Info: Alex Campbell

Subject: Folklore: Alex Campbell
From: Ep' Eric
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 11:33 AM

I seem to recall that Alex Campbell told me years me years ago that
Dick Farina was his driver around Paris at one time.
Can anyone tell me anything about the encounters that Richard and Alex had while in that city. I havn't seen any reference in print about these times. .

Subject: RE: Folklore: Alex Campbell
From: longboat (inactive)
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 12:35 PM

As the official Richard and Mimi Fariña website states, information on Richard Fariña is "scattered, sparse, tantalizing".

Richard Fariña

There is a photograph of Alex Campbell and Richard Fariña in Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years by Eric Von Schmidt and Jim Rooney

A reference to Campbell and Fariña can be found here under the year 1962

It's all very much a piece meal affair, trying to put together a picture of the period. I've a feeling it's the only way you're going to find out anything

Subject: RE: Folklore: Alex Campbell
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 01:28 PM

I have a short biographical piece by Alex, in which he states that he started busking in Paris in 1956. Although he mentions many people, Dick farina is not one of them. He met and worked with many people in that time, notably Jack Elliot, and Derrol Adams.

JM

Subject: RE: Folklore: Alex Campbell
From: M.Ted
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 02:06 PM

In "Positively 4th Street", by David Hajdu, he tells about a car trip in April, 1962, from Paris to Chartre, on which Richard Farina met, and began to woo, Mimi Baez. Alex Campbell was one of the passengers in the car, as was Richard Farina's then wife, Carolyn Hester, who was also Joan Baez' chief musical rival at the time. I would guess that this is the story that he told you, and I would have liked to have heard it too-

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: Big Tim
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 03:30 AM

I have a newspaper pic of Alex and Joan Baez at Amsterdam Airport, undated but probably early to mid-70s. I emailed Joan about it but she can't remember the occasion - 'probably both appearing at a musical festival or some such thing'!

btw, Alex was born in 1931, not 1925. Derrol Adams, his 'mentor' (in 'Frae Glesga Town') was born in 1925.

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: alex s
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 04:49 AM

I went to see him in Chichester, about 1965. I was in a restaurant when I heard Scots voices - it was Alex and his manager (also Alex). He invited me to sit with them and bought the wine. ( 1 bottle for me and Alex, 2 for himself!) Then he did a fine gig - a great evening. What a gent!

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 04:56 AM

Talking about Alex and airports. As you may know, he was very popular in Denmark, and he used to tell me this story of his arrival at the airport on one of his many visits.
As he was disembarking, he tripped coming down the aircraft steps, but managed to remain upright. He swears that there was an article in the local paper next day which was headlined......

'Alex Campbell arrives; pissed as usual'

I miss him still.
JM

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 05:42 AM

"I miss him still." JM

So do I John.

Is there anyone around today who's big enough to fill his shoes? Not many names come to mind - but perhaps that's because I don't get out enough these days.

Wassail!

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: Jim McLean
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 06:19 AM

There are pictures of both Alex and Farina at this site Farina and Campbell pics (part 1 and 2). Both were taken in the Troubadour around 1962/3 by my wife Alison Chapman McLean. They are not seen together but they must have met there as well.

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 09:11 AM

Thanks Jim, some of those pics really took me back.

JM

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: longboat (inactive)
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 11:49 AM

JM.
I arrived at The Troubadour (found it, that is) about 3 years after you, but looking at those pictures definitely opened up the memory banks.

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: Big Tim
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 12:52 PM

Wondweful historic pictures Jim.

Subject: RE: Info: Alex Campbell
From: Big Tim
Date: 15 Sep 09 - 01:13 PM

Interesting pic in 'Baby let me follow you down' book, dated 1962. By this time Al had re-settled in London but was obviously still 'on the road'.

Re car driving, (as in the pic caption in 'Baby' book), Al later crashed and abandoned his new Alfa in Belgium.