Ashley Campbell

I love this little songbird. She is so funny and hilarious and beautiful and sweet. She's just an incredible person. She's the daughter of the legendary Glenn Campbell. She has a record deal and big machine. Her first single out was I'll Do the Remembering, which is a tribute to her father and all Alzheimer's that he has been struggling with. And she just has so much awesome things to talk about, and she's such a beautiful soul. So y'all welcome Ashley Campbell.

Ashley Campbell, Hello, Hello, I'm so happy to be here with you. I'm happy to be here with you. On this rainy day. Yes, Nashale has been like gloom City. Yeah it has. Um. I I missed the snow honestly because I'm from Phoenix and so I grew up like round cactuses and desert stuff. So I'm just so excited by snow still, But what about this mush? Are you excited about all this mush? I mean being from the desert, I even like rain, Like rain is a good thing, so you're not used to it. Yeah, I'm not used

to it. And when it did rain, it was like, yeah, our crops will grow. Yeah, this has been a little much, but not complaining because as the best city ever, it sure is. Okay, so I want to start off with a little game. Okay, so I'm gonna say some words, and you say the first word that comes to mind. I love these Okay. Frodo Doggie. That's her dog, and he's cute. What kind of dog is he? He's a miniature Schnailzer and he's staring at us right now. He's

looking at us, his tails going. He's like, are you gonna call me? Gon? I heard my name? Okay, pasta pasto banjo badass, You're a badass, bando player. Thank you sushi. Absolutely delicious tattoos more you want more? I do? How many do you have one? Tell me about your tattoo because it's special to you. It is um, it's a it's a tattoo of a knife that actually my dad has on his um on his arm, um kind of on his bicep and um. He did it himself when

he was little, he was like fourteen. He either did it himself or his friend did it, just with like a needle and ink. So like, that's pretty awesome that he did. Yeah. And there's another line on his forearm where he wanted to do another knife that the tips of the knives were touching, but it hurt too much so he stopped and there's just like half of a line there self tattoo again. Yeah, So every tattoo your

dad has is self tattooed. Yes, and your dad's Glenn Campbell Yes, by the way, which is you know, no big deal em meeting. Okay, So you replicated that, so I got the I got like a cleaner version of it. You know, why didn't you have him do it my dad? I probably wouldn't have an arm anymore? Okay, sexy mm hmmm, I don't know. So many things come to mind. It just lured him out. O man, oh man, I can't even think of it. It's been a while. Are you

saying you're single? I am single? Yeah? Okay? Actually Campbell on the market to match make you? Yeah, please do, I'm here. It would be such a catch. You know what, no one, no one can handle you. You're too we can't handle me like most people don't make it past the first date. Really, yeah, why is that? I get bored? I get so bored what it bores you about dating? Um? Guys that can't make me laugh? If you can't make me laugh, yeah, that's it. It's just over. And you

have your ship together? Yeah? I do know. You need to have your like they need to have the ship together, exactly because I do because together. Yeah, I like guys that have something going on, that are passionate about something, that are totally pursuing that, you know, like confidence and passion and knowing where you're going is so important. You know, you don't want to you don't want to wander? Yeah, exactly, I hear you. So there's it's really hard to find.

Are you looking for a creative type? Do you like the creatives. Definitely like the creatives. But I've always wondered what it would be like to date someone that wasn't in music, but that had a good taste in music, you know, I think that's the most important thing. But like, you know, um, like an agent. I mean, yeah, that

would be cool someone in the music business. But it's it's hard to date someone that does exactly what you do because you find yourself either judging what they do because that's you're kind of qualified to do that, or you know. So yeah, it's pretty funny. I know, I hear you dating and Nashville, but now that I know you're single, I'm gonna work help. Okay, I need to get more details after this interview. What we're really looking for? Okay, gross mm hmm. Dry skin? Oh yeah right, I hate

don't have dry skin. Yeah, you gotta moisturize, dry hands, driving me bananas. Yeah, I use m aquifer ever since I got my tattoo. They tell you to put aquifer on it, and I've never used it before, but it's like this miraculous stuff that I use his chapstick now and I use it as hand cream, Like it's amazing. Do you put it on your full body. No, that

would be pretty greasy. But sometimes coconut oil. Hey, going back to sexy, coconut oil, you can use over a lot of like a good massage oil, and it smells like cooking it and it's healthy and then you can just eat it. It's so good. I get a massage and then have someone like, you're back exactly because I know that's what that is. Sexy. Okay, crush, Oh m hmm. I think Sam Hunt's really cute. He's total crushed. Yeah, I mean I don't know. Oh yeah, please, I don't

know him. He can take my time, he can take your We know enough people who know him who can make this happen. Well, hey, i'll I'll give him a first date, right, So what happens after the first date? Like you go out with them and then they're born. But like someone like Sam Hunt, he wouldn't be boring. I don't think he would. I think he would be pretty interesting. I think he'd be really interesting. Yeah, do you think it'd be hard to date someone who has

a really big schedule? Because you know, because I do too. Like, I think that's ideal that you both have something going on. And so one of you is not sitting at home twiddling your thumbs, you know, and you don't mind like flying cross country to each other for like a day. Nah travels, no problem, Yeah exactly. Yeah, keep spicy. Yeah, just text me, just text yeah. Okay at music? Mm hmm truth Okay, I love that. So you obviously grew up in a very musical family, your dad being Glencampbell.

