It all began with the King. “When I was in second grade, I saw Elvis Presley on TV, and all these girls were going nuts. It was from that point on I wanted a guitar,” says Ciampi. His parents had a violin. So they made him a deal:
if he learned to play violin, they would buy him a guitar. “For three years, I faked in on the violin, pretended to read music and just kinda played along,” he says. Finally, after years of waiting, Ciampi got his guitar and he’s been playing ever since.
He epitomizes the self-taught musician-- teaching himself to play piano, guitar, bass, violin, harmonica, and any other
instrument that finds its way into his hands. Ciampi grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60s and began writing songs as a junior in high school, after which, “nothing else mattered,” he says. He has played with more than a hundred musicians in dozens of bands, starting with The Tix, which covered Beatles and Rolling Stones tunes. Perhaps one of his most humorous bands was The Carrots, for which he donned a full-length carrot suit and did backflips on stage.
To support his music career, Ciampi has worked as a sign painter, postman, construction worker, music store owner, and more.
In 1990, Ciampi was struck a huge blow: He was diagnosed with leukemia. The day he was diagnosed, the doctor told him they would have to remove his spleen and that he had a slim chance of survival. One day later, a new, experimental treatment for his type of leukemia was announced. He was transferred to a hospital in San Diego where he stayed for two months. Five months after diagnosis, he still had his spleen and was cancer-free.
In 2000, he moved to far north California to be closer to family. A few years later, with friends, he formed the North State Song Writing Group. The group has more than fifty members and helps organize gigs, give advice to new songwriters, and share ideas about music.
Everyday, Ciampi brings his musical expertise and positive attitude into his community as a music teacher. He teaches guitar, piano, bass, and violin. He also ventures where few other music teachers care tread: songwriting. His students especially enjoy his open-mindedness, his relaxed demeanor, and his ability to make music fun. He says, “I just try to push them towards whatever makes them happy and feels good.”
This Is Nick
