Pierce Campbell
Pierce has been playing guitar and singing most of his life, receiving high praise for his dazzling guitar work, superb songwriting, and powerful vocals. His performances are versatile, humorous and engaging as he jumps from guitar instrumentals, to vocal ballads, to Irish sing-alongs, all of which take the listener down a road of unexpected twists and turns. Pierce is a full time musician and has released five solo CD’s. He plays over 260 shows a year throughout the Northeast at municipalities, libraries, festivals, Irish pubs, coffeehouses, senior centers and assisted living homes.
He performs solo, with the Irish group, The Kerry Boys, and with The Funky Butt Jazz Band, a Traditional New Orleans style jazz group. The Kerry Boys have released three CD's and the FBJB have one.
Pierce started playing professionally at coffeehouses and local health food restaurants as he attended school in upstate New York, performing renditions of old ragtime and blues songs. While studying jazz and music theory, he listened to acoustic guitarists like Leo Kottke, James Taylor, Doc Watson and John Hurt, making finger-style guitar work one of his hallmarks early in his career.
After cutting his teeth on acoustic music, Pierce branched out into electric music playing in numerous bands, including The Five Satins, who had a hit in 1959 with the song In the Still of the Night. During this time, he gained an even deeper appreciation for different styles of songwriting while performing with many legendary artists from the 50's and 60's in Oldie's revival shows at venues like Madison Square Garden, The Meadowlands, and The Spectrum.
Eventually Pierce came home to acoustic music and has been performing Irish and folk music full-time since 1993. He says, "My roots are in acoustic music. It is the music that feels the most natural for me to play and write." He has received such high praise from audiences because of his strong musicianship and diverse musical background, and that is why the New Haven Advocate says," For years now, he's been one of the area's preeminent folkies."
Pierce has done opening Acts For the following Artists:
Leo Kottke - Jorma Kaukonen - Tom Paxton - Harvey Reid - Brooks Williams
Chris Smither - Bill Staines - Aztec Two Step - David Wilcox - Cheryl Wheeler
The Five Chinese Brothers -
John Hammond – The Saw Doctors
The Young Dubliners- Black 47
This is a list of some of the venues Pierce has performed at as a solo artist.
Connecticut
Septemberfest - Simsbury
Fairfield Gaelic Club - Fairfield
New Britain AOH - New Britain
New Haven Gaelic Club - New Haven
The Half Door - Hartford
Danbury AOH - Danbury
Toad's Place - New Haven
Roaring Brook Nature Center - Canton
Family Folk Festival - W.Hartford
Windsor Folk Festival - Windsor
Beardsley Zoofolk Concet - Bridgeport
The Vanilla Bean - Pomfret
The Molson Festival ‘91,’92 - New Haven
The Miller Light Fest.'93, '94 - New Haven
SNET/Linx Festival - New Haven
The Reader's Feast - W. Hartford
Goodfolk Coffeehouse - Norwalk
Friday Night Folk - New London
The Mattatuck Museum - Waterbury
New Britain Museum - New Britain
New Haven Ac.Music Society - New Haven
The Buttonwood Tree - Middletown
On What Grounds - Cromwell
Glastonbury Audubon Soc. - Glastonbury
The Half and Half Coffeehouse - E.Norwalk
Woodbury Parks and Rec - Woodbury
The Branford Festival - Branford
Friends Coffeehouse - Simsbury
The Whitney Barn - Hamden
Starry Night Coffeehouse - Bridgewater
Assorted Friends Coffeehouse - New Canaan
Talk Of the Town - Torrington
The Steeple Coffeehouse - Naugatuck
Borders Bookstore - Farmington
The Morris Village Coffeehouse - Morris
The County Seat - Litchfield
The Sono Arts Celebration - S. Norwalk
The Carriage Barn - New Canaan
Twelfth Note Coffeehouse - Stratford
Farmington Arts Guild - Farmington
Massachusetts
Pittsfield Irish Club - Pittsfield
Johnny D's - Somerville
Passim - Cambridge
The Rug Room - Attleboro
The Red Lion Inn - Stockbridge
The Blackthorn Tavern - S. Easton
The Half and Half Coffeehouse - Beverly
The Steeple Coffeehouse - Southboro
Stone Chapel Concerts - Washington
Cross Rip Coffeehouse - Nantucket
Stoddard Park - Holliston
The Green River Cafe - Greenfield
The Watch City Coffeehouse - Waltham
The Black Sheep Deli - Amherst
The Coral Seas Coffeehouse - Leominster
The Colonial Inn - Concord
First Night - Leominster
Troupe's Coffeehouse - Braintree
First Cup Coffeehouse - Lynn
The Kendall Cafe - Cambridge
Casual Cup - Brookline
Fire and Water - Northampton
New Hampshire
The Loaf and Ladle - Exeter
The Pressroom - Portsmouth
The Grey Goose - Londonderry
New York
Turtle Hill Folk Festival - Rochester
12 Corners Coffeehouse - Rochester
The Town Crier - Pawling
Happy Endings - Syracuse
Encore Books and Espresso - Scaresdale
Centerfold Coffeehouse - NYC
The Asbury Coffeehouse -Croton-on-Hudson
The Commons Coffeehouse - Ithaca
One Station Plaza - Peekskill
The South Sound Coffeehouse - Salesian
N.Adams State College - N.Adams
New Jersey
Mine Street Coffeehouse - New Brunswick
North Carolina
The Prism - Charlottesville
Maine
The Kennebunk Coffeehouse - Kennebunk
The Deer Isle Coffeehouse - Deer Isle
Maryland
The Folkal Point - Columbia
The Avalon Theater - Easton
Andy's - Chestertown
Pennsylvania
The Bog - Scranton
The Banshee - Scranton
Bailey’s - Levittown
The Shannon inn & Pub - E. Stroudsburg
Here is a Partial list of Senior Centers and Assisted Living Facilities Pierce has played.
