Between the release of his latest album, Class of ’89, the launch of the Kenny Campbell Foundation in 2023, and running Grindstone Cowboys coffee shop with his wife Mindy, Craig Campbell has enjoyed a fulfilling year.
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“There’s a lot of irons in the fire at the moment,” Campbell tells American Songwriter in a phone interview from his home in Tennessee.
Among those irons is his recent offering, Class of ’89, a collection of six cover songs that hold special meaning for the singer. Inspired by Alan Jackson’s 1999 album, Under the Influence, which finds him covering some of his favorite country songs, Class of ’89 is a longtime dream Campbell was finally able to put into action on his own label, Grindstone Recordings.
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“Class of ’89 was a term that was dubbed at that time, and it specifically talks about four artists because they all got record deals and put songs out at the same time,” Campbell explains of the album’s origin, citing Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Clint Black, and Travis Tritt among the artists of the class of ’89. Black’s “Killin’ Time,” Mark Chestnutt’s “Too Cold at Home,” Restless Heart’s “Bluest Eyes in Texas,” Travis’ hit “On the Other Hand,” John Michael Montgomery’s “Be My Baby Tonight,” and Tritt’s classic “Anymore” all made the cut.
“All six had to have a story,” Campbell says of the tracklist.
Some of the songs call back to the early days of his career busking on Broadway in Nashville, while others connect to personal memories. “Killin’ Time” was the first cassette Campbell bought with his own money as a child, while “Too Cold at Home” and “Bluest Eyes in Texas” were staple songs that he’d perform on lower Broadway. Campbell cites the latter as “a song that shaped me as an artist.”
“On the Other Hand” was the first song Campbell’s wife heard him sing, and “Be My Baby Tonight” was the song Campbell sang when he won the national talent contest, Country Showdown, at the age of 15.
“It was pretty much the moment I realized I wanted to be on stage somehow, someway,” Campbell recalls. He closes the album with “Anymore,” which he cites as “my favorite song of all time.” “I’ve been playing it my whole life,” Campbell shares, his rendition featuring just a piano and his striking voice. He saw Tritt in concert when he was a teenager and was captivated by his performance of the song.
“I sat there and I cried,” he describes of the moment, thinking, ‘I really want to do what he’s doing right now. One day, I’m going to do what he’s doing, no matter what. There is no plan B, I’m doing that.’ I remember that like it was yesterday.”
The singer will release the deluxe edition of Class of ‘89 in early 2025. It will feature all of the songs from the original album, along with new covers, including Jackson’s 1990 hit “Wanted.”
“He sings it with so much conviction in his heart,” Campbell praises, adding that the same band he played with on Broadway appears on Class of ’89. “Vocally, I love that song. It gave us an opportunity to shine as a band.”
In addition to music, raising money and awareness of colorectal cancer is an important part of Campbell’s career. His father, Kenny Campbell, passed away from the disease at the age of 36. Since 2013, the “Outskirts of Heaven” singer has hosted the Craig Campbell Celebrity Cornhole Challenge during CMA Fest in Nashville to raise money and awareness for colorectal cancer research. In 2023, he founded the Kenny Campbell Foundation in honor of his late father to raise money for research hospitals and doctors to find a cure and preventative measures. “The advances that colorectal cancer has made is the result of events like my cornhole tournament and things that I’ve been a part of, so that’s something that I’m very proud of,” he says.
As Campbell looks ahead to releasing the deluxe edition of Class of ’89, in addition to opening two new Grindstone Cowboy locations, he’s staying true to his initial mission. “Years ago, I was getting ready to make my first record, and I was sitting with one of my songwriter buddies, and he said, ‘People are going to be listening to our music that we make right now the same way you listen to Travis Tritt and Clint Black and Alan Jackson,’ That hit me pretty hard,” he shares. “I’m like, ‘That means I got to make the best music I can possibly make.’ That’s always been in the back of my mind when it comes time to write, produce, and put songs out. What I’ve learned is just to have fun. It’s full circle. I’m back to making music because I love it, and it makes me happy. My family is proud of me,” he proclaims. “I am exactly where I want to be, where I need to be, and where I’m supposed to be.”
Photo by Angelea Presti
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