Jim Campilongo was raised in San Francisco. He began playing guitar around the mid-’70s and bought his first guitar from Green Stamps. He was exposed to many different music by his first teacher, but it wasn’t until he heard Roy Buchanan that he decided to make a living playing guitar. Campilongo began taking guitar lessons in the early 1990s. He also played in various styles with different groups. Campilongo was given a 1959 Telecaster by one of his students in 1990 for bass lessons. It quickly became Campilongo’s signature instrument. “Playing the ’59 Telecaster changed everything for me. It was almost like it said, “Get serious.” Campilongo and Joe Goldmark formed the 10 Gallon Cats in 1993. In 1996, they released their first album of Speedy West/Jimmy Bryant-inspired melodies. They went on to record three albums together. The critically acclaimed Table for One was Campilongo’s first solo album. Campilongo moved to New York City after a live recording in 2000. He formed the Electric Trio and Little Willies with Norah. Campilongo’s Electric Trio, which he founded in 2005, has been a regular at New York’s Living Room on Monday nights. There, he’s been joined by Norah Jones and Charlie Hunter. Orange was Campilongo’s most extensive album to date in 2010. Anton Fier produced it, and his resurrected Golden Palominos also featured Campilongo. Fender honored Campilongo in the same year when their custom shop started making a Campilongo-designed Telecaster. He released Dream Dictionary in early 2014 with his new trio of Chris Morrisey (bass), Josh Dion (drums). Campilongo is still an educator and a contributing editor to Guitar Player Magazine. Allmusic
