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Do Stand So Close: My Improbable Adventure as Sting's Guitarist
When a small-town musician from North Carolina decides to try his luck on the biggest stage of all—New York City—he hits the jackpot. Mere months into his NYC gambit, Jeffrey Lee Campbell is catapulted, literally overnight, from selling candy in Broadway theaters to playing guitar with rock legend Sting. Do Stand So Close is a layered, coming-of-age memoir based on Jeffrey Lee Campbell’s yearlong stint as guitarist on Sting’s Nothing Like the Sun World Tour. Written in a breezy, journal-esque format, this seductive page-turner recounts Jeffrey’s twenty-five-country, six-continent trial by fire—and it’s humbling aftermath. Through it all, Jeffrey’s insider’s perspective provides the reader with both humorous anecdotes and poignant revelations.
- GenresMusic
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2018
28 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 21, 2021
What a read. As a long time fan of Sting this audio book really caught my interest. Jeffrey Lee Campbell gives the reader all the inside secrets about touring with one of the best. Luckily, Jeff survived the world tour-which is shocking considering some of the stuff he got into; drugs, women & his fave-booze.
After a year around the world with Sting & company, Mr. Campbell had to come to the realization that it was time to grow up. Luckily for us… he lived to tell the story.
After a year around the world with Sting & company, Mr. Campbell had to come to the realization that it was time to grow up. Luckily for us… he lived to tell the story.
April 19, 2021
Full review at: https://www.everydayiwritethebookblog...
In 1987, while in his early 20s, Campbell moved to New York City from North Carolina to try to make it as a guitarist. Through a series of lucky breaks, Campbell landed a coveted gig as the guitarist for Sting’s band for the Nothing Like The Sun tour, which took him around the world for over a year, hitting 25 countries on 6 continents. Do Stand So Close To Me is the chronicle of that momentous year+ in Campbell’s life, as remembered 30 years later.
Why I picked it up: I love music memoirs, especially from the 80s, and I am a huge Sting fan. So this was a no-brainer for me.
A young, inexperienced musician, Campbell was in over his head when he signed on to be the guitarist in Sting’s band, which was filled with industry veterans like Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland, not to mention the world-famous front man. Campbell studied hard and was prepared to play the songs the way Sting liked, but he wasn’t prepared for the grueling tour pace, the rigors of performing night after night or the realities of long tours (the availability of drugs, alcohol and available women; typical band tensions; etc.). In the memoir, Campbell is honest and self-deprecating, sharing his awe of the musicians and stars he met through Sting, his naivete and inexperience and his dependence on chemicals to get him through the tour. I loved hearing about the cities they visited and the venues the played. (I saw that tour in 1988 at the Boston Garden, a show that gets no coverage in the book beyond a mention of the venue and date). This book was a great trip down memory lane with songs that have become the soundtrack of my life.
I loved the details of the shows, the behind-the-scenes stories, the Sting anecdotes. Campbell was so grateful for the experience to be in the band that even when he complains about the tedium and the grueling pace, he is still humble and amazed that he was even there in first place. My two gripes about the memoir: 1) I wanted to know more about the music – the set lists, the songs he liked playing (and those he didn’t), the interplay of the musicians on stage. I would have liked more of that and less of the meals he ate in Italy; and 2) Campbell’s treatment of women throughout the book is anachronistic and more than a little sexist. He had some interludes with groupies and other women throughout the tour, and he uses dated words to describe them and dehumanizes them in his retelling. I get that it was the 80s, but he wrote the book in 2018, so there is really no excuse.
Overall, I loved this memoir.
In 1987, while in his early 20s, Campbell moved to New York City from North Carolina to try to make it as a guitarist. Through a series of lucky breaks, Campbell landed a coveted gig as the guitarist for Sting’s band for the Nothing Like The Sun tour, which took him around the world for over a year, hitting 25 countries on 6 continents. Do Stand So Close To Me is the chronicle of that momentous year+ in Campbell’s life, as remembered 30 years later.
Why I picked it up: I love music memoirs, especially from the 80s, and I am a huge Sting fan. So this was a no-brainer for me.
