Roland Van Campenhout

Roland Van Campenhout or in short Roland (Boom, 1945) is a Flemish blues musician.
Roland grew up in the Rupel area. His father, a jazzmusician, drowned when he was 5. Roland left home at the age of 14. He did not get involved with music until the age of 20. He played in the skifflegroup, the William & Roland Skiffle Group, and the folk duo Miek en Roel.
In 1969 he changed to another genre: blues, while also still experimenting with other styles during his career such as country, worldmusic, folk and rock. Roland discovered this genre when he saw John Lee Hooker perform in café De Muze in Antwerpen. He broke through during Jazz Bilzen, where he established his reputation as a live artist.

During the 70's he joined Rory Gallaghers band and toured around the world, even to Singapore. He performed with Tim Hardin, Leo Kottke and Ian Anderson. Roland built a reputation as a roaming musician traveling from café to café. This became less after the birth of his daughter.

In 1985 had hij commercieel succes met de plaat "76 cm per second", waarop hits als "Fish on the hook" en "Cruising down on main street" stonden.

He was very successful in working together with Arno Hintjens and with the "Charles et les Lulus" project(1990-1991).

In 1998 Roland got to interview his idol John Lee Hooker. A year later he was awarded the Lifetime achievement-award by the Zamu Music Awards.

Roland was very active in both blues and country during the 2000s. On 5 februari 2015 he was inducted into the Radio 2 Hall of Fame for a life full of music.

Albums

• New found sacred ground (2013)
• Dah Blues Iz-A Coming (22-01-2013)
• Parcours (2009)
• Never Enough (2008)
• The great atomic power (2005)
• Lime & Coconut (2003)
• Waterbottle (with El Fish, 2001)
• Nomaden van de Muziek (with Wannes Van de Velde, 2000)
• Waltz... (1999)
• 50 (1994)
• Little sweet taste (1994)
• Mannen maken plannen - soundtrack (1993)
• Last letter home (1992)
• Roland & friends - live (1990)
• Hole in your soul (1990)
• The last tribe (1990)
• Good as bad can be (1989)
• 76 Centimeters per second (1985)
• Snowblind (1981)
• Movin' on (1975)
• Live (1974)
• One step at a time (1972)
• A tune for You (1971)

Singles

• The Truth (2005)
• Bird in my pyjamas (2004)
• Lime in the coconut (2003)
• Plastic Jezus (1999)
• Hash Bamboo Shuffle (1998)
• Down along the cove (1998)
• Little sweet taste (1994)
• Don't this road look rough and rocky (1992)
• A man needs a plan (1992)
• Last letter home (1992)
• I'll give all I've got (1989)
• C'est si bon (1988)
• Fish on the hook (1985)
• Cruising down on mainstreet (1985)
• Chain gang (1983)
• Le Brabant sonne (1980)
• Buddy is holly (1971)
• Your trip is not like mine (1968)

Best of

• Day by day - Blow by blow (1994)