aIf pianist Cor Bakker has to remember Humphrey Campbell with one word, it is ‘open’. The singer, who died on March 25, was open to all types of people. Bakker: ‘With Humphrey the charisma stove was turned on.’ Campbell was also open to all types of music, from Heintje to Haydn. Bakker: ‘For him there were only two types of music: good and bad.’
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Together they would tour the theaters with the program in 2025 From Moengo to here. In it, Campbell would outline his life story based on songs that guided him. Music was his passion and his life. Not only as a singer, but also as a producer, arranger and teacher.
Constant stream of music
Humphrey Campbell’s cradle was in Moengo in the northwest of Suriname. If his youngest brother Charles counts correctly, Humphrey was the seventh in a family of thirteen children. Mother sang in a choir, father was a band leader and the radio provided a constant stream of music of all varieties.
A try-out can be seen on YouTube, in which Bakker and Campbell switch Nature Boy (by Nat King Cole) to Fatty Dap (Annie MG Schmidt). Things went that smoothly in the Campbell house at the time. Dutch repertoire was self-evident in the colony that Suriname was at the time. But Moengo was also inundated with music from the United States. This was due to bauxite mining, in which the US was involved. Little Humphrey was so captivated by this wealth of music that he even skipped school to be near his radio.
In 1973 he won a musical school festival with a trip to the Netherlands as a reward. Campbell ended up with the Twinkle Stars, Oscar Harris’ backing band. Soul singer Harris took the only 15-year-old Campbell under his wing. Brother Charles: ‘Oscar made sure he finished his secondary school education and got a job in a clothing store.’
At the conservatory in Hilversum, Campbell continued the path he preferred. He performed both solo and in musicals and recorded several English-language records. However, he became famous with the song Guide me. That’s what Campbell sang, assisted by two brothers, at the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. The catchy song earned the Netherlands ninth place.
There was no real breakthrough to the general public. As a result, the song continued to haunt him. Charles Campbell: ‘It was always about that one song, while he did so incredibly much more.’
Esteemed teacher
According to Cor Bakker, modesty got in the way of ‘the best singer in the Netherlands’ (his words). Campbell did not push himself to the fore and also derived satisfaction from the guidance of other artists, including his ex Ruth Jacott. He was also a valued teacher in the jazz department of the conservatory in Amsterdam.
With encouragement from colleagues, Campbell returned to the stages. With two brothers again, now also with Charles at his side, he formed the soul trio CC Campbell. That wasn’t always easy. ‘Humphrey was so critical of himself. He sometimes forgot to enjoy his own talent.’
By Moengo until here should have been a tribute to that talent. But the fifteen planned shows were canceled. Cancer destroyed Campbell faster than expected. Bakker: ‘Luckily we made a nice recording of a try-out.’
Because he had made his body available to science, Campbell organized his own farewell. In the hospice he performed, as best he could, one more time for family and friends, for enthusiasts and connoisseurs.
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