Did he put an instrument in your hand when you were a child or did you just see it happening in front of you and you knew you want to be apart? How did you get your lad for it? Um? My mom and dad put me and my brothers into piano lessons when we were very little, Like I started in first grade, so I've always been playing an instrument. Um My brother Cal started playing drums when he was two, and I thought that was really cool. I was like,

why didn't I start that early? And then I saw a video people even walk it to they can drum it too, And I saw a video of me playing the drum set when I was like too, and I was terrible at the drums, but it was really cute. I mean, I think I was very basic, but like my brother was like he still played the drums. Oh yeah, he's one of the best drummers I've ever seen, which I want to talk about. You went on tour with your dad, Yeah, with you, But before you do that,

the instrument you picked up was banjo, right, that's right. Yeah, you're a finger picking Well, thank you. How did you get so good? And you're a female and you're sexy, which is like big combination because a lot of badass female musicians aren't sexy. You're so hot, thank you, and you're so good. Um. Well, I started playing guitar when I was fifteen, and I was just kind of okay at it. I didn't really work very hard at it

because I just didn't I didn't have it yet. Um. But then, um, when I was in college, I started playing banjo for a play that I was in with my university theater department, and I just completely fell in love with banjo and whatever comes from that and just picking. And I started listening to bluegrass and I just got really into it and so like something just clicked in me.

And then I started playing banjo more and getting better at that, and then I went back to guitar and started doing a lot of fingerpicking with guitar because I kind of figured it out with the banjo, and so that kind of opened up a whole new world for me. Fingerpicking is really difficult. Do you just sit there for hours and go over and over the same like movements I did. Yeah, it's always. Fingerpicking has always come really easily to me, just like singing harmonies. It's just I

just kind of hear it. Yeah, my dad that got definitely got that from my dad. He always kind of pride himself. He's like, my kids can sing harmonies. Yeah, they're great. It just happens. Um. So fingerpicking, I definitely had to work at it, but I think it came pretty easily to me. Yeah. So did you know you wanted to do music? Not until I started playing banjo. Yeah, I was. I wanted to be an actress and I was doing sketch comedy and improv in Hollywood. Yeah crazy Mary. Yeah,

Yeah so I was. I was in a sketch group. What does that mean? So like Saturday Night Live? You know, I do sketches that they right that are funny, like characters and things like that. I want to do a side note though, because you are so stunning, and you come from such an amazing family and you're so talented, people might be surprised that you're so hilarious. You have this really goofy, funny side to you that is your sketch,

which is amazing. Well, thank you. Yeah. Um, So I did this video with my friend who had a couple of successful YouTube videos on his page, so it was a fake American Idol audition. Um. And I made up this character called Crazy Mary, and we used footage from another from an actual Crazy Mary video online, so it's it's me spliced in with actual footage of Simon Cowell and Paula Abduel Um. And I'm just acting nuts in front of them and singing. I'm like doing I'm playing this. Yeah,

I'm playing this crazy character. She's just there's something wrong with her and and she's doing a Randy Newman impression. That's how she sings. So it's like, you got a finding me, you got a fwinding me? Do doop boo doo doo doop. Did you get picked on American Idol? I did not, Simon said. Simon said no, Simon was scared of me. What did he say to you? Um? He said, I needed violent music behind me, which is what I have now. So he was right. Did it

get some hits on YouTube? Oh my gosh, yeah, I think at one point, Um, we had about thirteen million hits. How do you get a video to go viral? It just did people, Girl, that's freaking funny, and then they pass it on and I was actually starting to get recognized on the streets of Hollywood as Crazy Mary. Like I was standing in line at a Starbucks and someone was like, hey, you're Crazy Mary. So does anything come

from being a YouTube sensation? Um, nothing's come from this except just I got a lot of satisfaction knowing that people saw it, and I think I'm so proud of being Crazy Mary. Like the first time some I thought someone recognized me was actually my friend who actually made the video. I was walking down Melrose and he was driving past and he saw me and he thought it'd be funny. You know, Hey, it's crazy Mary. So I was like, hey, I got recognized, and then I found

out it was him. I'm sure though a lot of people, no, Crazy Mary. Yeah, a lot of people have seen It's pretty funny, and even recently I was I was at some I was at another Starbucks that, um you love Starbucks? Yeah, near Gayalax. Um where was that? Gosh? Um man, where were we California, Virginia, Virginia traveling you just know the place? You're just like, I don't know where on the map. But anyway, the guy that worked at the Starbucks, he's like, hey,

