He writes the popular monthly column "Vinyl Treasures" for Guitar Player Magazine[2] Campilongo was born in South San Francisco, California.

He studied guitar in San Francisco with Bunnie Gregoire, who taught him to embrace many genres of music, including the work of jazz guitarist George Van Eps and country singer John Denver.

When Campilongo was seventeen he began performing with local bands Radio City, the Rick Slyter Group, The Chromatics, Nancie and the Neighbors and went on to play with Marcus Fillinger and the San Francisco “World Beat” scene that led to a stint in the Renegades of Funk.

After winning a Bammie for Outstanding Americana/Roots Artist,[4] four solo records and countless club and festival performances, Campilongo pulled up stakes.

He has played with Al Anderson, Bright Eyes, Cake, J. J. Cale, Steve Cardenas, Burning Spear, Chris Cheek, Nels Cline, Patrick Stewart, Charlie Hunter, Adam Levy, Sunny Ozell, Peter Rowan, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright and Norah Jones Campilongo released Orange in 2010.

GUITARIST UK wrote ”…a musical balm for troubled times..." "...Chopin meets Chet in dreamland..." "...as the effect is by turns sincere, strange and beautiful" and the LP was featured in Guitar Player “STRINGED VICTORY”  “…a record forged in shared aspirations, experience, respect, and heart…” “…Campilongo and Benedetti are enormously accomplished players with massive creative palettes” “…one of the many delights of Two Guitars is that you can hear the rapport of the two guitarists unfold right before you on every track…”[10] In 2023 Jim released a duo record with Steve Cardenas (Paul Motion, Charlie Haden)out on Sunnyside Record.

Together they conceived the Jim Campilongo T Model guitar based on the design of a Duosonic with a Firebird humbucking pickup in neck position along with a gold anodized pickguard.