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Greg Camp

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greg Camp
Camp performing in 2010
Camp performing in 2010
Background information
Birth nameGregory Dean Camp
Born (1967-04-02) April 2, 1967 (age 57)
Covina, California, United States
Genres
Occupations
  • Songwriter
  • musician
  • producer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • keyboards
  • turntables
Years active1990–present
Labels
Formerly ofSmash Mouth
Websitegregcampmusic.com

Gregory Dean Camp (born April 2, 1967),[1] is an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band Smash Mouth and served as a guitarist and songwriter across several stints (1994–2008, 2009–2011, 2014, 2018–2019).[1][2] Camp is credited as one of the main songwriters for the band, and as such received a Grammy nomination for the song "All Star".[3][4] Since leaving the band for a solo career in 2008, he has rejoined Smash Mouth periodically.[5] Camp is currently a member of The Defiant.[6]

Biography

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Camp was born in West Covina, California, but attended Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California. Before Smash Mouth, he had been a musician in the California rock scene since the 1980s. He was part of several bands including the Gents,[7] when Steve Harwell and Kevin Coleman approached him to form a new band. Camp declined, but Harwell and Coleman persisted, until Camp agreed to look at the songs they had written. They formed Smash Mouth soon after.[8]

Camp wrote Smash Mouth's most memorable songs of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including "Walkin' on the Sun," "All Star," and "Then the Morning Comes". Camp's song "Heave-Ho" was about his experience living in San Jose's St Leo neighborhood.[9] He was the guitarist and backing vocalist from when he co-founded the band in 1994 until he left in summer of 2008, though he has rejoined them periodically.[1]

After leaving Smash Mouth, Camp released a solo album, Defektor, on Bar/None Records.[5][10] Guitar Player wrote that the album "weaves together everything you love about vintage guitar tones, tortured Farfisa, '60s frat-rock vocal hooks, and epic Morricone-esque soundscapes."[11]

In June 2009, Camp rejoined Smash Mouth for several concerts as a guest. He also played with the Santa Cruz rock band The Maids of Honor and Los Angeles band The Selectrics.[12] Camp currently works as a songwriter and producer in Los Angeles.

In March 2023, it was announced that Camp had co-founded the band The Defiant along with Dicky Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and members of The Offspring, Street Dogs and The Briggs. Their debut album was released in October 2023.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Collar, Matt. "Greg Camp biography". Allmusic. 2010 Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  2. ^ Paramasivam, Indran (April 9, 2019). ""We're all friends and we've just kept going": An interview with Smash Mouth's Paul De Lisle". Bandwagon. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  3. ^ "Greg Camp - Artist page". grammy.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Spanos, Brittany (June 12, 2019). "Somebody Once Told Me: An Oral History of Smash Mouth's 'All Star'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Greg Camp". Bar None Records. 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Lentini, Liza (October 6, 2023). "5 Albums I Can't Live Without: Greg Camp of The Defiant/Smash Mouth". SPIN.
  7. ^ Quillen, Shay (August 14, 2008). "Smash Mouth's Camp goes it alone". San Jose Mercury News.
  8. ^ Hiransomboon, Andrew (January 9, 1998). "California foursome Smash mouth are realising their dreams thanks to the success of 'Walking on the Sun'". Bangkok Post.
  9. ^ Purdy, Mark (October 19, 2006). "The San Jose sound: 40 years later, South Bay is Recognized for its role in rock music". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016.
  10. ^ Gold, Jude (May 2009). "Greg Camp on Going Indie". Guitar Player. 43 (5): 22.
  11. ^ Gold, Jude (October 2008). "Greg Camp: Defektor". Guitar Player. 42 (10): 78.
  12. ^ "Songwriting Scene Q&A: Greg Camp of SmashMouth". Songwriting Scene. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
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