I've seen you on YouTube. I feel like I'm in Galax. How do you? Yeah, exactly. Okay, So before you were going to do music, you're going to do stand up comedy. Not stand up that's sketch comedy. Yeah. I liked I liked writing comedy, and I would have loved to have been like a writer on a TV show or like if I could have written on Saturday Live, that would have been great. But yeah, um, I ended up. So I was doing this um in prop school called the

Groundlings in l A, which is like my favorite. They're amazing, They're such good training. No I didn't. I moved there when I was Yeah, I moved there and when I was eighteen. Um, but right when I was taking the third level class there, um, my dad was going to go on a tour to Australia and New Zealand and it was right after I graduated from college, and I said, hey, can I go as like a vacation and it sounds like a cool place to go, and he said sure,

but you should play banjo on Jennal on my Mind. Okay, so that's kind of a big deal because even though he's your dad, Yeah, I loves you, you actually have to be good to play in Glenn Campbell's band, Like, yeah, definitely. Yeah. I was just like, are you serious really? And then um, so he asked you to play. He asked you to play banjo on Jennal in my Mind. And then his musical director, t J. Kenster, who played piano in his band, Um, he said, I've always wanted to have the strings parts

in our show. Can you play keyboard and do all the strings parts on a keyboard? And I was like sure, that's that's awesome. So and me like at that point, I mean probably at this point too, but like, piano wasn't my main instrument, but I had actually just memorized an entire musical score because I was a I played by ear I played by ear Um. I was an understudy for a piano player in um My Friends comedy musical based on the Fellowship of the Rings, so you're

like a musical freak of nature, I might be. Um, Yeah, So I learned that whole score just because I wanted to, and it was super fun. And right after that, I got asked to do all the strings parts for my dad's show. So I was pretty like hot on the piano, like I felt, but I still had to like go through and like I felt like a kindergartener writing out the notes in the in the music for my dad's show, Like I couldn't just read the notes, so I was like, so I wrote like B A A flat, Like what

was it like playing in his band? Were you nervous? Because I was super nervous at first he was gonna get mad at you and yell at if you messed up. I wasn't scared he was gonna yell at me, Like I honestly don't think he would have noticed because it was strings parts and they were kind of lone his mix. But like I was just I was nervous because I was just a little shaky, you know, And but it was great. He was super nurturing. The whole band was super nurturing, and um, it was just really cool to

have that experience with him and another side. Yeah exactly. It was definitely a trial by fire and that's kind of where I got my my wings as far as being on stage, So that that's where you learned how to be on stage, was touring with her your dad, Yeah, exactly. My first ever professional show was the State Theater in Auckland, New Zealand. So it was like thousands of people. Oh my god, at least yeah, almost a thousand. Did you get the bug then, where you like, I have to perform?

I was terrified. I was very scared. Um at that point, I was just like I gotta get through this tour. Like um. So then he asked you to come back for his farewell tour and play, and you played the whole tour, right, I did. I played for him for about three years. So you went on the road with your dad and your brothers, both brothers. Yeah. At first, um um, we were still a goodbye tour, goodbye tour. Yeah. That his final tour, his final tour. Yeah. My brothers

joined on for the goodbye tour. Um. And that lasted about two years, which was longer than we expected. But we had so much fun. I got to tour the UK twice. Really, where's your favorite places that you went? Mm? Oh, man, I had so much fun in Brisbane, Australia. And I also just love London and I love going up to like smaller towns in in Scotland and Ireland because you just get to explore all these really cool villages and stuff. I know, it's majestic. Yeah, the architecture is amazing. Did

you ever get tired of being with your family that much? No? Not really. We get along pretty well and you know, we had our space, so it was fun. What's the dynamic of you and your dad and your brothers and your mom? Your family dynamic? And well, my mom bless

her heart, like she's a she's a rock. Absolutely. Um. So, the poor thing, Like even if she wanted to come hang out with us, if we were all going out to dinner, like if my dad didn't want to go, she would have to stay back with him, and because he had Alzheimers, so she was basically like with him

seven um. Like occasionally, like the someone on the tour, like all of us would band together and be like, Okay, you're gonna watch Glenn and she's gonna go out to dinner and have a good fun night off, you know. So that was kind of fun. We were just like a big family. Um. So it was great and it was great to have my brothers with me. We did I mean, we'd have a little little fights here and there, but overall we we got along. Is it just three

