It has been several years and quite a few albums (including one that will literally be “hot off the press”) since Kate Campbell has graced the Sundilla stage, but that will change on Thursday, October 25, when Kate makes her triumphant return. This will be an indoor show held at the AUUF, in conjunction with The Draughn Center for Arts and Humanities, and thanks to the generous sponsorship of Mike and Cindy Reinke. Advance tickets are $15, and a limited number of them can be found at Spicer’s Music, World Cup Coffee, and online at sundillamusic.com; admission at the gate will be $20. Folding chairs will be available, but if you have a comfortable tailgate chair, you’ll want to bring that. Free coffee, tea, water and food will be available, and attendees are invited to bring their own favorite food or beverage.
Those who are familiar with Kate Campbell are now hyperventilating and will then be rushing to secure their advance tickets; here is some info for everyone else. Kate Campbell is a southern singer-songwriter who writes and sings memorable folk songs infused with undercurrents of delta blues, folk, pop, and country that originate from a musical landscape spanning the less-travelled back roads from Nashville to Muscle Shoals to Memphis. Over the course of 20+ years since her acclaimed debut album Songs from the Levee, she has resisted the temptation to follow musical trends but instead chooses to set the pace for her unique musical journey.
Kate’s endearing, clear-water vocal delivery and her eloquent gift for storytelling have drawn repeated comparisons to such bastions of the Southern literary tradition as Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner. Her easy command of a full range of American musical styles has earned Campbell recognition as a formidable talent by critics. Time Out London proclaimed her a “major talent” while Chicago Daily Herald described her as a “world-class singer-songwriter.” Perhaps Roots Time best summarized the extensive arc of Kate’s 18-album career by stating, “What a great talent Kate Campbell represents is made clear by the legends in music that appear as guest artists on her albums.” Americana stalwarts Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Maura O’Connell, John Prine, Mac McAnally, Buddy Miller, Spooner Oldham, and the heart of the Muscle Shoals classic soul and R&B hit-making machine are both admirers and collaborators in her distinctly literate musical vision.
Originally from the Mississippi Delta and the daughter of a Baptist preacher, Kate’s formative years were spent in the very core of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, and the indelible experiences of those years have shaped her heart and character as well as her songwriting. Her music and songs continue to inspire and excite a growing and engaged audience. Her Two Nights in Texas CD received the prestigious Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Award. Ballet Memphis featured several tunes from her song catalog as well as a live performance by Kate and band at a ballet entitled South Of Everywhere. Three of Kate’s songs were recently featured in documentary films. A variety of artists have recorded Campbell’s songs including Laurie Lewis, Ronnie McDowell, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band who covered her compelling snake-handling song “Signs Following.”
Campbell has performed at a number of esteemed venues such as the Cambridge Folk Festival, Merlefest, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival and been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Live From Mountain Stage, and The Bob Edwards Show. Her quirky song “When Panthers Roamed In Arkansas” was included in the debut issue of The Oxford American’s ultra-hip Southern Music series.
Don’t miss Kate Campbell’s return to Sundilla, in partnership with the Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, and with help of the sponsorship of Mike and Cindy Reinke. The concert will be held at the AUUF in Auburn. Showtime on Thursday, October 25 will be 7:00, and a limited number of $15 advance tickets will be available at Spicer’s Music, World Cup Coffee, and online at sundillamusic.com.