Arden House Hamden
Ashlar Wallingford
Pond Ridge Wallingford
Bacon Congregate Hartford
Beacon Brook Naugatuck
Brighton Gardens Woodbridge
Cambridge Manor Fairfield
Candlewood Valley Health New Milford
Chancellor Park Ridgefield
Chesthelm Moodus
Clintonville Manor N. Haven
CT Valley Hospital Middletown
Delamere Woods Windsor
East Hill Woods Southbury
Groton Senior Center Groton
Guilford Handcraft CenterGuilford
Hamden Health Care Hamden
Hamilton Heights W. Hartford
Heritage Commons Middletown
Highview Health Care Middletown
Laurel Gardens Hamden
Litchfield Woods Litchfield
Mansfield Center Mansfield
Marlborough Health Care Marlborough
New Fairfield Senior CenterNew Fairfield
Oakcliff Waterbury
Orchard at Southington Southington
Orford Village Manchester
Oxford Senior Center Oxford
Pilgrim Manor Cromwell
Rosary Hill Hawthorn, NY
Sarah Pierce Litchfield
Seabury Bloomfield
Simsbury Arts Council Simsbury
Stamford Parks and Rec Stamford
Valerie Manor Torrington
Westside Multi Care Manchester
Weston Senior Center Weston
Woodbury Senior Center Woodbury
Here is a list of shows Pierce has played with The Kerry Boys.
Festivals & Fairs
The Big E, CT Pavillion
Durham Fair
Chester Fair
Ledyard Fair
Wolcott Fair
Arts & Ideas Festival, New Haven,CT
Hunter Mountain Celtic Festival, Hunter, NY
Great American Irish Festival, Mohawk, NY
The Connecticut Irish Festival, N. Haven, CT
Riverfront Recapture Irish Festival, Hartford, CT
Danbury Irish Festival, Danbury, CT
Fairfield Irish Festival, Fairfield, CT
New Haven Street Festival, New Haven, CT
East Durham Irish Festival, East Durham, NY
Municipal Performances
Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, Blue Mountain Lake, NY
Ashford Parks and Rec
Bethany, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Bethel Park & Rec
Bolton, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Brookfield Parks and Rec
Cheshire , CT, Chamber Of Commerce Festival
Cheshire, CT Parks and Rec. Concert
Cheshire Library
Chicopee, MA, Elms College Ethnic Music Series
Colchester Arts Commission
Coventry, CT, Parks and Rec. Concert
Danbury, CT Library
Enfield, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Haddam-Killingworth Park & Rec
Hebron, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Litchfield Parks and Rec Concerts
Madison, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Manchester, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Mansfield, CT Park & Rec Concert
Marlborough, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Meriden, CT, Arts at The Crossroads Festival
Middlebury, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Middlefield, CT Parks & Rec Concert
Milford, CT, Milford Police Union Benefit Concert
Morris Park & Rec
Naugatuck, CT Arts Commission Concert
Naugatuck, CT, St Michael’s Church Fair
Newington Narks & Rec
Norwalk Park & Rec
Oxford Cultural Arts Commission
Redding, CT Park & Rec Concert
Seymour, CT Arts Commission Concert
Shelton, CT, Valley River Celebration
Simsbury Arts Council, Opening Night
Simsbury, CT Chamber Of Commerce, September Fest
Simsbury, CT Library Concert
Southbury, CT - Parks and Rec. Concert
Southington Apple Festival
Stamford, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Stratford, CT Stratford Library Concert
Teikyo Post College, Middlebury, CT
Thompson, CT, Park & Rec Concert
Trumbull, CT , Trumbull Library
Willamantic Street Festival
Winsted, CT – Park & Rec Concert
Woodbridge, CT - Woodbridge Library
Woodbury Library Concert Series
Woodbury, CT Parks and Rec. Concert
Clubs and Pubs
Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub, Syracuse, NY
Half Door, Hartford
Irish American Home, Glastonbury
The Banshee, Scranton, PA
Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA
Pittsfield Irish Club, Pittsfield, MA
Tigin, Stamford, CT
McKinnon’s, Hartford
Cleary’s, Waterbury, CT
Old Dublin, Wallingford, CT
O’Driscoll’s, Wilbraham, MA
Black Rock Castle, Bridgeport, CT
Jessie Camiles, Naugatuck, CT
Maggie McFly’s, Middlebury, CT