Ray Campi facts for kids

Ray Campi's promo shot in the 1970s

Ray performing at the Make The Music Go Bang festival in Orange County, California, in September 2014. Photo by Peter Dervin

Ray onstage at The Americana International Festival, Newark, England, in July 2008.

Ray onstage in the mid-1980s in Glendale, California.

Ray in his classroom for a story in New West magazine in 1980 in Los Angeles, California.

Ray Campi And His Rockabilly Rebels promo shot in Hollywood, California, in 1978. Photo by Jeffrey Scales.

Raymond Charles Campi (born April 20, 1934 – died March 11, 2021) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. People often called him "The Rockabilly Rebel." He started making music in the mid-1950s. Ray Campi was famous for his white double bass, a large string instrument. He would often jump on top of it and "ride" it while playing! He was also a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Who Was Ray Campi?

Ray Campi was born in New York City in April 1934. He spent his early years in Yonkers, New York. In 1944, his family moved to Austin, Texas. From then on, Campi spent his life performing and recording music. He explored many different styles, including Rockabilly, Folk, Country, and Rock And Roll.

Early Music Career

In the 1950s, Ray Campi recorded for several record labels. These included Domino Records and Dot Records. He even recorded the first tribute song after the 1959 Buddy Holly plane crash. This song was called "The Ballad of Donna and Peggy Sue." He recorded it with the band of the Big Bopper, another famous musician.

Ray Campi also worked with many different singers. One famous person he worked with was Mae West. She recorded a song that Campi wrote called "Caterpillar." He also collaborated with Ian Whitcomb.

Life Beyond Music

Ray Campi did not always focus only on his music. He had many different jobs throughout his life. For 25 years, starting in 1967, he worked as a junior high school teacher in Van Nuys, California. During this time, he was even a teacher for Dorsey Burnette, who also became a musician. Ray Campi often spoke out against the big music industry.

Rediscovery and Later Years

Ray Campi's music career really took off again in the early 1970s. This happened when Ronny Weiser, who owned Rollin' Rock Records, rediscovered him. Soon after, Weiser bought a double bass for Campi. In the 1950s, Campi mostly played the guitar. But after just four days of practicing the double bass, he recorded a song called "Pan American Boogie" in Weiser's bedroom.

After this, Campi started touring more often in Great Britain and Europe. He regularly played at music festivals there. He also recorded with Rockabilly bands from America, Germany, Finland, Britain, and the Netherlands for over 20 years. Ray Campi also produced his own albums. He worked with artists like Rosie Flores, Bobby 'Fats' Mizell, and Ian Whitcomb. He performed on several solo albums by Kevin Fennell], who was his lead guitarist from 1977 to 2015. He also performed and recorded with his longtime musical friend, Rip Masters.

Ray Campi passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on March 11, 2021. He was 86 years old.

Ray Campi's Early Songs

Many of Ray Campi's first recordings from the 1950s were not released until the 1980s and 1990s. Most of these came out on albums in Europe. However, the songs listed below were released as 45-rpm records, and some also as 78-rpm records. His song "Caterpillar" was considered his most popular record until he became famous again in the 1970s.

• TNT 145 "Caterpillar"/"Play It Cool" 1956
• Dot 15617 "It Ain't Me"/"Give That Love to Me" 1957
• Domino 700 "My Screamin' Screamin' Mimi"/"Uh Huh Huh" 1958
• Domino 701 "You Gambled"/"No Time" 1958
• D-104 "Ballad of Donna and Peggy Sue"/"The Man I Met (Tribute to the Big Bopper)" 1959
• Verve 10208 "Our Man in Havana"/"Reprieve of Love" 1960
• Colpix 166 "Cry For Happy"/"Hear What I Wanna Hear" 1960