Sterling Campbell (born May 3, 1964) is an American drummer and songwriter who has worked with numerous high-profile acts, including

The B-52s The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band wen ...

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...

, Cyndi Lauper, Nena,

Grayson Hugh Grayson Hugh (born October 30, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, Hammond B3 organ player and composer. He is best known for his 1988 hit "Talk It Over", and his other blue-eyed soul hits "Bring It All Back" and "How 'Bout Us?". Ear ...

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

Gustavo Cerati Gustavo Adrián Cerati (11 August 1959 – 4 September 2014) was an Argentine singer-songwriter, composer and producer, considered one of the most important and influential figures of Ibero-American rock. Cerati along with his band Soda Stereo, ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

.Alexandra Gill, (January 24, 2004), "Bowie's Drummer Hip to Falun Gong," ''The Globe and Mail''.

Early life

Campbell was born and raised in New York City, in an African-American family with five older brothers, all of whom enjoyed music from funk and

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

, to rock and beyond, where he began learning to play the drums at age twelve. When he was fourteen years old, then-drummer in

's backing band, Dennis Davis, moved into the apartment building where Campbell's family resided. Davis invited him to come with him to see a Bowie concert, galvanizing the student to apply himself further on the drum kit. He attended high school at The High School of Music & Art (a part of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts) from which he graduated. Campbell practiced, and composed his own songs, finding work as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

Career

Campbell rose to international attention in 1986, touring with Cyndi Lauper on her True Colors World Tour. For the next ten years, he played with several notable bands which drew from different genres. In 1989, Campbell joined

, and later was hired first as a session player in 1991 by

, playing on half of the tracks on their 1992 release, '' Grave Dancer's Union'' including their

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winning single, " Runaway Train". Campbell soon replaced Soul Asylum's drummer Grant Young, and played with them from 1995 to 1998. Sterling began recording with

in 1991 and later joined his band in 1992, touring with him for fourteen years, until the end of his " A Reality Tour", in 2004. Campbell has worked with artists such as

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

, Chic,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

and

. In 2007, he reunited with The B-52s and toured with the band into 2012.

Human rights advocacy

In 1996, Campbell began practicing Falun Gong, a form of meditative

qigong ''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...

practice whose followers are persecuted in China. He traveled to Beijing in 2002 to demonstrate against the suppression, and was allegedly detained and beaten by police. He has since continued to advocate for human rights in China.

References

External links

www.sterlingcampbellmusic.com

Friends of Falun Gong interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Sterling 1964 births African-American drummers African-American rock musicians American rock drummers Duran Duran members The High School of Music & Art alumni Columbia Records artists Living people Musicians from New York City The The members American session musicians Falun Gong practitioners 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Soul Asylum members