Biography
The musical foundations of country found vivid expression through the performances and recordings of Alex Campbell, his sister Ola Belle, and the New River Boys. Over nearly four decades the siblings maintained a steady radio presence, first in Havre De Grace, MD, and later across Pennsylvania, where devoted audiences regularly tuned in. Their father, originally a schoolteacher who embraced music and assembled his own ensemble in 1910, passed on the family’s innate gifts; shortly after Alex turned ten, Ola Belle instructed him on guitar. That affinity for country deepened during his World War II service in the United States Army, where he shared quarters with Grandpa Jones. The veteran performer led broadcasts on Armed Services Radio alongside Grandpa Jones & His Munich Mountaineers. Following his honorable discharge in 1946, Alex convinced Ola Belle to launch a joint band, which promptly landed a slot on WASA in Havre De Grace, MD. After relocating to Pennsylvania, the siblings reorganized in 1949 as the New River Boys, enlisting dobro ace Deacon Brumfield, banjo player Ted Lundy, fiddler John Jackson, and string bassist Earl Wallace. Two years afterward, Ola Belle and her husband established New River Ranch near Rising Sun, Oxford, PA, staging concerts that showcased prominent country acts. In 1960 the pair secured an extended engagement at Sunset Park in West Grove, PA, where they hosted a weekly Sunday-morning country broadcast that ran for twenty-six years. Alex later sustained an independent career as a DJ while running the Campbell Country Store, and Ola Belle stepped away from music in 1984.