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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Eddie C. Campbell, who passed away on
4November 20, 2018 at the age of 79; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Eddie Campbell was born in Duncan, Mississippi on
6May 6, 1939 to parents who were sharecroppers; when he was six,
7he moved with his family to Chicago, where his mother bought
8him his first guitar and took him to the old 1125 Club on West
9Madison Street; shortly after, she introduced him to her
10friend, Muddy Waters, and by the age of 12, he was sitting in
11with Waters's band; and
 
12    WHEREAS, As a teenager, Eddie Campbell played in a band
13with his neighbor, Luther Allison, and later with Little
14Walter, who was known for revolutionizing the harmonica; he
15also played sideman with Howlin' Wolf and Little Johnny Taylor;
16he had a knack for boxing and won 16 heavyweight fights in a
17row and was once booked to fight a Golden Gloves match against
18a young Cassius Clay, later known as heavyweight champion
19Muhammad Ali; his professional boxing career came to an end
20when he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident; and
 
21    WHEREAS, In 1963, Eddie Campbell became the bandleader for
22Jimmy Reed and adopted Reed's minimalist guitar playing and

 

 

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1slurred singing style; he also played with Willie Dixon's
2Chicago Blues All Stars and Koko Taylor; during this time, he
3was known to dress, drive, and perform flamboyantly; he rode a
4purple Honda 750 motorcycle; speaking with a newspaper, he once
5said, "I have my own true sound"; he also noted, "I write my
6own music, I arrange my own music, from bass to the horns," not
7as a blues purist but with hints of rock; in 1977, he released
8his first LP, King of the Jungle, and the cover featured him in
9a fur vest with a full Afro; the opening track of the album,
10Santa's Messing with the Kid, became a Christmas staple and was
11covered by Lynyrd Skynyrd; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In the 1980s, Eddie Campbell was in Europe,
13touring and living in the Netherlands and Germany; while
14overseas, he met his wife, Barbara, who became his manager;
15they returned to the United States in 1992; he then released
16several more albums, including the last two with Chicago's
17historic Delmark Records; his final album, Spider Eating
18Preacher, was released in 2012 and earned a 2013 American Blues
19Award nomination for best traditional blues album; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Eddie Campbell suffered through health
21difficulties that limited his guitar playing in 2013; however,
22he still played the harmonica and sang during appearances in
23the Chicago area; he "epitomized the West Side sound, which
24included R&B and soul," and while he had an excellent voice, he

 

 

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1was an acclaimed guitarist and songwriter; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Eddie Campbell is survived by his wife, Barbara;
3his daughter, Sheba; and his son, David; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
6Eddie C. Campbell and extend our sincere condolences to his
7family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
8further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to the family of Eddie Campbell as an expression of
11our deepest sympathy.