Michael John Campion (born December 4, 1962) is an American producer, entrepreneur, musician and songwriter. He is known for resurrecting the guitar company Danelectro.[1]
Early life
Michael Campion was born in Moses Lake, Washington. His family moved to Orange County, California, while he was in grade school. Campion formed a band called "Westbound" in middle school and started playing high school dances before he could drive. He produced his first record for his high school, when he was 17 years old.
Career
Bands
In 1980, Campion formed "Surf City"[2] (originally "The Surf City Boys"), a band focusing on the music of The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean. While playing at Knott's Berry Farm, he met John Stamos, who joined the band on stage. Stamos would later introduce Campion to The Beach Boys[3] and Jan and Dean, with whom Campion would eventually tour. Through these events Campion met songwriting partner Randell Kirsch and joined forces for a duo project under the name of "C&K". Campion and Kirsch reunited in 2005 to release a gospel vocal album, under the name of "Feather".[4]
Jingles
At a corporate gig, Campion was approached by Wild West Stores to produce a jingle for a television & radio campaign based on The Beach Boys #1 hit, I Get Around, with Campion's production and rewrite of the lyrics. Under the name of "Pacific Productions",[5] Campion would spend the next couple of years writing and producing dozens of jingles and music campaigns, often calling upon the vocal talents of Beach Boys' band members like Jeffrey Foskett and Phil Bardowell.
L.A.B. Sound
In 1986 Campion bought into a boutique music store concept called "L.A.B. Sound"[6] and opened a location in Orange County that strategically shared a wall with a recording studio owned by Frontline Records. Frontline dominated Christian radio in the late 80s and Campion contributed songs to several artists on their roster, including Crystal Lewis.[7]
Danelectro
Musical Instruments
Campion met Steve Ridinger of EVETS Corporation in 1992.[8] QWIK TUNE was the first project that they worked on together. The concept was to take Liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology and simulate the analog meters used in guitar tuners. Old school guitar tuners with analog meters ruled the MI industry in the early 90s (selling at around $100). QWIK TUNE selling at $19.95, was accurate and disruptive to the market.[9][10][11] In recent years, QWIK TUNE rebranded as SNARK Tuners.[12]
Campion and Ridinger then saw an opportunity to reproduce the sounds of the most sought after "vintage" guitar pedals, in an affordable package. Many names were considered, but "Danelectro" had a simplistic beauty, history and mystique.
Musicians had been deprived from Danelectro products for nearly 30 years, when Campion and Ridinger introduced 3 new pedals under the brand name, at the Winter NAMM Show, in 1997.[8]
Dealers from all over the world ordered mass quantities, but their number one question was: When are you coming out with guitars? In a rapid, but thorough design and development effort, Danelectro released their first model of guitar, (a replica of the 1956 "U2"), exactly one year later[1] The Danelectro U2 was embraced by the industry and the demand for additional models set the course for the years to follow.[13]
Tonal Creations
Tonal Creations combined Campion's experience in guitar manufacturing with creative advertising, by producing custom shaped guitars for high-profile companies to use as branding and marketing instruments. Guitars in the shapes of everything from hamburgers to cartoon characters were produced for clients like Mars, Incorporated for M&M's.
Music Epicenter
Campion left Danelectro in 2002 and dove back into songwriting, placing songs in a few television shows, like One Tree Hill,[14] through agencies that demanded to own the song's publishing, in exchange for their placement efforts. Feeling that this was unfair, Campion formed "Music Epicenter", with partner and mentor songsmith, Chris Falson in 2003.
Campion shifted focus from song placement to finding a solution for an industry in rapid decline. Lack of stable distribution channels for new artists, inspired Campion, along with ME partner Chris Falson and James Langteaux to create "PeaPod Music", where he raised capital and filed a patent on this unique distribution and discovery process.[15]
The Raymies
The Raymies was a youth-based entertainment project created by Campion, in which he also served as musical director and executive producer.[16] As the project evolved, he raised funds for a television pilot, which he co-produced with Brillstein Entertainment Partners and John Stamos. The lead singers were two of Campion's three daughters (Kalina and Kiana).[17]
In their three years together, The Raymies performed over 100 live shows from Los Angeles to New York and recorded nearly 40 songs written by Campion.[18] Several of the songs found their way into other television and film projects.[19] An animated version of The Raymies was developed for the kid based, online, virtual world of JumpStart, whose Raymies followers grew from 200,000 to 2,000,000 during their two-year collaboration.[20]
In 2011, Campion struck a deal with Rainbow S.r.l. to develop a musical television series with Nickelodeon as a platform for Kalina and Kiana's music career.[21] Campion served as Co-creator and Music Supervisor of the series and wrote much of the music with his daughters. The show (recast) premiered in 2016 as Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends.[22] and completed 78 episodes, (including guest appearances by Kalina & Kiana), over three seasons, airing internationally on Netflix, Nickelodeon and Disney.
Media Epicenter
Through experience gained from Maggie & Bianca, and having directed nearly two dozen music videos, Campion discovered a passion for storytelling beyond music, and launched his own production company - Media Epicenter, in late 2019. The launch was slowed by the COVID-19 Pandemic, but the company is back on course and currently has eight film & TV projects in various stages of development, ranging from unscripted to interactive animation. Media Epicenter began production on two documentaries in late 2022 and will launch their first docu-reality series in 2023.
Personal life
Campion married Lezlie Gibbs in 1988. Together they have three daughters: Kylie, Kalina and Kiana.