of you guys? Okay? So all of your are musical, even though I know there's serious music and the jeans, that's still impressive. They're all what do they play? Cal my oldest brother. He plays drums. He's the one that started when he was two, so he's amazing. But he also plays guitar and piano and he's is really well. Um, but he's um. He went to engineering school, so he's a produces. He's like a whiz with pro tools. He produces,

he engineers. He has a studio and a girl Hills, California, and he just is a total badass musical genius and he does his own thing. And then Um Shannon, my middle brother, he plays piano and guitar and he sings and um. He lives out here in Nashville and he plays with me in my band. And you guys were duo for a hot second. We were yeah, yeah, we got fun. It was super fun. We well, and that's why he's still in my band. Like we we just Um, even though I kind of wanted to branch off and

just do my my songs. Um, we still love singing together and playing together, and we still right together, and so he's very much a part of my musical life. That's awesome. And we lived together, you might as well just keep it all together. Yeah. So you mentioned this Goodbye tour and your dad had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. How did that affect your family? Um, it was pretty crazy,

and it definitely brought us together. I because that was especially for me, Like, um, my brothers had already gone out and been like doing their own, Like I'm living alone. I'm you know, making away from myself and as an adult. But I had just graduated from college, and so I was kind of that was the time when I should have gone out and be like moved somewhere and just lived on my own and started, you know, figuring out

what I'm doing with my life. But I kind of just the responsibility and honor and privilege fell on me to help my mom take care of my dad. Um, so I just kind of said, I'm going to ride this out. I'm gonna just because Dad's not gonna be around forever. I'm just gonna I can go off and be an adult anytime I want, but this is the time that I'm going to be a daughter. Sorry. You and your dad really close? Yeah? Yeah, absolutely. I lived

with them. I guess I've lived with them my whole life, save like one or two years in college and the year I moved to Nashville. But um, I'm just it was it's such an honor to know him, and I really you like feel the reverence of how impactful your father has been. Yeah, definitely, and that that definitely helped being on tour and seeing the reaction of the fans to him and and how powerful his show was in his music. But yeah, as a daughter, it was it

was really great too. It's a privilege to live with him and take care of him. That's a that's a beautiful Yeah, thank you. And he's had like nine number one albums. Is that it is probably? I'm not sure, so many huge songs. He is the Rhinestone cowboy. Yeah, it was it ever weird being his daughter? Did you ever be like, holy sh it? My dad's like superstar legend or was it just it was pretty normal. He

raised us to be pretty down to earth. Um, Like, we grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, so not in Hollywood where everyone was going to know and mostly it was people's parents that would freak out about him. So like my friends in in elementary school and everything, I was just Ashley, you know. They were like, who's that? Oh? Your dad was Rocketdoodle that rooster cool? You know. So it worked out okay. So then you get to Nashville after you go on the Goodbye tour that ends, and

you moved straight to Nashville. I did, Yeah, did you decided to move to Nashville? Well, I had already started working with a manager out here, t K kimbrell Um with t k O Artist Management, and so he was before I moved out here after the Goodbye tour. He had started looking around first my brother Shannon and I

to get a publishing deal with our duo. Um. So we we auditioned for a couple of publishing companies and ended up getting a deal offer from Warner Chapel, which is a big deal because huge deal getting a publishing deal, and I've been interviewing a lot of interesting, amazing people. It is a really hard thing because that means you are a great songwriter. No one's going to sign you just because you know, you come from a cool family and you play instruments. You actually have to be great

at writing songs. So that's amazing. You clearly have a talent. Thank you. I feel incredibly blessed, especially now that I've been in Nashville for almost three years and writing songs for Warner Chapel and getting to know their crew and like writing with all these other amazing songwriters, because I'm still relatively new at songwriting. So even as much as I've learned in the last three years, looking back and when I auditioned for Warner Chapel, I can't believe they

signed me. I'm like, wow, I just yeah, like I learned so much. I'm like, thanks for signing me, thanks for believing in me. That's amazing. About three years okay, yeah, and has it felt like a family. Absolutely, They're wonderful. I'm just I feel like I'm totally on the A team. I just love them so much, so proud of them. Like for the last two years they've gotten publisher of the Year at the ASKAP Awards, so real, Like, so, do you like co writing, because that's a big deal

in Nashville to co write. I love co writing. Um, my favorite way to do it is to start a song on my own, like get get the idea that I know the direction I want to go in, and then when I hit a roadblock, I like to go in and present it to a co writer and they can often open doors that I wouldn't have seen. Okay, so you like to go in with that kind of like a melody and lyrical idea or is it generally or something you know, It just depends, but that's my

favorite way. I think. Do you like to see the full like do you have to have a concept for the song or can you just start chiseling away, Like do you need to see the end? Or can you start and kind of just walk into the dark wall of what the song will be. It's different every time,

