June 19, 1957 – December 18, 2022
“Live fully in the moment. Enjoy everyone and everything that you can, while you can.” Not only are these words that were spoken, but most importantly were words that Willie J. lived by throughout his entire life.
In the birthplace of Motown, Willie J. Campbell was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 19, 1957. He attributed his love for music to his hometown, but it was his move to Southern California at a young age that created further exposure to music and the idea of becoming a musician. He was instantly surrounded by people with the same passion, making the move a turning point musically. At just 16 years old, he and a neighbor formed their first band, Southern Select Blues Band.
In the mid-1970s, Willie J.’s music career started to pick up when he joined The James Harman Band, as bassist, where he would spend the next decade. Following The James Harman Band was a six-year run with The Fabulous Thunderbirds where he played alongside his best friend, whom he never referred to as his friend, only his brother, Kid Ramos, and Jimi Bott who quickly became his brother as well.
Most recently, Willie J. played with The Mannish Boys, The Blues Giants, and The Proven Ones. His musical breadth, spanning more than five decades, encompasses Willie J.’s extensive history of touring, writing, and recording. He was fortunate to share the stage with a veritable Who’s Who in Blues, Soul, Rock, Country, and Punk music. Willie J. has been honored multiple times by the Blues Foundation with nominations for Instrumentalist, Band, Album, and won a Blues Music Award for record of the year.
It was through his music career that he met his wife, Lisa. Performing with The James Harman Band in 1987 in Kansas City, Willie J. and Lisa locked eyes at Parody Hall. Finishing up her last year at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, their love for one another was instant, and married on June 11, 1988. Married for nearly 35 years, they loved to live. They would travel, visit friends, and most importantly “live fully in the moment.” In 1990, they had their first daughter Symone, and just two years later their second daughter Siara was born.
After leaving The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Willie J. became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and made the decision to get involved in mental health through his career in music. Prior to obtaining the formal education to become a mental health therapist, he found his second calling by helping musicians through their personal struggles while on tour together. In his own words, “My goal was always to help and create an atmosphere where someone has somewhere to go.” Through his therapy, he was able to do just that for so many.
As a father to his girls, Symone and Siara, they often looked to him for his calm-natured and thoughtful approach to conflict, strife, and inevitable turmoil that arises in life. He was always able to see both sides of an issue without placing blame, an attribute that provided great comfort and an opportunity to look in the mirror. One of his great gifts in life was his ability to make each person he encountered feel as though they were the most important person in the world. At times they were acquaintances, friends, clients, family, and even those he was meeting for the first time, it didn’t matter – he exuded a warmth that drew you in. He was a caring, kindhearted person. He loved to laugh, tell jokes, and was genuinely interested in other peoples’ stories which is what made him so good at everything he did. He was a soulful, talented, and charismatic person.
Willie J. was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in March of 2022. Even as his health steadily, then rapidly declined he was always asking how you were, checking up on his daughters, friends, and making memories with Lisa. Although this disease is what took him from us, he did not let it define him. He pushed through as hard and as long as he could. Just eight weeks before he passed, at the time already having significantly digressed, he recorded his final record with all of his favorite people, his brothers and sisters. His music family surrounded him with an overwhelming amount of love that he deeply cherished, all taking an active part in making this record the best one yet.
On December 18, 2022, Willie J. passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home with Lisa and his girls beside him. In his final days, he was surrounded by nothing but love. He always wanted to care for and help others and struggled when it was his turn to be cared for. Throughout the toughest battle he ever encountered, he never lost himself. He was always the Willie J. that we all loved, appreciated, sought out, and wanted to be around. His presence will remain in our souls for eternity and as Willie J. would say, “Be cool.”
In true Willie J. fashion, there will not be a formal service, but there will be a get together of family and friends to celebrate his life. The gathering will begin at 4:00 p.m. Friday, January 6, 2023, at Jackson’s Event Center, 25000 Kite Ave., Marshall, MO. Instead of sending flowers, the family request that memorial donations be made to The Blues Foundation (HART Fund). Handy Artist Relief Fund (HART), through The Blues Foundation, provides assistance to musicians and their families facing health issues, and Willie J. would want to continue to help others.
