Jesus & tomatoes: Kate Campbell headlines annual June Buggin’
Published 4:00 am Friday, June 5, 2015
Kate Campbell, decked out in her plaid shirt, entertained those who came to We Piddle Around Thursday with her songs, stories and most of all her energetic nature at this year’s June Buggin’ event.
Campbell, a New Orleans born Nashvillian, was raised for a short time in Sledge, Miss. since her father preached at a church there and said her life had proven to be her biggest inspiration and many of her songs like “Jesus and Tomatoes” told those stories.
“Through the years, the more I kind of sang and wrote and performed at live concerts, the more I started telling stories,” Campbell said. “I started introducing my songs with the stories, the more people seemed to like that too. It’s a lot of narrative. I’ve played guitar and sung since I was a little girl. I like being with people.”
But, Campbell said The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Elvis Presley had been her greatest and biggest inspiration when it came to singing and songwriting.
“I’m in that singer-songwriter genre,” Campbell said. “Most people have never quite met a person like me. When I’m writing a song, I’m trying to figure out why I’m interested in this story. I was always sad about Elvis. I felt like Elvis just kind of gave up for a while. If you look at him after like 1968, probably the last great thing he did was his 68 special. Elvis is a very interesting person to me and he, to me, is a typical southern person. That’s how “Jesus and Tomatoes” came about.”
Lawrence Bowden, president of the Brundidge Historical Society, said that having a gem such as Campbell headline this year’s June Buggin’ event was special to Brundidge and to the historical society.
“We’ve had some people from far off come,” Bowden said. “I think we have some people who came here tonight from Rome, Ga., so it’s always great for us and our reputation. The people who hear her tonight will be looking forward to when she comes back again for anytime she can come back and be with us again. I’m sure they’ll enjoy her.”
With the We Piddle Around Theater booked to capacity, Campbell said these events were some of her favorite to perform at and thanked the historical society for allowing her to come.
“In every concert, it’s always different. Every moment is different,” Campbell said. “You never know. The fun part for me is the interaction between me and the audience. You never know what audience members are going to do. Some people may sing along. They might get all my jokes or they might not. That’s the whole fun. It’s in the moment.”