it really is. Like some sometimes you'll be writing a song and you'll be stuck on this one part and then like say like, okay, we have this awesome pre chorus, we don't know what the chorus is going to be, and then you work trying to create a course that is cooler than the pre chorus, and then you go, well, how about the prechorus? Is the chorus? It's crazy? So it's it's fun. You just kind of have to be

open to changing things. So last night we're the Grammys and your family is a part of an amazing documentary about your dad called Glenn Campbell. I'll be Me And I watched the trailer for that. I want to see the whole movie. You should definitely watch. It looks incredible. So how was that movie and how is being a part of it? And he wrote a song which is has been a single for you and it's also on the soundtrack that Want a Grammy last Night. Yeah, that's

right about all that. Um So yeah, the documentary follows um my dad and us on his Goodbye tour. So he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in two thousand eleven, and these amazing filmmakers Jame Keach, James Keach and Trevor albert Um wanted to make a documentary following us on the tour, and so they started out and they thought it was just gonna be like two weeks and it's done, And then it turned into this huge thing. Two years later,

A hundred and fifty one shows. Um, you know, we played for Congress in in Washington, d C. I get to speak before Congress on behalf of Alzheimer's. What did you do when you were speaking before Congress? Like? What was that? Scary? I think it was called a testimony. So I was kind of just like saying my part on why I think Alzheimers Alzheimer's should get more research money.

Why did you say that? What was your reason? Well? Um, even now, Alzheimer's, um, like brain diseases in general get just a fraction of the money that say, like diseases like AIDS or cancer get you know, um, and that's just the whole thing. So Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and dimension anything with the brain, that's just like in the millions versus like AIDS and cancer in the billions. You know, I don't know, um, And you know, I mean, all disease really sucks, but like AIDS is livable, you can

live with it. It's you know, but so let's let's start saving people's lives again with getting rid of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. You know. So I really think the allocation of money needs to be seriously thought about. So what happens with Alzheimer's. I haven't really, like, known very much

about it. Yeah, and that's what the documentary. That's the great thing about the documentary, UM, is that even though it's so sad and that it's following someone with Alzheimer's, UM, it opens up the world of Alzheimer's to a lot of people who otherwise wouldn't have known anything about it. Like before my dad got Alzheimers, I didn't anything about it.

I mean, you've seen movies where like The Notebook where she's just this nice old lady and she doesn't remember stuff, and then he tells her story and she's totally back to normal for a couple of minutes, and then she's back to not really you know, but the real, dirty, grungy truth about Alzheimer's people don't know about. So UM, you ask, what is the truth? Um? Alzheimer's takes away more than your memory. It takes away your ability to function of the human beings. So UM, you don't just oh,

you're my best friend. I forget who you are, but I can still make my coffee and brush my teeth. You forget how Eventually, if you live with Alzheimer's long enough, you forget how to breathe, you forget how to swallow, and that's how you die from Alzheimer's. But um, your brain doesn't naturally do that. You can't dress yourself, you can't do anything, you can't use the bathroom. Um, so it just it gets super hard. And a lot of the times, the real victims are the people caring for

people with Alzheimer's, and that's another big issue. So this is kind of an incredible platform. Not only is your dad an incredible musician who's touched the world with his music, he's also bringing huge awareness to all Alzheimer's. Absolutely, and um see one of the first big stars to publicly fight this battle. I think he is. Yeah, you feel kind of proud that this is part of his legacy. I mean, I wish it wasn't, but um, you know, it is what it is, and I'm super proud that

he decided to be a pioneer for the cause. And because a lot of people there have been, you know, famous people that have gotten Alzheimer's, but they kind of just chose to disappear and keep it private, which is totally their prerogative, you know. Um, and there's no shame in that either. But a lot of people really need their voices heard. Um. So my dad really stepped up there and showed the world what people were going through.

And a lot of people who saw the film who are going through Alzheimer's with a loved one or have Alzheimer's, they were like, thank you so much for sharing my story. Because my dad's story is means of people's stories you know that wasn't told before. So it's really really an honor to be a part of that and help my dad with them. Did he make a conscious decision? Liked it. Was there a point where he was like, Okay, I'm

going for this, I'm gonna just talk about it. He did. Yeah, He's just very honest and he wanted to it all. I think it all started with he he got the diagnosis and he wanted to keep touring. He he felt totally fine. He didn't want to stop touring just because he got diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So he's just like, I'm just gonna be honest with my fans and everyone and and just do my thing, you know, and if I mess up, they'll forgive me and he want a Grammy.

