Simon Campbell

ABOUT

AWARD WINNING SINGER-SONGWRITER, GUITARIST, KEYBOARDIST & MUSIC PRODUCER

AS AN ARTIST

Since strapping on his first guitar at the age of 16, Simon has spent his life immersed in music, a passion which has given him a wealth of experience across decades, countries and genres.

He has always written his own material and following bands 'Whitefire' and 'Roadrunner', signed a major record deal with Line Records (Polydor Germany) in 1989 with his band 'Little Brother'.

2011 saw the release of Simon's first solo album, ThirtySix. The perfect showcase for his versatility and profound musical understanding, ThirtySix harnesses a wide variety of guitar styles while being grounded in a deep-seated love of Rock and Blues.

On the strength of the record, he was nominated for a prestigious British Blues Award.

Simon moved to Valencia, Spain in 2013 to complete work on his next album, The Knife, which was released on October 31st, 2014, reflecting his increasing love of acoustic music from both sides of the Atlantic. The album attracted great reviews with national radio play on Spain’s Radio 3 RNE and featured Suzy Starlite on lead and backing vocals.

Simon Campbell & Suzy Starlite. Photo Phil Kneen.

In May 2014, Simon married Suzy Starlite, a talented bass player, singer-songwriter, and musician, on the picturesque shores of Loch Fyne in Inveraray, Scotland.

Simon and Suzy formed the Starlite-Campbell Band in 2016, quickly building a substantial catalog of songs. Their debut album, 'Blueberry Pie,' released on February 1, 2017, received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Album at the 2017 European Blues Awards.

In 2021, Suzy and Simon focused on songwriting and various recording projects at their semi-mobile studio near Lisbon, Portugal. This period included the creation of the Starlite-Campbell Band's second album, 'The Language of Curiosity,' a British rock release. The band's success continued with a Best Band award at the 2021 Graham Steel Music Awards and four #1 singles on the Netherlands' Hit Track Hot 100 chart.

The band released two live albums in 2022, Starlite Campbell Band Live! 1 & 2.

In 2023, they unveiled STARLITE.ONE, a concept album released under the moniker Starlite & Campbell, which is part of a broader multimedia project.

In 2024, they further developed their joint artistic vision and relocated to Foz do Arelho opening the Supertone SonicLab.

Between writing and recording, Simon and Suzy maintain an active international touring schedule, with European and UK dates.

They perform in various configurations: as a duo, trio, a full four-piece electric band, and with their new project, VIBRATIONISTS.

AS A GUITAR PLAYER, PRODUCER & ENGINEER

Simon has been a full-time musician for 50 years. He is hugely experienced in production and recording, specialising in vintage techniques and also everyone playing together in the same room.

In the 70s and 80s, he played session guitar on many studio albums and hundreds of live shows. It was in these venues and recording studios that he learned the old school engineering and production techniques that keep him very much in demand.

During his period with 'Little Brother' he worked with the legendary Big Jim Sullivan and Derek Lawrence, who co-produced their album for Line Records (Polydor Germany): a fabulous experience!

Always keen to keep up to date with the technical aspects of sound recording, Simon has been a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) since 1988.

“They feature one of the best session guitarists and producer/arrangers from the last forty years – Simon Campbell” - Andy Snipper

— Music News

In 2014, Suzy and Simon set up the independent record label Supertone Records to release their own material with a vision to sign like-minded artists in the future; a vision that has now come to fruition. Biographies and music from Supertone Artists can be found on the artists page of the label's website.

In November of that year, they set up the Supertone Records studio, a world-class residential recording facility in the mountains close to Valencia, Spain centred around a Trident 40 channel analog console.

Following the success of the Starlite Campbell Band’s album ‘Blueberry Pie’ and a move back to the UK, they made the decision to relocate their studio to mainland Europe and have established a superbly equipped semi-mobile facility the Supertone SonicLab in Foz do Arelho, Portugal based around a CADAC J series analogue recording console.

Simon is producing and engineering for Starlite & Campbell, plus a healthy list of production and session clients.

VIBES: The blog by Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell

VIBES is the musings of Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell.

Here you will find a music-inspired podcast plus articles about life, culture, music and current affairs in a thoughtful and (hopefully) amusing way.

READ VIBES!

Interviews

Simon Campbell - TwentyFourSevenValencia - Valencia music Tell us something about your background, travels, musical experiences and influences. 1.41 MB

An Amplified Life A man of many ambitions, guitarist and singer-songwriter Simon Campbell doesn’t believe in the quiet life. As he prepares to unleash his first solo album, ThirtySix, the helmsman of Simon Campbell and The Very Very Bad Men reveals his passions, dissects the Island’s music scene and explains to Liz Corlett why he loves being scared... 978 KB

21st Century Schizoid (Blues) Man Simon Campbell is a blues guitarist with something of a dilemma. You see, he isn’t really a blues guitarist at all. Which given he was nominated for two National Blues Awards for his debut solo album “ThirtySix” and has graced many a blues stage since with the likes of such talents as Davy Knowles, presents him with a slight PR pickle. 2.15 MB