Moving forward: Country singer Craig Campbell releases 'Lost Files,' sets Albuquerque show

A decade can pass by in a blink of an eye, yet it

also amounts to a

good amount of time.

Over the course of 10 years, country singer Craig Campbell worked on the double album, “The Lost Files: Exhibit B.”

It’s now released and Campbell is touring in support of it.

“It was a challenging 10 years,” he says of the process. “The songs were recorded with previous records. I was able to find them again because they were almost lost. I’d written many of these songs back in 2013. The tracks on the double album represent the last 10 years of my life. It’s a pretty cool thing to have them back.”

Campbell is headed out on tour, and will make a stop at the Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Known for balancing traditional values and modern industry trends, his singles include, “Family Man,” “Keep Them Kisses Comin’,” “Tomorrow Tonight,” “Outskirts of Heaven,” “See You Try” and more.

He parted from Broken Bow Records and is releasing music on his own.

“It’s been great to have a new chapter,” he says. “I’ve always worked hard with everything I do. This is no different.”

Music was always at the forefront for Campbell.

As a child, he began playing his mother’s piano and singing in church.

Moving forward: Country singer Craig Campbell releases 'Lost Files,' sets Albuquerque show

After graduating high school, he took a job as a corrections officer in his hometown of Lyons, Georgia.

Music never left his side.

Taking a cue from the sounds of classic country and idols like Travis Tritt and Randy Travis, Campbell started a band and played local and national bar gigs. When the guitar player quit, Campbell took that as a sign to chase his dreams all the way to Nashville, Tennessee.

With two rolls of quarters and a roll of dimes given to him by his mother for gas money, Campbell barely made it into town.

That was back in 2002. Since then, he’s navigated his career the grassroots way – with a lot of hard work.

The country singer has also never stopped writing and searches for songs that will last.

“This album has a lot of songs,” he says. “I loved them when I wrote them. It feels like they stood the test of time. I loved them back then, and I love them now. I felt like the songs needed to be released because they needed to be heard. Each of the songs has the potential to connect with someone.”

When Campbell makes a stop in Albuquerque, the performance will be an acoustic set.

“I’ll be playing the songs that people will recognize from the radio,” he says. “Then I’ll sprinkle in some of the new ones. There’s only one song that I had to change a lyric just because it dated it a little.”

Campbell is eager to return to New Mexico for his performance.

He used to perform at Caravan East decades ago.

“New Mexico always felt like a little bit of home,” he says. “The support has always been great, and I’m excited for people to hear all the music that went unheard for the last decade. The new chapter is being written as we speak.”