Stories from the Studio: Peter Campbell

Time to kick off your weekend with a great story. Peter Campbell is hitting top gear as the Highland FM 100% Home Grown Artist of the Month for October. 

Well known across our region as a fabulous graphic designer, Peter is making his presence felt though his music. STA got a chance to visit Peter in his studio/office/home in Moss Vale and were treated to some live music. We saved you a front row seat.

Through his music Peter expresses his political views as well as his love of our natural world. But it’s the bitter-sweet realities of being human that are most often found at the heart of his songs. In a career spanning over 50 years he has developed an authentic voice charged with honesty, activism, human emotion, humour and personal politics.

Peter has performed around the world and released a number of albums over this time Of Time and its Distance, Across the Border and Rear View Mirror, a double CD featuring a live concert and a compilation CD from the two earlier vinyl albums. Across the Border was produced by Noel Paul Stookey (Paul of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) in Maine, USA. PP&M covered his song ‘Wild Places’ on their album ‘Such is Love’; he supported them on their 1982 Australian Tour.

In the 2020s Peter brings a wealth of finely crafted songs to contemporary audiences playing 6 and 12 string guitars, and banjo. A believer in the power of voices in harmony – raised as ‘communities in action’ – anthems written and performed during the fight for the Franklin River in Tasmania (One Last Wild River), and the Peace Rallies of the 80s (Hope is Rising), engender a joining of hearts and voices that transcends the pure ‘listening experience’. The Australian fires of 2019/2020 inspired Circle of Wonder, a moving tribute to the people of the Southern Highlands that provided such deep support and love to fire affected communities. Same Science is a hilarious take on the hypocrisy of cherry-picking scientific research to suit a denialist agenda in a world in the grip of climate change.

In 2020, another song, Waited Too Long, triggered by unprecedented drought, devastating bushfires, the social dislocation, financial trauma and the rise of domestic violence with the arrival of COVID, became the Anthem for the United Nations International Summit on Domestic/Family Violence in the COVID-19 Era. This three-day global event out of New York featured leading experts in the field and participants from 47 countries; it was translated into six languages, featured a special greeting from the Pope and was opened by the Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations. To get the full story and watch the video.

Check out Peter’s website petercampbell.com.au.