A young, inexperienced musician, Campbell was in over his head when he signed on to be the guitarist in Sting’s band, which was filled with industry veterans like Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland, not to mention the world-famous front man. Campbell studied hard and was prepared to play the songs the way Sting liked, but he wasn’t prepared for the grueling tour pace, the rigors of performing night after night or the realities of long tours (the availability of drugs, alcohol and available women; typical band tensions; etc.). In the memoir, Campbell is honest and self-deprecating, sharing his awe of the musicians and stars he met through Sting, his naivete and inexperience and his dependence on chemicals to get him through the tour. I loved hearing about the cities they visited and the venues the played. (I saw that tour in 1988 at the Boston Garden, a show that gets no coverage in the book beyond a mention of the venue and date). This book was a great trip down memory lane with songs that have become the soundtrack of my life.
I loved the details of the shows, the behind-the-scenes stories, the Sting anecdotes. Campbell was so grateful for the experience to be in the band that even when he complains about the tedium and the grueling pace, he is still humble and amazed that he was even there in first place. My two gripes about the memoir: 1) I wanted to know more about the music – the set lists, the songs he liked playing (and those he didn’t), the interplay of the musicians on stage. I would have liked more of that and less of the meals he ate in Italy; and 2) Campbell’s treatment of women throughout the book is anachronistic and more than a little sexist. He had some interludes with groupies and other women throughout the tour, and he uses dated words to describe them and dehumanizes them in his retelling. I get that it was the 80s, but he wrote the book in 2018, so there is really no excuse.
Overall, I loved this memoir.
July 29, 2021
How does a guitarist from North Carolina with dreams of stardom end up on the tour of a lifetime? I’ll give you a clue. Read Do Stand So Close: My Improbable Adventure As Sting’s Guitarist by Jeffrey Lee Campbell.
He shares background on his childhood in Carrboro, playing anywhere and everywhere in high school, and studying at the University of Miami.
After visiting a friend in New York City, his sights were set on the place that doesn’t sleep. He saved money playing in wedding bands and preparing himself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It took several years, but he returned with a vision. This is where the story really begins.
His first job was at a Broadway theater selling candy with other struggling artists like Camryn Manheim and Aaron Sorkin.
After making a few connections, he joined the band Bushrock. Campbell crossed paths with the great Branford Marsalis in France and Italy on tour. This fateful meeting would change his life in ways he never expected.
Shortly after, he received a phone call for a new gig. After four grueling auditions, he got the job as guitarist for the “Nothing Like The Sun” tour with Sting.
A motherly roommate gave him a journal before embarking on the twenty-five country, six-continent world jaunt and encouraged him to write.
Do Stand So Close highlights the vices and virtues of traveling the globe with one of the best-selling music artists in the world.
He chronicles many events from experiencing an industrial Super Soaker with his trusty leader to rubbing elbows with Eric Clapton. You’ll read about soccer matches pitting the band vs. the crew, stays at posh hotels, and backstage shenanigans.
The book documents the side rarely heard — the pressure to deliver epic performances every night on stage, anxiety with musicians waiting in the wings to take your place, and boredom in a time with no internet or cell phones. The dark side rears its ugly head courtesy of the hotel mini-bars in Sydney and San Francisco.
Alas, all things must come to an end. After paying a few dues and learning many lessons, he went on to play and record with Jon Bon Jovi, Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., and countless others.
The author’s journey came full-circle with an extensive career playing in Broadway shows such as The Life, Saturday Night Fever, Mamma Mia!, and School Of Rock — The Musical.
Jeffrey Lee Campbell delivers an honest, insightful, and humorous look into an unexpected escapade. People picking this up will enjoy an entertaining and engaging read.
I do know this — Do Stand So Close: My Improbable Adventure As Sting’s Guitarist provided me with one of the best reads and is among one of my favorite memoirs. Take your bow Jeffrey Lee, a job well done!
He shares background on his childhood in Carrboro, playing anywhere and everywhere in high school, and studying at the University of Miami.
After visiting a friend in New York City, his sights were set on the place that doesn’t sleep. He saved money playing in wedding bands and preparing himself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It took several years, but he returned with a vision. This is where the story really begins.
His first job was at a Broadway theater selling candy with other struggling artists like Camryn Manheim and Aaron Sorkin.
