IAN WALLACE and JIMMY CAMPBELL



We lost two fine artists in the last couple of weeks: Jimmy Campbell,on February 13th. ,
after a long struggle with emphysema; Ian Wallace, on February 22nd. , due to  esophagal
cancer .Jimmy died in his beloved Liverpool, and Ian's final stop was Los Angeles.

I doubt that they ever crossed paths, or even knew of each other. Ian played out most of his
career on the big stage, from his emergence with King Crimson in the seventies to high -profile
stints with Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Don Henley and countless others.
Jimmy's path was a brief arc of brilliance in the late sixties and early seventies ,followed by  
self-imposed obscurity, and an unwinnable battle with his personal demons.
Ian was professionalism personified, Jimmy was shambolic  and as "anti- showbiz" as they came.
Ian played drums with superb technical skill, while Jimmy only played enough guitar to get his songs across.

I was fortunate to know and work with both of these men, although thirty years elapsed between
one and the other

I first became aware of Jimmy when he was making his second solo album,  Half- Baked .I played piano on a couple of tracks, which led to my involvement in the Rockin' Horse group project, with Billy Kinsley, Stan Gorman and Bobby Faloon., and then subsequently his
 swansong, Jimmy Campbell's Album.
 Yes It Is , the sole Rockin' Horse album, was a  tour de force of pop  songwriting ,mostly by
Jimmy , which has since been recognized as a template for the power -pop genre. The solo
record was sensitive, scarily confessional ,spare, and heartbreakingly melodic.
Jimmy hated having to spend time in London ,and seemed to have no relish for the recording process .In fact, he recorded all the songs that became Jimmy Campbell's Album alone,
warts and all, then skedaddled back to Liverpool, leaving Billy  Kinsley  and I to "dress it up a bit". I remember him almost pleading with me to keep the orchestral arrangements sparse, as he
had disliked what he considered to be the over-arranging on "Half-Baked",and I tried to honor his wishes.
Although his dark clouds were never far away, he could have a laugh, and I particularly
remember the fun he seemed to have when Rockin' Horse backed Chuck Berry on a now-legendary European tour, with Jimmy laying down surprisingly confident rhythm guitar behind
the Master.
After I moved to the States in 1973, I kept abreast of him through his ever loyal friend,
Billy Kinsley, as Jimmy seemed to almost embrace his obscurity and lost promise .I saw
him once in the mid-eighties in Liverpool, and journeyed to Liverpool this January, knowing
he was losing his struggle with emphysema.
Unfortunately, fate dealt me a dirty, by way of a fall at Lime Street Station, which put me in the hospital ,while he was in another across town. I never got to say goodbye ,but he probably
wouldn't have gone for any of that, anyway.
Jimmy left only a small body of work, but it's quality is slowly being rediscovered by a
dedicated following. I'd like to think that would please him...it was always about the songs.

I got to know Ian when he arrived in Nashville in the late '90's.,and hooked up with the Brit.
ex-pat. musical brigade .He loved his football ,and hosted many a  T.V ..game ,for the crew.
He worked on the final volume of my "Skelly Trilogy "series ,and not only contributed the
kind of stellar  drumming one would expect, but also showed a remarkable aptitude for
high tenor harmony singing, which I was quick to utilize.
I think he felt under-appreciated in Nashville, despite the endorsement of Rodney Crowell, and I wasn't  too surprised when he returned to L.A., the scene of his greatest triumphs.

There will be professional obituaries for both men, no doubt, but I wanted to put my own
ten cents in.

February, 25th. '07.