Track: Down in the Hole (Tom Waits)
Album: Howlin Mercy (2009)
Label: Elektra
Appears on: DALI CD Vol. 1

Blues guitarist John Campbell, a self-proclaimed 'hoodoo man', was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1952. He was first exposed to string music at an early age by his grandmother, who played a Hawaiian-style lap steel guitar. At the age of five, John received his first guitar and was quickly consumed by a desire to learn as much as he possibly could.

By 13, he began playing professionally, opening shows for great blues artists like Son Seals and Albert Collins. But it wasn't until his other passion, drag racing, landed him in hospital for a year, that he really discovered the blues. After a serious accident that nearly killed him and left his face horribly scarred, he used his period of recovery in hospital to study the music of Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters.

At the age of 16, Campbell left home to seek his future as a musician. He played wherever he could find an audience, mostly on street corners and at gas stations. He first travelled to New Orleans, which he regarded as a musical Mecca, staying in most locations just long enough to make enough money to survive before moving on.

By 1985, Campbell moved to New York City where his talent earned him work opening shows for some of the biggest names in blues music as they passed through town. He also started touring and playing festivals in Europe and throughout the US.

However, it took until the beginning of the next decade for Campbell to be discovered by Warner, who offered him a recording contract. In 1991, Campbell released the album One Believer, followed by Howlin Mercy in 1993. Around four months after the release of Howlin Mercy, John Campbell died of heart disease.

Down in the Hole
We chose Campbell's version of the old Tom Waits song, Down In The Hole, because of his dark, raw and expressive voice that so effortlessly underlines the lyrics.

A very nice touch to the track is the non-traditional use of ceremonial Indian shaking. According to the credits, the sound was created using a coyote skull, bones, beads, bags, feathers, and rattlers from a snake.

In our opinion, it's a great recording from a great musician.