Glen Campbell

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Glen Campbell 22.04.1936 - 08.08.2017

Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936-August 8, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, television host, and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting a music and comedy variety show called "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" on CBS television, from January 1969 until June 1972. He released over 70 albums in a career that spanned five decades, selling over 45 million records worldwide, including twelve gold albums, four platinum albums, and one double-platinum album.

Raised in Arkansas, Campbell began his professional career as a studio musician in Los Angeles, spending several years playing with the group of instrumentalists later known as "The Wrecking Crew". After becoming a solo artist, he placed a total of 80 different songs on either the Billboard Country Chart, Billboard Hot 100, or Adult Contemporary Chart, of which 29 made the top 10 and of which nine reached number one on at least one of those charts. Among Campbell's hits are "Universal Soldier", his first hit from 1965, along with "Gentle on My Mind" (1967), "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (1967), "Wichita Lineman" (1968), "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife" (1968), "Galveston" (1969), "Rhinestone Cowboy" (1975) and "Southern Nights" (1977).

In 1967, Campbell won four Grammys in the country and pop categories. For "Gentle on My Mind", he received two awards in country and western; "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" did the same in pop. Three of his early hits later won Grammy Hall of Fame Awards (2000, 2004, 2008), while Campbell himself won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He owned trophies for Male Vocalist of the Year from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and took the CMA's top award as 1968 Entertainer of the Year. Campbell played a supporting role in the film "True Grit" (1969), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. He also sang the title song, which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Press Reports

Nash Country Daily | by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | December 1, 2017

Glen Campbell’s Will Reportedly Excludes 3 of His 8 Children From His $50 Million Estate

Country Music Hall of Fame member Glen Campbell, who died on August 8, specifically excluded three of his children from his will, according to the Tennessean.

According to the report, Glen, who was married four times and fathered eight children, excluded daughter Kelli and sons William Travis and Wesley Kane from his 2006 will. Glen’s fourth wife, Kim, is named as the executor.

According to the court filings, Glen’s five other children are Debra Cloyd and Dillon, Nicklaus, Shannon and Ashley Campbell.

A hearing on the will is scheduled for Jan. 18 before Davidson Probate Judge David “Randy” Kennedy.

Glen’s estate is estimated to be worth $50 million.

photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame

Nash Country Daily | by Jason Simanek | August 11, 2017

Glen Campbell Laid to Rest in Arkansas

Country icon Glen Campbell was laid to rest on Wednesday, Aug. 9, during a private ceremony in his hometown of Delight, Arkansas.

The news was announced by the official Glen Campbell Facebook account on Thursday with a message from the Campbell family thanking everyone for their “enormous outpouring of love and support.”

Glen Campbell (Official) on Thursday

The Campbell family would like to thank everyone for their enormous outpouring of love and support. Glen was laid to rest on Wednesday in a private ceremony in his hometown of Delight, AR. A private memorial will follow.

Nash Country Daily | by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | August 8, 2017

Country Music Hall of Famer Glen Campbell Has Died at 81

Glen Campbell, country music’s “Rhinestone Cowboy,” died today (Aug. 8) following a long fight against Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81 years old.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and legendary singer and guitarist, Glen Travis Campbell, at the age of 81, following his long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease,” the singer’s family said in a statement.

A renowned singer, songwriter and guitarist, Glen had an easy way with a song, effortlessly conveying a wealth of emotion in just a single line or guitar lick. Born April 22, 1936, in Delight, Ark., Glen made his way west to Los Angeles, where he became an in demand studio musician. He was a member of the anonymous but nonetheless legendary Wrecking Crew, a group of players who performed the music on albums by the Byrds, the Monkees and the Beach Boys, among others.

Glen, in fact, would join the Beach Boys as a touring musician in the ’60s when the group’s troubled genius Brian Wilson ceased traveling.

But it was with his own solo career that Glen had his greatest success. In 1967, he released the album "Gentle on My Mind", the title track of which cracked the Top 40. It was the following year, however, with the release of the albums "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Wichita Lineman", when Glen truly broke out. The title songs of both efforts would result in two of Glen’s biggest hits, with “Wichita Lineman” becoming Glen’s signature song until the release of 1975’s iconic “Rhinestone Cowboy.” (Glen and Kim Campbell)

It was that song, a crossover No. 1 on both the pop and country charts, that came to define Glen and revitalized his career, following a somewhat fallow period in the early ’70s.

In addition to his musical stardom, Glen also gained attention as a TV personality, hosting The Glen Campbell Good Time Hour variety show from 1969 to 1972. Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, The Monkees and Linda Ronstadt were among the diverse acts who appeared on the series. Glen’s good looks and smooth on-camera persona also helped him land a handful of film roles, most notably opposite John Wayne in 1969’s True Grit.