Right when this all happened, didn't he do a song or was it the band Period that covered his song? Or he the band Period covered his song Gental on

my Mind they want to Grammy with it. And then he and his producer Julian Raymond Um, who did the soundtrack album for I'll Be Me Um, they wrote a song together Um, which was really Julian taking things that my dad had said and like putting together the lyrics and then showing them to my dad and you know, getting his okay, and like, how do you like this core progression because my dad he wrote, he helped Julian write a Grammy winning song with full blown Alzheimer's. Like

that's talent, you know. So that's pretty cool. So he wanted Grammy last year for that and a couple In two thousand twelve, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy and we got to perform on the Grammys in two thousand and twelve, and that was that one of the best experiences of my life. So, yeah, I was in the band. I just played banjo. Oh photo you want to say, he's quiet, rubbed my ear sesus. Yeah, Um,

so I was in the band, and um. It was really cool because it was kind of like a little compilation medley. So we had Blake Shelton singing Southern Nights and the band Perry singing General in my Mind. Um, and then my dad came out and sing rhyin Stone Cowboy and remember that. It was so much fun. And it was also for those of us in my dad's band and not just the people that were hired for

the Grammys. We were just like, oh my god, what's he gonna do, you know, because he's not used to sing the teleprompter way out there in the middle of the crowd, which is how it is at the Grammys, because he needed a teleprompter, And so we were like, is he going to go out there and see all these thousands of people and just totally get sidetracked, and because it could, because he might, Yeah, exactly. But it

was so amazing. He just went out there and he sang the song and played to the crowd like any other show. It was amazing. But that's brave too on his part, just to go out there and be like, like you said, if I mess up, people forgive me, because yeah, you know. And then it's funny in the in the documentary, his friend Dante, who takes him golfing

all the time. Um, was the day after the Grammys, I think, taking him golfing, and there's footage of him in the car and his friends like, Hey, congratulations on winning your Grammy yesterday, and he's like, what it's like, you want a Grammy yesterday? Oh yeah, I guess I did. That's all. Yeah, so, and that's all in the documentary it is yeah, okay, So Julian who wrote the song that won the Grammy. What was that song called. It's called I'm Not going to Miss You? I'm not what's

that about? I think, Um, that's cool and powerful song. Yeah, it kind of brings brings me into my song, and I want to ask you about how it relates because it's kind of the opposite of my song, but they kind of go together like a puzzle piece show the two sides of the songs. Okay, So, my dad's song I'm Not going to Miss You is basically from the perspective of someone with Alzheimer's saying, Um, you know, I

don't I'm losing memory. I don't remember you. So I don't miss you, but know that I'm okay and I want you to be okay and that makes you feel Yeah, exactly. And then my song which is called Remembering, which is kind of the opposite saying like you don't remember anymore, so I'm going to take care of you and I'm going to do the remembering for you. Wow. Yeah, And we didn't even plan that. That's really that's a really big powerful moment. Yeah, definitely. And you I said, I

read that you said that with this song. It took you several rounds to write this song and like a while because like you knew it was something special. You knew you had something, and you wanted to make sure it's perfect. Definitely. Um, this was This is an example of song my type of songwriting where I have just kind of a general idea. I didn't even know what I wanted to say at first, but I knew this song was going to be about my dad and that I really wanted to get it right. So I started

writing like right after the tour got over. Um, and I was still at my parents house in Malibu, and I started playing this initial guitar riff, which is like a descending sea riff and the first line popped into my head four years old, running up the stairs to your bed, and I was like, Okay, this is cool. So where does this story go? And I just, you know, kind of played with it a little bit and I just decided to record it into my phone and hold it for another day and think about it, because like

I do a lot of writing in my car. Sometimes I'll record something and i'll play it and I'll just sing while I'm driving. Um. But so I just like lived with it for a little while, and then I moved to Nashville a couple of months later, and I went into write with my good friend Ky Welch, and I said, hey, I've got this song. And he's he's such a brilliant lyricist and he's got such a good musical sensibility. Um, we just it just happened that day. We just got together and I was like, this song

and we just wrote it and went to lunch. So it came out fast, it did. Yeah, did you feel like it was like a gift, like it was meant to be written? I think so, yeah, And exactly, yeah, exactly. I just I wasn't even thinking like, oh I can't got to get a song on the radio, blah blah blah. I was just like, I'm gonna write this song. This song needs to be written. Um So, and that was your first single. It was Yeah, I never would have dreamed that you, which leads you to you signed a

freaking major label record deal with Dig Machine. You're on Dot Record. Big Machine is Taylor Swift's label, so it's prime time badass label. How did that make you feel? And how did that happen? That's a huge accomplishment. Man. Um. I was kind of doing my own thing and writing and things like that, and um gosh, um, I guess.

