ArtistInfo

Sammy Campbell

voc,
Singer of R&B/Soul and Rock
A.k.a. Tyrone Ashley

US doo wop / soul vocalist and songwriter for New Jersey. Tyrone Ashley was born Sammy Campbell in Plainfield, NJ. He recorded under his birth name until 1971 when he cut a single for Phil-La of Soul Records in Philadelphia. The Parliaments, also from Plainsfield, competed with Campbell's group, the Del Larks, in talent shows and holiday festivals. The Del Larks formed around 1958 and consisted of Campbell, Ronald Taylor, James Anderson, Mert Matthews, and Raymond Davis. The hangout in Plainsfield was the Silk Palace, a barbershop owned by George Clinton and Parliaments members; after work, the local warblers woodshedded in the back room. It was a toss up who would score a big hit first, the Parliaments or the Del Larks; they started recording around the same time but the Del Larks early recordings were the most popular. They hit locally around 1958-1959 with "Bubblegum Doll," and "Lady Love," on East West Records distributed by Atlantic; and enjoyed success as Sammy & the Del Larks with "I Will Never Forget" on Ea-Jay, and "Little Darling," on Stop Records. (They messed up a chance to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show by talking loud and cursing in the audition room.) Campbell wrote and produced for George Blackwell's Smoke Records (4) in Newark, NJ, for a year without pay. Blackwell never released any of Campbell's material, so Campbell supported himself by promoting shows. He formed his own label, Queen City.

Genres

• R&B/Soul
• Rock
• Pop

Plays With