As the new era of country music dawned in the late ’90s and 2000s, Glen was continually cited by today’s stars as an influence, including most vocally, Keith Urban. In 2005, Glen was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In 2008, he released an album of cover songs, "Meet Glen Campbell", and the haunting "Ghost on the Canvas" in 2011. The latter came on the heels of Glen’s admission at age 75 that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He launched a farewell tour that same year and, in 2013, announced that he would no longer tour.

In June, Glen released his final studio album, "Adiós", a collection of mainly cover songs by Bob Dylan, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson and others, recorded after his farewell tour.

Glen is survived by his wife, Kim Campbell of Nashville; their three children, Cal, Shannon and Ashley; his children from previous marriages, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane, and Dillon; 10 grandchildren, great- and great-greatgrandchildren; sisters Barbara, Sandra, and Jane; and brothers John Wallace “Shorty” and Gerald.

Nash Country Daily | by Bob Paxman | August 8, 2017

Glen Campbell: His Courageous Fight with Alzheimer’s Disease

Originally published in the June 24, 2013 issue of Country Weekly magazine.

His wife, Kim, reveals that his memory loss has become more pronounced and his vocabulary has decreased significantly. He requires constant attention and cannot be left alone for even the smallest snippets of time. He can be prone to agitated, turbulent behavior that Kim describes as “scary.” But Glen also manages to stay healthy and active, playing golf with friends at Malibu Country Club and going for walks with Kim or other family members.

In this exclusive, personal story, Kim; Glen and Kim’s daughter Ashley; Glen’s producer Julian Raymond; and Glen himself share their feelings and insights with Country Weekly about living with Alzheimer’s, how Glen’s illness has affected their daily lives, what behaviors they notice and, perhaps most important, what the future holds for the Country Music Hall of Famer and his family.

“Something was really wrong”

Glen’s official diagnosis came in 2011, but certain disturbing signs were already beginning to manifest prior to that announcement. Kim looks back to 10 years earlier, when she started to notice Glen behaving in a wildly erratic manner. “He was experiencing anxiety and it was so unusual,” begins Kim, who’s been married to Glen since 1982. “He didn’t want to go on the road. Sometimes, he would have panic attacks and start crying. When I would ask him what was wrong, he would just say, ‘I don’t know.’ Unbeknownst to me,” Kim adds after a lengthy pause, “Glen had begun drinking again.” Glen had battled alcohol and chemical dependency for nearly 20 years until marrying Kim and apparently getting his life straight. The couple moved to Phoenix early in their marriage, which seemed to signal a new and certainly sober direction for Glen. But in 2003, he was arrested in Phoenix for drunk driving and assaulting a police officer after a hit-and-run incident. Glen later apologized to his fans for the arrest and his behavior.

Kim picks up the thread of the story. “After that whole episode, he voluntarily went to the Betty Ford Clinic for about 30 days,” she recalls. “When you get admitted there, they put you through psychological testing and ask you all kinds of questions. And they noticed that something was really wrong. He didn’t understand the questions, he couldn’t keep track of anything and they recommended that I take him to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale [Ariz.].” Glen saw a neurologist who diagnosed him with mild cognitive impairment, often cited as a transitional stage between the normal aging process and the more serious onset of dementia. Kim explains, “I was told that sometimes it could develop into Alzheimer’s but doesn’t always. We didn’t know what to expect.”

Progressively, though, the situation grew further troubling. “About a year later [after the arrest], he asked me where something was and I said it was in the garage,” Kim says. “And he said, ‘What’s a garage?’ So, I’m like, ‘What do you mean? We’ve been living in this house for eight years.’ There were other weird things like that.” Mostly, Glen exhibited more moments of forgetfulness, such as getting up at a restaurant and being completely unable to find his way back to his table. “Those kinds of things became more frequent,” Kim says. “We were definitely worried.”

“It’s a roller coaster”

Glen and Kim moved to Southern California in 2005 to be closer to daughter Ashley, who was attending Pepperdine University. Ashley, a musician herself, accompanied her dad, along with Glen’s sons Cal and Shannon, on the 2011Goodbye Tour. She now lives in Nashville and is pursuing a musical career with her brother Shannon in the folk outfit Victoria Ghost. But up until this past year, she lived with her parents in their Malibu home to help tend to Glen. Recently, she made an impassioned speech at a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., for more funding for Alzheimer’s research. With Glen seated next to her, Ashley tearfully told the committee that “someday, my dad might look at me and I will be absolutely nothing to him.” (One would have to exhibit an almost inhuman steely countenance to not be moved by her testimony.)

