Sit Back Listen & "Stay" A While

WITH LOCAL MUSICIAN CALEB GAMBLE

By Scott Berson

When you think of all the gigging musicians out there, the folks who can pick up a guitar and strum through a few hits in the back corner of the bar, many may come to mind – and then there’s Caleb Gamble.

Sure, he’s made the rounds, and he still makes them – playing for folks at the breweries in Opelika, at the pubs and sports bars and restaurants in Columbus.

Caleb delivers a sincere and powerful sound that turns heads and makes people stop and listen.

Caleb Gamble

The local guitarist has technical chops aplenty, but it’s his voice and presence that reel people in with a luscious, intimate tone that pulls you into the song, further and further.

Gamble grew up in Box Springs before moving to Columbus as a teen, where he taught himself piano and bass. He got a scholarship to study music at Chattahoochee Valley Community College, then went to Florida for further studies.

playing at Luke's Pub in Ellerslie, Ga

“I played in bands until I was about 19 or 20, and then I moved to Florida for those few years. I moved back to Columbus when I was around 25. I started playing around town, and I’ve been playing ever since,” he said.

He’s not picky about the type of music he plays – if it feels right, he can make it work, especially if it can get people up and moving.

“I like to play stuff that’s more rhythmic and has more groove to it. Dave Matthews is a big influence because his acoustic patterns were always fun to play on guitar. I was a huge Rush fan back when I played bass. It changes. One week I like to play certain stuff, then another week I play something else. I like to write a song and whatever happens to come out is what works.”

Photo By Sammie Saxon

The joy of writing – of creating something new and sharing it with the world – is one of his favorite things about being a musician.

“I love to write, to try to get something out there that didn’t exist before,” Gamble said. “I’ve got a ton of songs, half of them I don’t know what to do with, and sometimes I like them and sometimes not. That’s the process, and I love every bit of it.”

Normally on his own with an acoustic guitar and a mic, his original single, “Stay,” is a powerful, heartfelt and musically-rich ballad of love and loss that adds a huge range of new musical ideas, including some killer saxophone riffs from Charles Robinson, or “Big Saxy”.

The song was originally meant to be the starting point of work on a full album. But as “Stay” was released in 2020 – those plans, like so many, were shuttered for the time being. If all goes well, however, those plans may be back on track.

“We’re hoping to start again in August,” he said, “Put a few more songs down and make an EP.”

An album release could be an interesting checkpoint in Gamble’s career. With a brother pursuing a successful music career in Nashville, Gamble said there may come a time when he decides to take a leap elsewhere. But for now, he’s glad to be here in Columbus and the Valley, sharing his talent with the community.

“My brother keeps telling me I need to move up to Nashville,” Gamble said. “There’s that possibility in the future. But with the advent of the internet, music can get out there anywhere, you don’t have to be in a really big town anymore quite as much as you used to. If something ever came about it would be amazing, that’d be really cool. But honestly, for now I’m just trying to write songs, get them recorded, and see if people like them.”

Photo By Sammie Saxon

You can find out more about Caleb, listen to “Stay” and keep up to date on his gigs at facebook.com/ calebandthegamblers.