() Country hitmaker Craig Campbell had a dream come true with the release of his Class of '89 album. Six songs that represent the core influences who helped mold his desire to pursue a career as an artist and songwriter is available now on Grindstone Recordings.
"I have been dreaming of recording this album for as long as I can remember," said Craig. "These songs are some of the reasons I fell in love with country music in the first place. Every song on this album has a story, and each one of those stories shaped me into the country singer I am today. There will never be anyone that can do these songs as good as the originals, but at the very least I hope I made them proud."
Clint Black's "Killin' Time" kicks off the collection, and Craig got to spend time in the studio with his hero to discuss the song and Clint's influence on his career and songwriting. View the special time here.
"'On The Other Hand' was the first song my wife ever heard me sing. She didn't even really know me at the time but she says that's the moment I landed on her radar!" Craig recently visited with Randy at the Grand Ole Opry before performing the song on the hallowed stage.
"'Too Cold At Home' is a song we played every show. That song became a staple for us, and the fans got to where they expected us to play it."
"'Bluest Eyes In Texas' is another song that the band loved to play. If there was a song that we looked forward to playing every night, it was this one. It allowed us all to shine in our own musical way but also as a great country band."
"'Be My Baby Tonight' was the song I sang when I won my first singing contest. You could say that singing that song was the moment I knew I wanted to be on stage every chance I got."
"'Anymore' is simply my favorite song of all time, and Travis Tritt is also on the list of my favorite singers of all time. I wanted to showcase the song and it just felt right to do it stripped down, just me and the piano."
In a move unique in the Nashville music scene, Craig enlisted his friends to hunker down in the studio to record all of the tracks. "These are guys I spent years with on the road. When it came time to go into the studio, I knew there was no other band that could play these songs the way I wanted better than my boys. Thank you David Black, Shawn, Aaron, David Karns, Jamie, Tyler and David Spires!"
The Class of '89 album cover was a photo taken by a local photographer in Craig's home town of Lyons, Georgia after he won his first talent show singing "Be My Baby Tonight." The photo is the perfect representation of where he was when all of this music came into his life.
Craig dug deep into his catalog of songs recorded during two label deals and gems he cut for his own label, when he released The Lost Files: Exhibit A and Exhibit B last year.
In 2022, Craig and his wife Mindy opened Grindstone Cowboy in their adopted home town of Eagleville, TN last year. The coffee shop, restaurant and music venue has become a popular gathering spot for locals and visitors alike and received Ruthies Awards for best "Local Coffee Shop" and "Live Music/Concert Venue." They are currently building out their second location in Shelbyville, TN.