Neo traditional country artist Craig Campbell launched his Grindstone Recordings label in 2020 and has been releasing music and banking even more over the last few years. Answering the call of his fans, he will release The Lost Files: Exhibit A album on February 17, 2023. The first single, “Tractor Songs,” was written by his good buddy Walker Hayes and will hit January 27, 2023.
“This album has been a long time coming,” said Craig. “This collection of music is very special to me, I have been chomping at the bit to get this to my fans. These are songs that I love and believe in with all that I am. My fans fell in love with me when there was steel and fiddle on my records. I truly hate that I got away from that for a bit trying to chase something that wasn’t real, but I humbly admit, I am a work in progress. Not everyone is going to love this album, and I am ok with that. However, THIS is the real me. Unfiltered, unapologetic, and from my heart.“
The 16-cut album is a compilation of recent recordings and “lost” songs he recorded for previous labels but were never released. Travis Tritt, Trea Landon, and Craig’s wife Mindy are featured on three of the cuts.
Craig had a hand in writing 11 of the tracks with some of the top songwriters in music. The other five were contributed by Jess Brown, Joel Little Phillip Coleman, Nicolle Galyon, Ella Yelich-O’Connor, Jamie Paulin, Liz Rose, Michael White, and Justin Wilson. In addition to Campbell, producers on various tracks include Cooper Bascom, Blake Bollinger, Mickie Jack Cones, Rob Hatch, Elisha Hoffman, Phil O’Donnell, Matt Rovey, Keith Stegall, and Ilya Toshinskiy.
Hayes is the sole writer on “Tractor Songs,” and he produced the track with Luke DeJaynes. The story behind Craig recording the song began after the two played a show together in Orlando.
“As I listened to Craig’s set that night, I thought, ‘man, I forgot how unreal his voice is – one of my Top 5 favorite voices,’” said Walker, who is the sole writer on “Tractor Songs.” I met him as soon as he walked off the stage and pleaded with him to let me send him a song or two. ‘Tractor Songs’ was one of them. He sings it like he wrote it, his voice and the song belong together. No one could do it better, and I wouldn’t want anyone else on it. Praise God Craig and I are always bumping into each other. He’s one of the reasons I love this town.”
“Sometimes you hear songs on the radio and say ‘Man! That’s a hit! I wish I could cut that before they did,’” Craig added. “All I can say is I’m glad I cut this before anyone else! Shoutout to Walker for sending this song to me first.”
“Tractor Songs” will be available through all streaming services from Craig’s Grindstone Recordings label, which is distributed by Stem. Following a busy 2022, Craig will be hitting the road next month on a nationwide tour to promote the single and album.
In addition to writing, recording, touring and running his record company, Craig and his wife Mindy accomplished a longtime dream of opening Grindstone Cowboy in their home of Eagleville last year. The popular coffee shop and restaurant doubles as a music venue, and will see a number of headline artists perform in the coming weeks.
As a new business owner, Craig wanted to serve the residents of Eagleville in a greater way and ran for and won a seat on the Eagleville City Council. He was sworn in last month and is one of five city council members, who along with the mayor and vice mayor, oversee planning, budgeting, citizen concerns, and more for the growing Middle Tennessee community.
Last June, Craig hosted his 8th Annual Craig Campbell Celebrity Cornhole Challenge and raised more than $25,000 for national nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC).
The Lost Files: Exhibit A
Track Listing
- “Lot To Live Up To” featuring Travis Tritt
Writers: Craig Campbell/Tim Nichols/Mark D. Sanders
Producers: Matt Rovey & Craig Campbell
- “Winnebago”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Brett Beavers/Steve Bogard
Producer: Mickey Jack Cones
- “It’s About Time” *
Writers: Michael White/Justin Wilson/Jamie Paulin
Producer: Blake Bollinger
- “Things You Do In A Truck” * featuring Trea Landon
Writers: Craig Campbell/Blake Bollinger/Trea Landon
Producers: Blake Bollinger, Cooper Bascom, Craig Campbell
- “Sounds Like A Small Town”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Jeremy Bussey/Cody Cozzolino
Producers: Ilya Toshinskiy and Craig Campbell
- “Church Clothes” with Mindy Ellis Campbell
Writers: Liz Rose/Nicolle Galyon
Producer: Craig Campbell
- “Johnny’s Cash”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Keifer Thompson
Producer: Craig Campbell
- “Hurtin’ On It”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Adam Yaron/Abram Dean
Producer: Craig Campbell
- “Night Like Last Night”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Rob Hatch/Jason Sellers
Producers: Matt Rovey, Craig Campbell, Rob Hatch, Elisha Hoffman
- “Royals”
Writers: Ella Yelich-O’Connor/Joel Little
Producers: Matt Rovey & Craig Campbell
- “Talk Country To Me”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Adam Sanders/Derek George
Producer: Phil O’Donnell
- “Tractor Songs”
Writer: Walker Hayes
Producers: Luke DeJaynes, Walker Hayes
- “God And The Ground”
Writers: Phillip Coleman/Jess Brown
Producers: Keith Stegall, Matt Rovey, and Craig Campbell
- “That’s What A Song’ll Do”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Ben Hayslip/Dallas Davidson
Producers: Keith Stegall, Matt Rovey, and Craig Campbell
- “That’s How We Get Down”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Jeremy Bussey/Styles Haury
Producer: Craig Campbell
- “All American Comeback Kid”
Writers: Craig Campbell/Terry McBride/Brice Long
Producers: Keith Stegall, Matt Rovey, and Craig Campbell
* Previously Released
For updates on tour dates and other news about Craig, visit: https://www.craigcampbell.tv/
https://www.youtube.com/user/craigcampbelltv?sub_confirmation=1
https://twitter.com/craigcampbelltv
https://www.facebook.com/CraigCampbelltv/
https://www.instagram.com/craigcampbelltv
https://soundcloud.com/craigcampbelltv/
https://www.tiktok.com/@craigcampbellmusic
About Craig Campbell: In a world fueled by the smoke and mirror act of overnight success, Campbell has long been admired for his patience and persistence on the road less traveled. A consistent balancing act of traditional values and modern industry trends, Campbell is also considered by many to be one of the most talented yet under the radar stars, across all genres. The Lyons, Georgia native grew up playing his mother’s piano and singing in church. He took a job as a corrections officer in his hometown after high school, but music never left his side. He started a band and played local and national bar gigs. When the guitar player quit, Campbell took that as a sign to chase his dreams all the way to Nashville.
