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Gregory Bruce Campbell is a 9-string bassist currently involved with groups 9 & Zen, Kickstart Chubby, and the Valley Christian Fellowship worship team. He is also performing as a Solo BASSIST and is a full time private music instructor, all of which keep him surprisingly busy tucked away in beautiful Montana.
Gregory currently maintains artist endorsement relationships with the following companies: AccuGroove Speaker Systems, BEE basses, DIGITECH electronics, Morley pedals, Pedal pad pedal boards, PIGtronix effects pedals, and S.I.T. strings.
He also maintains friendships with many companies that provide services to such musicians, even outside the purview of his endorsements.
Gregory is an easily recognized individual in the extended range bass community, which is to say bassists whose instruments have an extended range beyond the typical 4 strings - typically 7 strings or more. He often suggests that, in his opinion, any time you stretch a bass beyond tradition, that makes it extended range.
Greg's main instruments are his signature line from BEE basses. He currently uses a extra long scale GBC 9 string, a super short scale GBC 9 string, a 3 string mini bee, and a GBC 4 string strung lefty (often referred to as gypsy style due to Jimi Hendrix).
Among his achievements is the creation of a tremendously successful online forum group for like-minded individuals called Extended Range Bassist. It is a free service, and some of the 400+ subscribers include high profile performers and cutting-edge instrument and accessory manufacturers. The group members exchange information and experience in a positive and supportive environment.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/extendedrangeBASSIST/
There is also an official web site for the community http://www.extendedrangebassist.com
Greg's talent and ability have been recognized frequently. In 1994 he was one of ten finalists worldwide in Bass Player magazine's Billy Sheehan Scholarship Contest. That same year he became a key volunteer staff member at the annual Bozeman Bass Bash, where he was the very first of only five original participants. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes and also performed on stage when introducing such bass virtuosos as Victor Bailey, Jeff Berlin, Brian Bromberg, Oteil Burbridge, Anthony Cox, Billy Dickens, Carol Kaye, Geno Kreis, Michael Manring, Stewart McKinsey, Brady Muckelroy, Dave Pomeroy, Benny Reitveldt, Kelly Roberty, Rich Ross, Billy Sheehan, Norm Stockton Randy Tico, Rob Kohler, and Doug Wimbish.
Gregory once organized, performed, and promoted a concert where he played bass, backing up one of his personal favorite guitar players, Neil Zaza.
Another of Greg's musical interests is looping. Looping as an art form, and as an approach to both recorded and live music, is more than simply an intriguing novelty. With various pieces of technology, the performer is simultaneously composing, providing all the instrumentation, and improvising over the top of his or her creation. The beauty of the medium is the breadth of it: it can be simple, raw and visceral, deeply meditative, or seriously intellectual. More than this, each performance is wholly unique as the audience is taken for a journey along with the artist who is constantly exploring new grooves, textures, and places within him- or herself.
Gregory Bruce Campbell sets himself further apart from the already unorthodox group of loopers through the choice of his UNorthodox instruments, including the 9-string bass! This allows him a tonal range approaching that of a grand piano, the expressive possibilities of a guitar, the inherently percussive feel of slap and pop style, and the emotional weight unique to the timbre of a bass.
Greg may have possibly been one of the first 3 or 4 individuals to be a nine string bassist not just for the sake of novelty, but he would probably tell you that it really doesn't matter...he is just thrilled to be in "the club".
IF YOU SLAP AT THIS BEE...
SOMEONE'S GONNA GET HURT!
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