Though she no longer sees her dad on a day-to-day basis, Ashley can recall incidents similar to those described by her mom. “Onstage when we toured, he would sometimes forget the words to his own songs and it got harder for him to follow along,” she notes in a halting voice. “He would look at me and I would smile at him to make him more comfortable if he got a little confused. Sometimes, I would mouth the words or prompt him for the guitar solo if he was supposed to do one. We also had some visual cues, some not so subtle,” she adds with a good-natured laugh. “For the most part, he did great.” Certainly, when Glen was onstage, he transformed back into the superstar whose recordings of “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Southern Nights” and others made him a crossover favorite. “He became ‘Glen Campbell’ again,” Ashley says. “The actual playing of the show and the energy he got from the fans kept him going.”

But Ashley will also admit that living with someone with Alzheimer’s can be a true strength-tester. “It’s a roller coaster, a very emotional one,” Ashley says. “You never know what you’re gonna get. On the one hand, that’s my dad so it’s great to spend time with him and be in his work environment.” At that, Ashley pauses, as if trying to stifle a tear. “But it’s also heartbreaking to see this disease robbing him of what he does best.”

Kim can attest to the “roller coaster” environment. “He suffers side

Two years ago, Glen Campbell came forward with a powerful, completely candid announcement that rippled throughout the entertainment world. With wife Kim by his side, Glen revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, which eventually robs one of memory. It’s an unpredictable illness of which there is no known cure, a frightening prospect for anyone, much less a renowned and influential entertainer of Glen’s magnitude. But the family decided to make the announcement because they planned for Glen to embark on a series of farewell concerts, billed as the Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour, which kicked off later in 2011. Glen was also preparing to release a new album, "Ghost on the Canvas", in August. They simply wanted the public to know that Glen was ill and might not be making music in the foreseeable future.

Two years after the diagnosis, Glen, now 77, indeed fights a daily battle with this disease.

effects from Alzheimer’s like anxiety, depression and agitation,” she says. “Agitation can mean anything, like being frustrated that he

can’t shut the drapery. One time, he couldn’t use the television remote. He knew what it was but couldn’t figure out how to use it.

And he got so agitated that he threw the remote at the television. That was pretty scary.”

Glen also has trouble remembering where certain rooms are in the home and often has difficulty with the simplest of tasks, such as turning a light switch on or off. He also has bouts of paranoia, though those have diminished somewhat after a change of medication. Managing a laugh, Kim recalls one particular incident. “He thought that somebody at the country club was stealing his golf clubs,” Kim says lightheartedly. “And of course they weren’t, but he had it in his mind that somebody was after his golf clubs and was taking them.”

Ironically, golf represents the “up” side of the roller coaster ride. “He has a great friend who lives down the street and picks him up just about every day and they play golf together at Malibu Country Club,” Kim says with particular delight in her voice. “Glen just really enjoys it and everyone there is so kind and sweet to him. It’s good for him. It keeps him active.”

A Chat with Glen

In the midst of Kim’s conversation with Country Weekly, almost on cue, Glen returns from the golf course. After greeting her husband, Kim hands Glen the telephone to speak with CW. “Well hello, how’s it going?” says the voice on the other end. When asked about his day, Glen readily answers that he’s just played a round of golf with his buddy. “Yeah, it was fun,” Glen says in a high-pitched voice. “I hit them all over the place.” Glen stops for a moment as some background noise interferes with his hearing. Kim is having some remodeling done at the home and the workers are creating a bit of a stir. “Women are always doing that for some reason,” Glen says, getting back on the phone. His speech is somewhat blurry but mostly understandable, and he tends to repeat the same phrase, which is a sign of the illness. One’s vocabulary starts to diminish as the disease progresses. After we wish him good fortune, Glen brightly answers, “Well, thank you, man, I appreciate it.”

That meant a lot to him,” Kim says, returning to the phone.

What the Future Holds

Glen recently announced that he will no longer be touring. But a final album, "See You There", is slated to hit stores and online outlets Aug. 13. The album consists of reworkings of some of Glen’s most popular tunes, including “Wichita Lineman” and “Rhinestone Cowboy,” recorded during the same sessions for his 2011 studio album, "Ghost on the Canvas". Julian Raymond, who produced "Ghost on the Canvas" along with 2008’s acclaimed "Meet Glen Campbell", has seen his old friend through the tough times and still visits Glen on occasion. It hurts to see this once-prolific man, an icon to today’s stars like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and others, in his present state. But Julian is also glad to have Glen around.

“We have such an amazing bond,” he says. “We became friends through the music and he would always call, just to check on you. No other reason - he just wanted to see how you were doing. And now the sad thing is,” Julian adds, “I don’t get those phone calls anymore. I see him every couple of weeks but he doesn’t know my name anymore and they have to tell him who I am. So it has regressed to that. But, obviously, we knew this would happen. I’m just happy to be around him and will visit as many times as I can. He still looks good and is very healthy.”