Um So, Scott Borchetta was going to do put up this. Yes, Scott Borshetta runs Big Machine, and he was going to put out the soundtrack for the documentary and so I think, um, and my song Remembering was going to be on the soundtrack. I think it was already in the movie. So I think that's kind of how he So he kind of found you, he kind of noticed me. Yeah. But before that, I had worked with Big Machine a little bit. I was the banjo player in the Rascal Flats music video Banjo.

How did that happen? Facebook message. I got a Facebook message from some UM agent scout and they were like, Hey, we're looking for female banjo players for Rascal Flats music video. Do you have any footage? And I sent him a video of me playing duing banjo's with my dad and and I got a message back, like a couple of hours later, like you got it. Yeah, so your dad plays banjo too? Um no, no, no no, he he did guitar, but he actually did play banjo back in the day.

He was pretty badass. Okay, So you had been on a Rascal Flats music video. Is the hot banjo player? Yes? And that was with Big Machines, So I I UM, I met Sandy Borschetta, which is who was Scott's wife UM on that project, and so that was kind of my first introduction to Big Machine. I was just so

excited to be a part of it. And then um and then yeah, so my my song was going to be on the soundtrack, and so Scott Borchetta called me in to play a couple of songs for him in the office, and then he came and saw a show that my brother Shannon and I were doing. And then shortly after that, Um, I was offered a record deal with his new um label, Branch Dot Records. I have to say Steven Tyler's on the label. Steven Tyler is my label mate. I have met him and he has

given me a long, deep neck hug. I guess my hair smelled good. So have you played some shows with some cool people? Yeah? Absolutely, Um, just a couple of couple of weeks ago, I got to open a show for Maddie and Tay. Who are these super talented, sweet girls with some awesome songs. Don't you feel like it's kind of the rise of the female right now in country music. I feel like there's this rumble happening or it's like everyone wants females back on the radio. I

definitely hope so um, Yeah there's part of this movement. Yeah, I hope so um. There's a lot of badass chicks out there, um, with all different kinds of styles and things like that. Like it's just really cool to see, you know, Like there's the badass chick, there's the sweet chick, there's the like vocal powerhouse chick coming up, and like then there's me all weird in the corner. Oh my god, how okay? You're not weird in the corner. How would

you describe yourself musically? Um, I'm about to go in and record some more songs, so um, I would describe, Um, my songwriting and what I want my my sound to eventually be is kind of like uh, edgy roots cie vibe, you know, with um some grit. Okay, if you had, like to say, a few musical icons that you look up to, who would be musically like that you wouldn't want to emulate, but that you like respect and you

love their vibe absolutely. Um, it would be like, um, Stevie Nicks, She's awesome, Dolly parton and mixed in with a little bit of l King. Yeah, I'm on board with that and I love that. So you just recently played the Grand Old Operty. I did, yes for the second time. That's a big deal. I'm so excited to be a part of that because that's the mother church of country music. Like, I feel like when you get the invitation to play the Grand Old Operate, it's like

you're legit. You have you know you you are, like you're in the club. Yeah, you have to work hard, but like to get an invitation means you're not just like doing it for fun. It was really cool and um, the awesome thing about coming back and playing a second time was that, you know, it's all the same people in the same crew, and so you all you honestly just feel like a family member coming back. They're like, hey, Ashley, what's up? Oh you like this and this with your

stage setup and blah blah blah. So it's really cool, that's awesome. Which songs did you play so for this time? I played? Um, I played some new songs. I played a song called had a Few, which is like a really fun, drinking, sexy song. What's your favorite drink of choice? Oh, my goodness, I think when I'm really thrown down, it's just straight whiskey. Yeah. I don't like to mix it with anything. I like to taste what I'm drinking and know exactly how it's gonna make me feel. How does

whiskey make you feel? Um? Badass, strong and badass. I'm gonna come up and talk to you and pull you unto the dance floor, heal you, and I'm gonna rub coconut oil all over you. Okay, so no too self. Who ever goes on a date would actually get her some whiskey. You have to make me laugh first, Yeah, if you want the coconut oil and not the nervous laughter, not that it's funny, like fake yeah, that fake nervous laughter. Okay, okay, okay.

So you played that I had a Few. It's called had a Few, Had a Few, and then I played Remembering Love, and then I played a new song that I wrote called Cry, which is like, I think that's my like boom song, Like, hey, this is actually Campbell. Okay, tell me about Cry. So this is like introducing Ashley Campbell, I think, so, yes, break it down for me, girl,

all right. So Cry is a song, um about like when you get broken up with and you don't want to be broken up with and so you're really sad and the other the guy seems totally fine and you're just like, didn't I mean anything to you? And so the song, like the lyrics is, um, I hope you're crying in your bedroom. I hope you're just putting on a show. So it's like cry cry for me. I want to see you bleed. You just kind of want to see them in a little bit of pain so

that you know that your pain is legitimate. You know, yes, is this based on a true story? It might be someone would break your heart a little bit. Yeah, I cannot even believe that. Yeah it happens. No, No, okay, we haven't met you the right guy yet, because girl, you are the whole package. He must not have been a man yet. Maybe not he was. He was just a boy. He was just a boy. There's just a Peter Pan exactly. There's a lot of those in Nashville. Yeah, definitely.

