© 2024 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Derral Campbell

Late Night Blues Host

"Good Rockin' Derral" Campbell was raised in Eureka California, where a high school teacher pointed out the 12-bar structure of the Blues as it was employed in the Surf hit, "Wipeout." Later, he attended a 1966 show at the Fillmore Auditorium that featured an appearance by Junior Wells, Buddy Guy & Otis Spann. Counting the 12-bar Blues to these Chicago Blues giants set the hook, and a life in the Blues was begun.

After a 15-year career as a logger, Derral went back to Humboldt State University with the goal of becoming a Blues DJ. By 1986 he was hosting The Rhythm Roundup on KHSU-FM, and retained that show for a few more years after beginning The Q-92 Blues Revue on commercial station KRED-FM in 1991. When that station's format switched to Country, he moved the Blues Revue to KXGO-FM where he stayed until his move to Redding in 2003. Derral began hosting Rollin' the Blues on JPR's Rhythm & News Service in 2004, soon joining Paul Howell alternating weekends on Late Night Blues.

When he’s not spinning discs at JPR or writing for the Jefferson Journal, Derral can be found playing sax in The Blues Rollers, hiking in the northstate wilderness with his camera to take shots for his yearly nature calendar, and supplying the JPR Redding studios with the bounty from his vegetable garden.