The Coachmen:

Pete Campbell

Lead & other Vocals

Pete Campbell joined the Coachmen show band in 1968 and is one of the three original vocalists in the group. He is the younger brother of Coachmen member Bob Campbell, and the father of pianist and vocalist Chris Campbell. Pete continues to provide the lead vocals for gospel quartet today. Additionally, Pete is a guitarist and the only official minister in the group.

Born and raised in Staunton, Virginia, Pete has been singing since he was a small child. The son of a carpenter and piano-player, he began playing guitar at 12 years old and singing with older brother Bob. During high school, Pete was an active member of the Robert E. Lee High School chorus and participated in various local and state chorus competitions. During this same time, the original Coachmen group was formed. At the time the group was named The Countrymen Quartet and subsequently renamed The Westerners. Subsequent to high school graduation, Pete was drafted into the Vietnam War and lived for a year in San Francisco, CA, prior to joining the war effort in Vietnam. After an honorable discharge from military duties, Pete rejoined the music group and performed for many years with the group at events throughout Virginia. It was during this time that the group opened for many Nashville artists and gained regional popularity through regular performances at the Wheeling West Virginia Jamboree, where the group was formally named The Coachmen. Pete stayed on with the group partially through its dance band phase (late seventies), prior to retiring briefly from music to focus more his family and church. It was during this time that he became active in the church choir and began developing the foundation for ministry. This calling presented itself clearly after his experience with a major illness. He was later licensed and ordained to the ministry through the Church of the Brethren. Turning back the pages, Pete remembers preaching as a child when after Sunday church he would stand on a box and would have his sister and cousins listen to his sermons at home, unbeknown that he would someday actually become a minister of the gospel. During the eighties, Pete and son Chris formed a duo appropriately named The Campbells and performed for over a decade at churches and other social events throughout western Virginia. While more informal, the two still perform at select events today. In the early nineties Pete reunited with the original Coachmen show band through its two-year tenure. After a few years focusing on ministry and career, Pete rejoined forces with the three original Coachmen vocalists to form the gospel quartet as it is known today. The ministry in Pete comes alive during the Coachmen's concerts and is now his main avenue for preaching the gospel.

Pete is retired from Invista Corporation in Waynesboro, VA. He is married to Ada (Hevener) Campbell and has two sons, David and Chris. Pete's hobbies include singing, traveling, listening to music, woodworking and reading. Singing with the Coachmen gospel group has brought Pete and the group back to their roots in gospel music.

Other Coachmen:

Bob Campbell • Chris Campbell • John Lane • About The Group