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John Campoli / short bio
Born in Italy, July 30, 1956 in the town of Ferentino, fifty miles south of
Rome. John immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada with his family in the
summer of 1966.
At the age of fifteen, John began playing in semi-pro bands and, as his love
for music grew, so did the opportunities and experiences. Through the
years, he performed at local dances, weddings, a variety of parties, at
clubs, outdoor events and the odd television show.
The spring of 1978 brought the first recording experience his way. He led
his band Fyre into the studio to record some cover tunes for an FM Q107
radio contest, and he was hooked. In the winter of ‘78, the band recorded
two originals: “Voyage in a Dream” and “Imagine,” both written and arranged
by John. That experience was so delightfully rewarding for him that it
became a pivotal point in his career. His determination for taking song
writing seriously was born and he continues to write to this day.
In December 1979, back to the studio, this time with the intention of doing
two more Campoli originals to be released on a 45… remember those? A Walk
Away” and “Stick It Out”, with front man Peter May, never did go gold but at
least he still has the vinyl to prove that he was composing, arranging and
recording at fairly young age.
In late 1982, John decided to release a solo EP and recorded bed tracks for
four songs but, because of family commitments, the project was shelved and
never resumed.
The spring of ‘83 brought profound changes as he came to know the power of
love and forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ. For the next ten years he
continued to write songs with a different spirit. He led worship in two
churches and occasionally he performed his music in small venues while
providing for his wife and four children.
In 1994, John decided to turn one of his many hobbies into a business. He
opened Crossway Automotive, specializing in classic auto restoration where
he continues to produce award-winning restorations today. As they say,
“something’s gotta give” so, from 1994 to 2006, his music was put on hold,
as the restoration business consumed pretty much all of his time.
In June 2006, he decided to purchase a digital audio workstation to record
some of his songs for personal satisfaction. After a few recordings, John
was so pleased with the results and felt that perhaps his music could bless
the listener, and he changed direction toward a full length record.
The next twelve months (nights and weekends), would keep him locked up in
his home studio until 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. John’s energies were now focused
on learning to use the equipment so that he could play and record all of the
instruments on the album, arrange, engineer, and produce what has become his
first solo release, “BLESSONGS”
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