After a decade based in Europe, Eddie C. Campbell resettled in Chicago with evident satisfaction. The shimmering West Side guitar technique he had cultivated, along with his uncommonly reflective songwriting, injected fresh vitality into the city’s blues circuit and reconnected the seasoned performer with audiences he had last seen before departing in 1984.
Campbell arrived in Chicago from rural Mississippi at age ten. Soon after settling, he caught Muddy Waters at the 1125 Club and, at twelve, joined his idol onstage for a jam. He quickly aligned with a circle of young West Side players—Luther Allison and Magic Sam among them—and sharpened a ringing guitar attack rooted in that lineage. Early sideman work placed him alongside Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Little Johnny Taylor, and Jimmy Reed. Koko Taylor’s recommendation secured Campbell a spot with Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All-Stars in 1976.
His debut, the energetic King of the Jungle, appeared in 1977 on Steve Wisner’s short-lived Mr. Blues imprint; the album, which includes the lighthearted holiday staple “Santa’s Been Messin’ With the Kid,” later resurfaced on Rooster Blues. Seeking quieter surroundings, Campbell left for Europe and recorded Let’s Pick It! in 1984 with a Dutch group; the set first surfaced on Black Magic and now resides in the Evidence catalog.
Campbell’s return to the United States was prompted by the birth of his son. He resumed steady Chicago performances and issued the comeback album That’s When I Know on Blind Pig, notable for its distinctive original material. Gonna Be Alright followed in 1999.
