PETER CAMPBELL

 

The 1970s were a golden era for singer-songwriters, with talents like Ross Ryan, Doug Ashdown, Graham Lowndes, and Glen Cardier drawing crowds nationwide. Sydney based Peter Campbell was a standout on both secular and Catholic coffee house circuits in the early ’70s. Coming from a deeply evangelical and musical family and inspired by folkies Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan he recorded two excellent but underrated LPs. A trip to Europe in 1974 inspired his debut album, 'Of Time and Its Distance', released on the Trinity label the following year. A single ''Let Me Ride'' was lifted off the album. 

Noel Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary became a fan and in 1980, Campbell traveled to the US to record his second LP, 'Across the Border', at Stookey’s farm in Maine. Peter, Paul and Mary later covered his song "Wild Places" on their album 'Such is Love', and he joined them again to support their 1982 tour of Australia. In 2020, Pete wrote "Waited Too Long," which became the anthem for the United Nations International Summit on Domestic/Family Violence in the COVID-19 Era—a three-day online conference from New York attended by leaders and experts from 47 countries and opened by Pope Francis. While some call it the saddest song in the world, its intimate observations and cinematic detail showcase his strength as a songwriter. Peter has played at all the major folk festivals - Newstead Live Festival, Bundannon Folk Festival, Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival to name a few. In 2025, Peter Campbell released his striking fifth album, 'Burden of Hope', produced and engineered by Brendan Gallagher.

SINGLES
''Let Me Ride / On The Run'' 1975 Trinity 

ALBUMS
'Of Time And Its Distance' 1975 Trinity
'Across The Border' 1980 Neworld Media

'Burden Of Hope' 2025