Belton, TX –The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor College of Visual and Performing Arts is proud to present the Campbell Brothers for a special Highways and Byways presentation on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hughes Recital Hall of Presser Hall on the UMHB campus. This special concert is free and open to the public.
The Campbell Brothers, virtuoso practitioners of the musical hybrid known as “sacred steel,” will present African-American gospel music using electric steel guitar and gutsy R&B-style vocals. This tradition emerges from the House of God Keith Dominion Church, where for over sixty years it has been an integral part of worship and a vital, if little known, American tradition.
As their soul-lifting collision of jazz, gospel, R & B, funk, and country music moved from the sanctuary to the concert hall, including the Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Newport Jazz Festival, audiences are now able to appreciate a performance both devoted and rocking.
Pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell and his lap steel playing brother Darick are two of the finest in this tradition. Rounding out the band, which has been playing together for nearly two decades, is a high-energy rhythm section featuring brother Phil Campbell on electric guitar, his son Carlton on drums, and bassist Daric Bennett. Classic, gospel vocals by Denise Brown, Tiffany Godette, or Joyce “Cinnamon” Brown bring the ensemble to a level of energy and expression that defies description.
This concert qualifies as a Fine Arts Experience (FAE) credit for UMHB students. The Fine Arts Experience program endeavors to expose students to a wide variety of artistic expression during their time on campus. To this end, students are required to attend at least one designated Fine Arts Experience event each semester.
The Campbell Brothers present a compelling, rich variety of material from the African-American Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting, singing, and swinging voice of the steel guitar, played as you have never heard it played before.
For more information about UMHB music events, please contact Melanie Brazeal at (254) 295-4678.
