Songs in the key of life

A Galway singer/songwriter will fulfil the ambition of a lifetime when he launches his debut CD at the start of next month.

Tom Campbell – originally from Kilconnell but now living close to the village of Caltra – first started playing at around the age of twelve when a music teacher started lessons in the national school he attended.

He participated in music competitions and enjoyed good success with his banjo playing at county and Connacht level.

Then while in college in Athlone IT, Tom learned the guitar and started to write his own music.

And after finishing college in the late eighties, Tom spent a summer in the US, returning for a short time before he decided to move to London in the hope of finding work – without forgetting the music.

“It took some time to get established in London but after settling in an opportunity to set up a band did present itself.  Kieran was from New Zealand, Matt was from Dublin and John was a Cork man and we called ourselves The Nu Kelts,” he says.

The band had reasonably good success and grew a loyal following of New Zealanders, Irish and English.  They also recorded some original songs together.

After some time in London, circumstances drew Tom back to Ireland.  It was in 2014 as he was listening to tapes of the original material he had recorded with The Nu Kelts that he realised the quality of the sound had degraded – so he set about his restoration project.

The songs are all original material written by Tom and the album will be officially launched in Gullane’s Hotel, Ballinasloe, on Saturday, November 5 – and further information and updates can be found on facebook.com/pulse160.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.