Centre Stage: Larry Campbell

If we think of Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour as a company - which I guess it is - then a job with that company seems to be a pretty good gig. Just look at the turnover rate: the current band contains a multi-instrumentalist who has been on the payroll for fifteen years, a guitarist who is eleven years into his second stint, and a bass player who recently completed three decades of service. Furthermore, the last two people to leave the band had served for fourteen and seventeen years each. Whoever's in charge of this Dylan organisation is definitely doing something right.

Someone else who put in an admirable shift with Dylan Inc. was Larry Campbell. Already an industry veteran when he replaced John Jackson as lead guitarist in April 1997, Campbell's role soon expanded to that of multi-instrumentalist, allowing the native New Yorker to showcase his abilities on fiddle, pedal steel, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, and cittern. Campbell's partnership with fellow guitarist Charlie Sexton quickly proved fruitful, with the duo also  contributing powerful backing vocals to Dylan's acoustic sets. In 2001, Campbell-Sexton band - which also included David Kemper on drums and Tony Garnier on bass - joined Dylan in the studio to record the acclaimed "Love & Theft".

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Charlie Sexton left the band following the Fall Tour of 2002, and in his stead - following the very brief tenure of initial replacement Billy Burnette - arrived maverick guitarist Freddy Koella. Although he often seemed to light a fire under Dylan, Koella's wild, improvisational solos frequently left Larry playing a supporting role. Even worse, the new stage setup, which featured Dylan stage right on keyboard, left Campbell marooned at the opposite end of the stage from the boss. 

Campbell left the Dylan band at the end of 2004, and almost immediately received a call from Levon Helm. Levon, the legendary drummer formerly of The Band, was looking for a musical director, and Larry accepted. Here was a job that allowed Campbell to use the full range of his talents. As well as acting as bandleader onstage, Larry was also responsible for working out arrangements, and - thanks to the revue format of Levon's shows - often found himself centre stage singing lead for a song or two. In the studio, Campbell produced Levon's records and encouraged the drummer to collaborate on writing songs. In sharp contrast to his final years with Bob, Larry's demeanor onstage with Levon radiated pure joy.

Meanwhile, Bob took the unprecedented step of hiring not one, not two, but three people to replace the departed Campbell for the Spring 2005 leg of the NET. The new recruits were Texas blues guitarist Denny Freeman, Hot Club of Cowtown violinist Elana Fremerman, and multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron of BR549. This tour is an oft-overlooked chapter in Dylan's touring history; having two guitarists, a violinist and a pedal steel player jostling for position made for a fascinating dynamic, which unfortunately didn't last long as Fremerman left the band before the end of the tour. 

After Levon Helm's death in 2012, Larry Campbell began performing as one half of a duo with his wife Teresa Williams, also a former member of Helm's band. Their first album was released in 2015, and a second followed in 2017. I caught one of their shows in January 2018, and was blown away by Campbell's musicianship and Teresa's singing. Sharing the stage with his wife, Campbell looked - for lack of a better term - as happy as Larry. A job with Dylan Inc. might be great gig, but it's comforting to know that there's life after it too.

 

Here's Larry playing and singing with Bob in 1998: