Timothy Campbell is a name to remember. The Milwaukee native is an up-and-coming R&B singer who released an album in 2009 called "Silent Tears" and the single, "Beautiful U," is receiving national airplay and made it onto European charts.
Recently, the song was nominated for a TIMA award (Toronto Independent Music Awards) out of 250 entries, making it his first ever major industry award in his recording career. The TIMA awards are the top indie music industry awards in Canada.
"Beautiful U" -- a song about domestic abuse -- did not win the award, but Campbell did receive an offer to do a series of public service announcements from the Toronto Police Service. According to his publicist, Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo, Campbell is about to become "Canada's face of domestic violence prevention."
In 2009, Campbell -- who had been living in Atlanta for a decade -- released "Silent Tears" in Milwaukee's Club 311, 311 E. Wisconsin Ave.
"A lot of people expected me to release the album in Atlanta," says Campbell. "But I wanted to have it in Milwaukee. I love my town."
Campbell was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Milwaukee, then grew up on 91st and Silver Spring in the Westlawn Housing Projects. Campbell's family still lives on Milwaukee's North Side.
He attended Clara Barton Elementary School, Webster Middle School and graduated from Vincent High School. During his youth, Campbell was a member of the Wisconsin State Youth Choir and toured throughout the United States with the group.
"I stepped out as the front guy for a lot of the songs," he says. "I decided then I wanted to become a professional singer."
Campbell has fond memories of spending time as a youth at the Red Carpet Lanes on Milwaukee's North Side as well as Johnson's Park, a now defunct miniature golf / entertainment center that was located on 76th Street.
"My friends and I would go to the Budget Cinema out there, spend a dollar to see a movie, then ride the go-carts at Johnson's Park," he says. "Most of these places have closed, and there's nothing for kids to do (on the North Side.) Kids are at home, twiddling their thumbs, playing video games and with basically nothing else to do. And this leads to crime."
Campbell started a group called Reign, and in the late ‘90s the group received a demo deal from Elektra Records. In 1999, Campbell moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta to further promote the band, but the group broke up shortly after relocation.
"This business takes a tough skin," he says.
Hence, Campbell started another group called Face-to-Face with fellow Milwaukeean Loren Allen. Face-to-Face was signed to former child actor Emmanuel Lewis' record label called Flex Floss Entertainment.
Campbell and Allen moved to Florida during this time, but in 2006 Campbell was involved in a near-fatal car accident. Another car sideswiped his SUV and the vehicle flipped five times, leaving Campbell on life support with brain trauma and a fractured skull. He still has three metal plates in his face today.
"The accident made me take life more seriously. I'm not taking people for granted anymore," he says. "It opened my eyes to a lot."
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
