"The string magic...fascinates!" Rolling Stone Germany
Combining his outstanding guitar work & powerful songwriting, John Campbelljohn is a multiple award winner.
Born in 1955 in Cape Breton NS, Canada, John grew up surrounded by the rich Cape Breton Island culture of Scottish jigs, reels and strathspeys. But at an early age he discovered the power of the blues shuffle. He studied the blues masters as a teenager and eventually put together a blues rock combo. John toured relentlessly throughout the country winning numerous awards for his record releases, guitar playing and songwriting ability.
During his career John has been featured on recordings, live shows and TV productions that include names like Sting, Joni Mitchell, Emmy Lou Harris, Leonard Cohen, Joe Ely, Willie Nelson, Robben Ford & Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) Sony Television & Showtime TV.
Rich vocals and distinctive prowess on the slide guitar has made him a favourite at music festivals in Atlantic Canada & Europe.
Rolling Stone Germany said, “The string magic of the front man fascinates!” Blues News Germany said, “What applied to Neil Young or Joni Mitchell in former times, now applies to John Campbelljohn.” Blues Revue USA deemed him a “guitar-god-in-the-making”.
John’s accomplishments include wins and nominations for Maple Blues Awards, East Coast Music Awards, Real Blues Awards, Music Nova Scotia Entertainer Of The Year, Blues Recording Of The Year & Musician Of The Year.
In 1999 John got his first European release with a German blues roots label called Taxim/Hermans. In 2007 John signed an international deal with ZYX Music/PepperCake Records, the largest independent record company in Germany. Now with continued success in Europe for more than twenty years, John signed a new record contract with ZYX Music and a scheduled 2020 new release is in the works.
John’s sophisticated and progressive approach to song writing gives him a distinctive edge, mixing rock, blues, reggae, celtic & country into his signature style. The result is a roots driven sound that can pummel the audience into submission one moment, while captivating them with its subtlety the next.