They just haven't quite grown everywhere. They're everywhere, they are everywhere. What do you what is a Peter Pan exactly? Oh? Man, just someone who just doesn't know what they want. They just don't want to settle down. And I'm not saying I want to settle down right now, but someone who's afraid to make a commitment, right Yeah, Peter Pan just flies away. Yeah nope. So tell me about your fashion style because you always look hands sound fabulous. What do

you what's your go to vibe? Well? Um, my go to pieces are like some skin tight skinny jeans. You got those legs, thank you those legs. Bow Days, skin tight skinny jeans, a comfy T shirt and a black leather jacket. Okay, some ankle boots. Yeah, like badass entering the room. Yeah, that's my go to pieces. And what are you most excited about for mm hmmm. I'm excited about making an album. Okay, do you have an idea of the songs you want on the album? I do all of them, all all the maybe one. So I'm

super excited and I'm I'm writing my album. I'm writing every song. So what is the range of the songs, Like, what do they span from? It spans from everything to just from fun like drinking too like super serious, like my heart's broken and I'm watching you walk away with her into the sunset with her. Yeah, so I get pretty deep in in there. But um, yeah, it's good. It's just an honest album and it's a lot of autobiographical stuff. Okay, so every song has a little shred

of truth in it. Yeah, definitely. I love that. I love off centic songs like that you really feel like the person singing means Yeah, exactly. Like I figured when I'm writing a song, like if I write about something that happened to me, the odds are it's happened to someone else because we're all kind of living within the same realm. We're all in this thing together, in the same realm of heartbreak. Yeah. Is it scary to put yourself out there in a song and be vulnerable and

kind of like say that out loud sometimes? Yeah? Um, I'm just hoping that the person that I wrote them about doesn't feel too bad or feels terrible. Yeah. Okay, Well, actually I want to wrap up. Thank you so much for being on my show. Thank you for having me. It's always fun chatting with you, it is, and we still have had a girl's night absolutely dinner. But I like to end my interviews with a little thing called

leave your Light. So basically what that means is leave me some inspiration, something that inspires you, something that you want to inspire people with, some sort of inspiration. Okay, Um, so I go. I've been going by this motto for the last year because a very close friend of mine who was like another father father figure, he passed away

last year from pancretit cancer and um. But right before he went, when he was staying with us, he was a chef and we would always leave dirty dishes in the kitchen and stuff, and he'd get really annoyed, and so he put up this cardboard heart on the fridge and he wrote in sharpie, leave everything better than you found it. And so after he passed away, I kind of kept that heart and I've been applying it towards

everything I do in life. So like, even from from like oh there's piece of trash on the ground, pick it up, pick it up, or all the way to like, oh you're not feeling so great today, How can I leave you better than I found you? You know? Actually, so that's kind of my inspiration right now. So you are going out of your way to do a little

more good. Yeah, exactly. Like when I get a selfish thought like well I don't want to hang with you and make you feel better, I want to go in my room and watch Netflix, I'll say, you know what, that's that's not going to help anyone. So just little things like that all the way to big big things, you know, just anything you do, you kind of just use that motto as a mantra. Okay, So not only are you amazingly talented incredible, you have a sweetheart too. On top of it, I mean, are you real I'm

gonna pinch you? Yeah, there you are. Thank you so much for eating. Thank you girl, Carala, She's a queen of talking. She's on the inside. She got the stoop on no one can do with Caral Carala. I hope you guys loved hearing from Ashley Campbell. She is such a little angel and Ray of Sunshine next week is an incredible episode because I have a world famous, world renowned producer, Tony Brown. This dude has produced over a hundred number one songs. He has over a hundred million

album sales. All the artists that he has produced combined have sold over a hundred million album of sales. That's insane. He's produced Reba, Vince Gale, George Straight Brooks, and Dunne, Tricia Yearwood, Rodney Crowd to name a few. He also did Lionel Ritchie's album that had all those duets with Blake Shelton, Jason Audene, Darius Drugger to McGraw. The list

goes on. He's won a Grammy. He ran a record label, m c A Records, and he signed artists like He signed some of the coolest artists ever, like Lyle Lovett, Kelly Willis, Alison Moore, Rodney kraw Uh, the Mavericks. He's called the founding father of alternative Americana country music, and he played freaking piano with Elvis Presley and Emmy Lou Harris. Are you kidding me? You are not gonna want to miss Tony Brown, So y'all tune in next week and make sure to subscribe on iTunes by y'all, end und