After making a few connections, he joined the band Bushrock. Campbell crossed paths with the great Branford Marsalis in France and Italy on tour. This fateful meeting would change his life in ways he never expected.
Shortly after, he received a phone call for a new gig. After four grueling auditions, he got the job as guitarist for the “Nothing Like The Sun” tour with Sting.
A motherly roommate gave him a journal before embarking on the twenty-five country, six-continent world jaunt and encouraged him to write.
Do Stand So Close highlights the vices and virtues of traveling the globe with one of the best-selling music artists in the world.
He chronicles many events from experiencing an industrial Super Soaker with his trusty leader to rubbing elbows with Eric Clapton. You’ll read about soccer matches pitting the band vs. the crew, stays at posh hotels, and backstage shenanigans.
The book documents the side rarely heard — the pressure to deliver epic performances every night on stage, anxiety with musicians waiting in the wings to take your place, and boredom in a time with no internet or cell phones. The dark side rears its ugly head courtesy of the hotel mini-bars in Sydney and San Francisco.
Alas, all things must come to an end. After paying a few dues and learning many lessons, he went on to play and record with Jon Bon Jovi, Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., and countless others.
The author’s journey came full-circle with an extensive career playing in Broadway shows such as The Life, Saturday Night Fever, Mamma Mia!, and School Of Rock — The Musical.
Jeffrey Lee Campbell delivers an honest, insightful, and humorous look into an unexpected escapade. People picking this up will enjoy an entertaining and engaging read.
I do know this — Do Stand So Close: My Improbable Adventure As Sting’s Guitarist provided me with one of the best reads and is among one of my favorite memoirs. Take your bow Jeffrey Lee, a job well done!
January 19, 2021
I loved this book. Really well written about life on the road as a professional, touring musician.
It's almost a bonus that the author toured the globe for a year with an artist as gifted as STING.
Jeffrey Lee Campbell's eye for detail and his sense of pacing puts the reader right there before, during and after the shows.
I saw Sting's "Nothing Like the Sun" tour as a freshman in college in 1988 in upstate NY. I waited overnight in the bitter cold for Ticketmaster to open and the reward was 6th row seats. I remember seeing that the guitarist was just a few years older than me and thinking "that cat has THE BEST job on the planet."
A few decades later, this book both confirms and slightly debunks my theory.
Essential reading for Sting fans. And as long as the pandemic gets in the way of globetrotting at the moment, dig into this book and travel first class with the band.
It's almost a bonus that the author toured the globe for a year with an artist as gifted as STING.
Jeffrey Lee Campbell's eye for detail and his sense of pacing puts the reader right there before, during and after the shows.
I saw Sting's "Nothing Like the Sun" tour as a freshman in college in 1988 in upstate NY. I waited overnight in the bitter cold for Ticketmaster to open and the reward was 6th row seats. I remember seeing that the guitarist was just a few years older than me and thinking "that cat has THE BEST job on the planet."
A few decades later, this book both confirms and slightly debunks my theory.
Essential reading for Sting fans. And as long as the pandemic gets in the way of globetrotting at the moment, dig into this book and travel first class with the band.
May 16, 2025
If you like documentaries like “20 Feet From Stardom” or “The Wrecking Crew”, things that share the about the musicians working in the shadows behind the big stars, you’ll love Jeff’s stories of his time playing guitar with Sting on a massive world tour. Part tour-diary, part memoir of a freelance musician, and a lot of thoughtful self-reflection. People in Jeff’s position have such a unique experience: they travel with a superstar and experience much of the celebrity treatment, yet avoid the paparazzi pressure. Jeff’s writing is very honest about the highs, lows, and regrets of the experience, and it made for a very engaging read.
August 19, 2020
Fantastic read. Honest with a sense of humor, Jeff Campbell tells a captivating story of an unknown broke musician who goes on the ride of a lifetime with one of the biggest names in music. Jeff Campbell proves to be likeable and also is not afraid to show a current self awareness that he knows was lacking at times during his climb to (almost) fame.
February 17, 2021
Witty, entertaining and informative. The fairy tale most of us musicians would love to have once in our lifetime.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews