Greg Camp

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Greg Camp

Camp performing in Las Vegas, June 30, 2010
Background information
Birth name Gregory Dean Camp
Also known as The Master of Disaster
Born (1967-04-02) April 2, 1967
West Covina, California, United States
Genres Rock, surf, garage, new wave
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocalist, guitar, keyboards
Labels Beautiful Bomb, Interscope, Bar/None Records
Associated acts Smash Mouth
The Maids of Honor
Website Greg Camp Records.com

Greg Camp (born Gregory Dean Camp, April 2, 1967),[1] is an American Grammy Award-nominated songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He is best known as the founding guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Smash Mouth.[1][2] Camp is credited as the primary songwriter,[1] whose songs helped to catapult the band to acclaim with hit songs, awards, and multi-platinum albums.[3] Camp left Smash Mouth after 14 years to record his own solo material, and has remained active to date.[3]

Biography

Camp was born in West Covina, California, and attended Lynbrook High School from Fremont Union High School District. 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,[4] when Steve Harwell and Kevin Coleman approached him to form a new band. Camp declined, but Harwell and Coleman persisted, including harassing Camp with morning pounding on his apartment window, until Camp agreed to look at the songs they had written. They formed Smash Mouth soon after.[5]

Camp has written Smash Mouth's most memorable songs of the later 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.[6] He was the guitarist and backing vocalist from when he co-founded the band in 1994 until he left in summer of 2008.[1]

After leaving Smash Mouth, Camp released a solo album, Defektor, on Bar/None Records.[3][7] Guitar Player wrote that the album "weaves together everything you love about vintage guitar tones, tortured Farfisa, '60s frat-rock vocal hooks, and epic Moriccone-esque soundscapes."[8]

In June 2009 Camp played a couple of concerts with Smash Mouth, and rejoined the band shortly thereafter.

Camp also plays guitar and sings with Santa Cruz rock band The Maids of Honor.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Collar, Matt (2010 Rovi Corporation). "Greg Camp biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 October 2010. 
  2. Greg Camp of Smash Mouth @ Metrosantacruz.com
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Greg Camp". Bar None Records. 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010. 
  4. Quillen, Shay (August 14, 2008). "Smash Mouth's Camp goes it alone". San Jose Mercury News. 
  5. Hiransomboon, Andrew (January 9, 1998). "California foursome Smash mouth are realising their dreams thanks to the success of 'Walking on the Sun'". Bangkok Post. 
  6. THE SAN JOSE SOUND - 40 YEARS LATER, SOUTH BAY IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS ROLE IN ROCK MUSIC http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%20114E23BBF2F24C20%20)&p_docid=114E23BBF2F24C20&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=114E23BBF2F24C20&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=Q57G55VNMTM3MzM5NDMzNy40OTQ0ODk6MTo1OjIwMDQy&&p_multi=SJMB
  7. Gold, Jude (May 2009). "Greg Camp on Going Indie". Guitar Player 43 (5): 22. 
  8. Gold, Jude (October 2008). "Greg Camp: Defektor". Guitar Player 42 (10): 78. 

External links

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