Todd Campbell was born in 1963 at Offutt Air Force Base. After high school, Todd was completely prepared to “do the college thing” like most other guys. However, another opportunity presented itself when his oldest brother, Dale, asked him to join his Christian rock/pop band Morningstar and go on tour. Back then, his influences were the predominant Christian rock groups of the time like Degarmo and Key, Petra, and Sweet Comfort Band. However, his favorite guitarist then (and still to this day) is Phil Keaggy. Todd reflects back, “I remember meeting him in Salina, Kansas at a concert. It changed my life.” While touring, Todd learned more about his faith in God and to trust him for everything. He says, “It was the most influential time of my life, both socially and musically.” After two years in the band, Todd felt that chapter in his life was over. The Lord was calling him to a new adventure. Todd enrolled in college at the University of Nebraska in Omaha to pursue a Bachelor of Science in computers. For an elective, Todd took a Music of the People class and eventually auditioned for the Jazz Lab Band. Todd remembers a friend telling him, “You should go out for the Jazz band. You’re awesome.” But that meant auditioning. He had not done that before. Thinking back he says, “There was no audition required for Morningstar. My brother was the band leader and he was desperate for a guitar player!” Todd showed up to the audition not understanding half the chords. But he recalls, “The Jazz teacher asked me to do a solo and I did a pretty good job. And as they say - the rest is history.” From there, Todd started to learn about the great jazz musicians his father had talked about for so many years. He began to listen to as much jazz as he could - Miles Davis, Grant Green, John Scofield Herb Ellis, and Joe Pass to name a few. Todd continued playing in his local church, but at every opportunity, he tried to sit in with local jazz musicians in Omaha. In the spring of 2004, Todd had the opportunity to get involved with a local studio. He played on local R&B and hip-hop albums, and eventually was asked to be a part of The 1neStudio. Although Todd has been a part of bands that have produced albums, he was able to fulfill one of his long-time dreams and released his first solo jazz album Simplicity. Currently, Todd continues to play at his local church. This summer he looks forward to performing in local jazz concerts in promotion of his new album
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