Not every professional musician starts playing an instrument at a young age. Some start right before high school.
Guitarist and singer Cam Pyle began learning about music in the eighth grade. He began with the guitar and eventually progressed to vocals.
Pyle’s inspiration for learning guitar was MTV in the ’80s. A lot of the music at the time was heavy metal, which frequently included guitar solos. The performers’ energy and style appealed to Pyle and encouraged him to follow in their footsteps.
“Everybody thought guitar playing was cool,” Pyle said. “So, I wanted to do that.”
Pyle started his first band when he was 15 years old. He and his band performed at fairs and school clubs. The opportunity to perform live for a crowd helped Pyle improve his skills.
Pyle graduated from LSU in 1993 with a degree in marketing. He was unsure of his career path but knew that playing music was something he could see himself doing for the rest of his life.
Over the past 36 years, Pyle has continued playing in different groups. The most important to him has been his own band, The Cam Pyle Band.
Pyle started his band back in 2000. Since then, he has been performing for different venues around Baton Rouge, making a name for himself. He frequents Superior Bar & Grill in MidCity located at 5435 Government St.
Pyle plays roughly four to five gigs a week and is often called back to perform in the same locations. His band performs covers of popular music from the ’60s to present day.
When he was asked what inspired him to continue being a musician, Pyle said, “instant gratification.” The feeling of being appreciated draws him to the stage, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People were so desperate for music and live entertainment,” Pyle said. “We were treated like heroes when we would play just a solo acoustic set.”
The different paths music took Pyle down have opened his life to many different opportunities. When he’s not playing music, Pyle works as a real-estate agent in Baton Rouge. He owns Capital Real Estate and has been in business since 2018.
It is clear, though, that music is Pyle’s passion. For nearly 4 decades, Pyle has dedicated any time he finds to music and performing. And there’s no sign of him stopping any time soon.