Credits
Discography
Love Is the Answer - Pacifica, 1980, Kitchen Records - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar
City Lights - Surf City, 1983, Nu-Surf Records - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Writer for Summer in Huntington and Sandy
Girl of My Dreams - Surf City, 1984, Graham Street Records - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Writer for Girl of My Dreams, I Love You More, One Last Ride, Little Lady
I Want You to Know - Crossfire, 1985, Graham Street Records - Credited Role: Engineer, Co-producer, Backing Vocals
Beyond the Charade - Crystal Lewis, 1987, Frontline Records - Credited Role: Backing Vocals, Writer for Frustrated, Runnin', Let Them Know, Tonight
United We Stand / Divided We Fall - Benny Hester, 1990, Frontline Records - Credited Role: Backing Vocals
New Life - Sharlyn & Rick Green, 1991, Santa Catalina Records - Credited Role: Engineer, Producer, Backing Vocals, Guitar
Rewards of Wisdom - Thunder Bay, 1992, Santa Catalina Records - Credited Role: Producer, Arranger, Programmer, Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Writer for Rewards of Wisdom
Twelve & Twelve - Jeffrey Foskett, 1997, Pioneer LDC / New Surf, Ltd. - Credited Role: Backing Vocals, Writer for I Don't Know
Near Life Experience - Randell Kirsch, 1999, Dental Records - Credited Role: Backing Vocals
The Best of Jeffrey Foskett - Jeffrey Foskett, 2001, Pioneer / New Surf - Credited Role: Backing Vocals, Writer for I Don't Know
Santa Cruz - Papa Doo Run Run, 2001, Blue Pacific Records - Credited Role: Writer for One Last Ride
Fragile Sunrise - Jeff Larson, 2002, New Surf Records - Credited Role: Backing Vocals
Blue Plate Special - Papa Doo Run Run, 2002, Blue Pacific Records - Credited Role: Writer for One Last Ride
Swimming in the Make Believe - Jeff Larson, 2003, New Surf Records - Credited Role: Backing Vocals
Cornerstone Christmas - Chris Falson & Friends, 2003, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar
One in a Million - Dennis Wilson Tribute, 2004, ESQ (Endless Summer Quarterly) - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar, Writer for The Only Good Thing About Leavin' and I Wanted You to Know
Prisoner of Hope - Chris Falson, 2004, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Associate Producer, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Feather - Feather, 2005, Surrender Records - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar, Writer of Psalm and Believin'
Mariner's Christmas with Jeffrey Foskett & Michael Campion, 2005, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Vocals, Guitar, Writer for Merry Christmas (Say What You Mean)
Where Is She? (Soundtrack) - 2008 - Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Writer for Dance All Night
Dance All Night - The Raymies, 2009, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Writer for Too Soon to Tell, I Can't Wait, Nothin' Seems to Rhyme, Good Day, I Love You More, UP2U, You & Me, Dance All Night, Why Won't You Talk To Me, Someday, Tell Me
Raymies Rules - The Raymies, 2009, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Arranger, Writer for Dance All Night, Kalina, Where Are You?, UP2U, Things You Should Know, I Can't Wait, Too Soon to Tell
The Raymies Christmas - The Raymies, 2009, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Arranger, Writer for At Christmas Time
Places We Would Go - Rocky's Revival, 2012, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Bass, Baritone, Writer for Places We Would Go, Breathe In, Breathe Out, Tastes Like Sin
The Live Collection - Chris Falson, 2014, Sounds Dangerous - Credited Role: Vocals and guitar
Blue Water Harmony - Blue Water Music Festival, 2015, Blue Water - Credited Role: Producer, Writer for Like a Child
Newspaper Dream - Rocky's Revival, 2016, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Guitar, Baritone, Writer for Newspaper Dream, It Takes One, With You, Like a Child
Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends (Soundtrack) - 2016/2017, Rainbow S.r.l. - Credited Role: Music Supervisor, Producer, Guitar, Bass, Writer for Here We Go, I Can't Wait, Relationship Game, Inside Out, Over and Over Again, Love Is Hard (But It's Worth It), Sitting Next to Him
Sympathetic Vibrations - Gary Griffin, 2017, ViVid Records - Credited Role: Writer for I Wanted You to Know and Pretend It Isn't There
International Pop Overthrow - Volume 20, 2017, IPO Records - Credited Role: Executive Producer for It Had to Be You (Pre-release)
Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends (Soundtrack Album) Come Le Star - 2017, Sony Music - Credited Role: Producer, Writer for Here We Go, Relationship Game
Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends (Soundtrack) - 2017, Rainbow S.r.L. Credited Role: Producer, Writer for I Can't Wait, Inside Out
Silent Night - Kalina & Kiana, 2017, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer
His Name Shall Be - (from the motion picture “The Annunciation”) Kalina & Kiana, 2018, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Producer, Writer
The Sound of Silence - Kalina & Kiana, 2018, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Co-Producer
That Girl's In Love - Kalina & Kiana, 2018, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer
Say What You Want - Kalina & Kiana, 2018, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer
Shame On Me - Kalina & Kiana, 2018, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer
It Had To Be You - Kalina & Kiana, 2018, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer
Songs for Social Change (Volume 2) Compilation, 2018, RAWA Records - Credited Role: Producer, Writer for It Takes One
Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends (Soundtrack Album) Hands Up - 2018, Sony Music - Credited Role: Producer, Writer for Over and Over Again, Love Is Hard (But It's Worth It), Sitting Next to Him
Kyren (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Cameron London, 2018, Kyren Records - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer for Say What You Want
That Summer, Vol Two (Various Artists) - 2019, That Summer - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer for That Thing
That Thing - Kalina & Kiana, 2019, Music Epicenter - Credited Role: Co-Producer, Writer