Starting in 2002, the young hopeful spent the next several years paying his dues as a demo singer by day and Lower Broadway gigger by night. He connected with fellow South Georgia native Luke Bryan and started touring as his keyboard player. A year and a half long keyboard stint with Tracy Byrd soon followed, and he took over as bandleader down at The Stage on Tuesday nights on his non-touring days. His smooth chops and hot blooded stage presence caught the eye of industry execs and in 2009, Campbell signed his first record deal.
His debut single, “Family Man,” hit the Billboard top 15 in 2011. “Outta My Head” cracked the top 15, and catchy tune “Fish” garnered more than 10 million demand streams. His 2014 breakout hit “Keep Them Kisses Comin’” was on its way up the charts when Campbell got the unexpected news that his label had closed. He and his devoted team continued to press radio stations around the country, so much so that the single ended an impressive run well inside the Top 10, which is unheard of for a song with no financial backing.
A deal with Red Bow Records, a division of the Broken Bow umbrella, yielded the top 40 “Tomorrow Tonight” followed by his most poignant and well-known work to date, “Outskirts of Heaven.” “Outskirts” showcased Campbell’s vulnerability and deep-rooted faith and was praised by Rolling Stone and Taste of Country, among others.
The impact of “Outskirts” prompted media appearances and memorable performances at nationally televised NFL games, the TODAY show, CMA Fest, and the Grand Ole Opry, the latter of which he has made over 50 appearances to date. And in a full circle moment, he reunited with buddy Luke Bryan on his 2017 Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Every Day Tour.
In the summer of 2018, Campbell released his first new music in five years with his “See You Try” EP on Broken Bow. The title track became an instant crowd pleaser with its confident, flirty lyrics and boot stompin’ melody. The EP also found a home for both an electric and acoustic version of “Outskirts of Heaven.” Campbell and Broken Bow mutually parted ways in August of 2018. After a two-year break, he launched Grindstone Records and has been busy recording and releasing his own music as well as signing other artists to his label.
About Walker Hayes: Monument Records recording artist Walker Hayes is a singer/songwriter originally from Mobile, Alabama. In 2021, his smash hit “Fancy Like” topped every country music sales and streaming chart, spent more than six months at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart, hit the top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs, hit No. 1 at country radio, and gave Hayes his first GRAMMY Award nomination as an artist for Best Country Song. The song was also featured in a nationwide Applebee’s commercial. “Fancy Like,” as well as follow up single “AA,” both from Hayes album Country Stuff the Album, made him one of the top selling and streamed artist in the genre last year. Country Stuff the Album is the only country album released in 2022 that is RIAA certified. Currently, Hayes’s single, “Y’all Life,” is climbing the country radio charts, and his most recent release “Face In The Crowd” is an ode to his biggest fans – his wife Laney and their six children.
Hayes has performed his music, including the Double-Platinum RIAA certified hit “You Broke Up With Me,” to national audiences on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The TODAY Show, and he has been profiled for CBS Sunday Morning. Last year he released his first book, Glad You’re Here, written with his best friend Craig Allen Cooper, detailing his journey to finding Christ. This summer, he sets out on his headlining arena tour, The Duck Buck Tour.
https://www.countryschatter.com/2023/01/craig-campbell-sets-the-lost-files-exhibit-a-album-for-february-17-release/New ReleasesPress Release" "Luke DeJaynes,"Tomorrow tonight","Tractor Songs",broken bow records,craig campbell,Fight Colorectal Cancer,Lovin' Every Day Tour,The Lost Files: Exhibit A,Walker Hayes
Country Artist Seth Alexander Set To Release New Single — “Till Your Boots Are Dirty” — Due March 17, 2023
Introducing Professor Larry Gatlin: Hit Singer-Songwriter to Teach Master Class at University of Texas Permian Basin