character actors of all time, he has worked in over 400 productions in U.S. media since the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s. ...
,
Richard Lynch Richard Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television. His film credits included '' Scarecrow'', '' The Seven-Ups'' (both 1973), '' God Told Me To'' (1976), '' ...
and Rodney Wood) and the 1994 BBC Worldwide Television drama
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
winner Winner(s) or The Winner(s) may refer to: * Champion, the victor in a game or contest *The successful social class in winner and loser culture Film * ''The Winner'' (1926 film), an American silent film starring Billy Sullivan * ''The Winner'' ...
'' Taking Over the Asylum'', which starred
Ken Stott Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play ''Broken Glass (play), Broken Glass'' at Royal National Thea ...
,
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
and
Elizabeth Spriggs Elizabeth Jean Spriggs (18 September 1929 – 2 July 2008) was an English actress. Spriggs' roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company included Nurse in ''Romeo and Juliet'', Gertrude in ''Hamlet'', and Beatrice in ''Much Ado About Nothing''. I ...
. Campbell also composed the music for the 1998
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
adaptation of the
Minette Walters Minette Caroline Mary Walters Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 26 September 1949) is an English writer. Life and work Walters was born in Bishop's Stortford in 1949 to Samuel Jebb and Colleen Jebb. As her father was a serving army officer, the f ...
murder mystery ''
The Scold's Bridle ''The Scold's Bridle'' is a 1994 crime novel by English writer Minette Walters. The book, Walters' third, won a CWA Gold Dagger. Synopsis Mathilda Gillespie, an eccentric recluse known for her incredible meanness of nature, is found dead ...
'', starring
Miranda Richardson Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Richardson began her career in 1979 and made her West End theatre, West ...
,
Bob Peck Robert Peck (23 August 1945 – 4 April 1999) was an English actor who played Ronald Craven in the television serial ''Edge of Darkness'', for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor, BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He ...
,
Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's '' ...
,
Douglas Hodge Douglas William Hodge (born 25 February 1960) is an English actor, director and musician. He has had an extensive career in theatre, as well as film and television where he has appeared in ''Robin Hood'' (2010), '' Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Retu ...
,
Trudie Styler Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress, director, and film producer. Early life and family Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was ...
, and Beth Winslet. Campbell co-wrote the music and lyrics for the internationally successful children's TV series ''
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' is a British children's television series which aired from 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021. Based on ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher, the series was developed for television by Brit ...
'' with Mike O'Donnell, composing all music and songs during the classic period of ''Thomas'' from 1984–2003, but when ownership of the production changed hands in 2003 after series 7. O'Donnell and Campbell departed the series after becoming embroiled in what proved to be a protracted legal dispute in a claim to recover substantial historic royalties with
HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (stylised as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turn ...
, the new owners. For series 7, their final series, all 26 episodes had the original music in the British version, while only 7 episodes of the series would have the O'Donnell/Campbell music in the American version, as most of the music in the American version of that series was re-done by series 8's new composer Robert Hartshrone, whose music was also used in 21 episodes of the series's British version. Campbell and O'Donnell also wrote the soundtrack for the TV series ''
TUGS A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, such ...
'' in 1989. In November 2013, ''Junior Campbell – The Very Best Of .... Back Then'' was released through Union Square Music. It was a 32 track compilation album available for digital download.


Personal life

Campbell lives near
Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
in Sussex with his wife Susie.


Discography


Solo


Singles

* All songs written by Junior Campbell – except "Baby Hold On" (co-written with Len (Chip) Hawkes)


Albums

* ''Second Time Around'' – 1974 –
Deram Records Deram Records was a subsidiary record label of Decca Records established in the United Kingdom in 1966. At the time, U.K. Decca was a different company from the Decca label in the United States, which was owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings w ...
SML 1106 * ''Second Time Around'' – 2001 –
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is, as of 2013, a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest ...
CMDDD 398 compilation containing original Deram album and all Deram/Private Stock singles, plus selection of previously unreleased tracks.


Dean Ford and the Gaylords


Singles


Marmalade


Singles


Albums

* There's a Lot of it About – 1968 * Reflections of the Marmalade – 1970


''Thomas & Friends''

*All songs co-written and co-composed by Mike O’Donnell


References


Other sources

* Discography ref ''
Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...
'' issue No. 186 (February 1995) * Liner notes ''Second Time Around'' – 2001 –
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is, as of 2013, a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest ...
CMDDD 398


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Junior 1947 births Living people Parkhead Scottish keyboardists Scottish male songwriters Musicians from Glasgow Scottish composers Scottish pop guitarists Scottish male guitarists Scottish pianists 20th-century Scottish male singers Scottish people of Italian descent Deram Records artists Rocket Records artists People educated at Eastbank Academy British male pianists 20th-century British guitarists 20th-century British pianists Private Stock Records artists British male songwriters