Who is Mike Campbell?

"Hey, it's me!"

Mike was born in San Francisco in 1950. His father, Charlie, was an artist and sculptor working part-time at the Heath Ceramics Co and manufacturing candlesticks for a furniture store in the city that gave them away with pieces of furniture. Beverly Ellis Campbell, Mike's mom, gave up a promising career with the San Francisco Opera Company to raise her family. When Mike was three, they moved to the southwest desert of Yuma, Arizona where he spent his spare time catching rattlesnakes and trying to stay cool.

In 1973, he met and married Marilyn K. (Tawmmie) Betts, and the two of them spent the next 7 years teaching in the public schools and raising babies. Tracy was born in 1976, Kristina in 1978, and Laura in 1980 (just 5 minutes after Mt. St. Helens erupted, which was prophetic). Then in 1980, they decided to change their lifestyle by quitting their jobs, selling their house and moving to a mountain meadow northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona where they bought some land and built their own home from the foundation to the roof all by themselves. They chopped firewood for heating, raised their own meat and eggs, and bartered for most of what they needed to get buy.

Mike got a job working as a dog catcher for the City of Flagstaff and Tawmmie stayed at home and had a couple more babies. Alex was born in 1982 and then James (J.B.) came along in the fall of 1983. There wasn't much money coming in, but there was no mortgage and very few bills and none of the stresses of teaching, so it was a very pleasant six years there in the Arizona snow belt. But then in 1986, a job offer came from the Animal Control Agency in Anchorage, Alaska which was too good to pass up, so they sold their little house in the meadow, packed up all their worldly goods into the back of a used livestock trailer and headed up the great Alaskan Highway to the "Last Frontier."

The Campbell's found Anchorage, Alaska to be the answer to almost all of their hopes and dreams. From 1986 to 1991, Mike worked as the enforcement manager for Anchorage Animal Control, then he went to work for the State of Alaska as a Weights and Measures Inspector. This state job allows Mike to travel all over Alaska, from the Eskimo villages in the northwest to the logging towns in the southeast. From the frozen tundra in the interior to to fishing villages out in the Aleutian Islands. And each of these unique locations seems to give him inspiration to write more songs.

Although he has played guitar and performed since his college days at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Mike only started writing original folksongs in 1993. But once he got started, the songs just didn't stop. Playing these songs at numerous music festivals, coffee houses and private parties to appreciative fans got him interested in recording. And in 1994, Mike produced his first CD of originals, "The Sculptor", a collection of ballads, sea songs and Alaskan humor. Performing on the album with Mike are his two oldest children; Tracy, who sings harmony and plays flute and penny whistle, and Kristina, who also sings and plays violin.

Late in 1996, Mike completed his second CD, "High Country", with twelve new songs. But Tracy was going to college in Fairbanks, and Kristina was married and was living in Germany, and none of his other children played music. So Mike called on some of his musician friends to fill in with some great accompaniment and harmonies. Check out the reviews.

In the year 2000 and Mike's third CD "Sad Eyes" was ready to hit the charts.  Thirteen brand new songs and one remake of a song on the second CD.   Co-produced and accompanied by Stu Schulman, this collection of original songs covers a wide spectrum of styles and topics.  Some of Anchorage's most talented musicians and singers came in to the studio to add their talents to Mike's songs.

Mike's latest CD, "Mars Outback", came out in July 2005.  It was again produced in Stu Schulman's Little Room Studio.  Many of the same performers from his previous CD's came back to help fill this collection of original songs with depth and richness.  Ten new songs and three re-recorded songs from previous albums.   Send in your check and get your copy right now, remember, Mike always has a money back guarantee on all his CD's. Check out Mike's website at http://www.arctic.net/~mooseman

"If Roger Whittaker and Tennessee Ernie Ford could have a baby, it would sound just like Mike Campbell." - Matt Hammer, Great Alaskan Opry.