Julian is also working with producer James Keach (Walk the Line) on a documentary about Glen’s battle with Alzheimer’s and his Goodbye Tour. “It’s going to be groundbreaking and will open people’s eyes to the disease,” Julian notes. “Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney are on the film and it’s pretty heartwarming stuff.”

Kim Campbell doesn’t try to harbor any delusions about Glen’s condition. The tear-shedding stopped a while ago and she remains remarkably calm when she speaks about Glen. “You have to be patient with it,” she says. “Once you understand that it’s a medical condition, you become a little more compassionate. You get less frustrated. For example, they can’t follow a string of directions. If he asks where the bathroom is, you can’t say, ‘Go down the hall and turn left,’ because he’ll go down the hall and that’s the only thing he’ll remember. At one time, I might have gone, ‘Well, just look for it.’ But you can’t do that. So you have to do instructions in stages.”

Perhaps the saddest effect of Alzheimer’s is the reduction of an adult to an almost childlike state. “We never leave him alone,” Kim says. “I’ve got the house fenced so he won’t wander off and go down the street. And there are things they do that are not safe. One night, I left some medicine that I take on a table and he went over and took some of it.”

Kim pauses when asked what the future holds for Glen and the family. Basically, she says with an air of resignation, that’s a question that can’t be answered with any certainty. “I don’t know what is in store for the future,” she says in an even-handed manner. “I just go day to day and try to keep him happy and healthy. He is my life.” CW

Nash Country Daily | by NCD Staff | August 9, 2017

The Stories Behind 5 of Glen Campbell’s Biggest Hits,

Including “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Gentle On My Mind” & More

An accomplished guitarist, Glen Campbell was a highly sought-after session player who performed on recordings by the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Merle Haggard before becoming a successful solo artist known for his uncanny ability to pick great songs. Below are the stories behind five of Glen’s most popular songs: “Gentle On My Mind,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.”

«Gentle On My Mind»

In the late 1960s, few artists carried a plate as full of activity as Glen. He had set his sights on a solo career, but was coming up empty in the search for a breakout hit song. Finally, on his way to a recording session, Glen found the song that would help launch him to solo stardom.

I was listening to a Los Angeles country music station,” Glen recalled, “and heard a low voice singing a song called ‘Gentle on My Mind,’ and it really stuck. The song had such a freshness of spirit, I thought.”

Glen recorded “Gentle on My Mind” on May 17, 1967, at the Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood, Calif., and he recalled that the song truly changed his life and career path. “Gentle on My Mind” hit big on both the country and pop charts, copped three Grammy awards, including Best Country & Western Song, and helped establish Glen as a true crossover artist.

«Rhinestone Cowboy»

“Rhinestone Cowboy” became a No. 1 hit for Glen on Aug. 23, 1975, but he recalled hearing the tune on the radio a year earlier.

“It was sung by [the song’s writer] Larry Weiss, and I bought a cassette copy,” Glen noted. Glen wanted to cut the song and told a label executive, “I’ve got to do this song I found. I won’t take no for an answer.” His demand led to an incredible coincidence. The executive agreed to listen to the song if Glen would listen to something he had found for him. The tune in question was “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Glen said, “That was a sign that the song had to be right for me.” Glen especially loved the line in the first verse, There’s been a load of compromisin’ on the road to my horizon.

“I thought it was my autobiography set to song,” he said. “Rhinestone Cowboy” became a popular crossover hit for Glen, as it also reached No. 1 on the pop charts. On top of that, Glen’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” album topped the country charts in September of 1975.

«Southern nights»

«Wichita Lineman»

“I listen for chord progression, melody, a good lyric that says something— and something positive,” noted Glen. “I think Jimmy Webb writes probably the best melodies and chord progressions of anybody that I’ve ever heard, including the greats. He’s my very favorite writer of all time.”

Jimmy delivered to Glen such hits as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “I Wanna Live.” But the Webb‑penned “Wichita Lineman” positively electrified listeners around the country, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 3 on the pop chart.

“‘Wichita Lineman’ is the song that brought me stardom,” says Glen. “It’s my favorite ballad. I cried when he played it. The song’s loneliness grabs you. Jimmy was driving through the nothingness of Oklahoma and Kansas. He saw this lineman on a pole in the middle of nowhere. Those lyrics. I need you more than want you and I want you for all time. Boy, that lineman was really in love with somebody.”

And, fans proved they were really in love with the song. On Jan. 22, 1969, “Wichita Lineman” was officially certified as Glen’s first gold single. He would follow up with three more gold singles: “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.”

«Galveston»

Glen and songwriter Jimmy Webb enjoyed one of the great partnerships in musical history. But as Glen noted in his book, Rhinestone Cowboy: An Autobiography, he has often made slight alterations to Jimmy’s work, not in the actual lyrics but in the melodies and arrangements. “I changed ‘Phoenix’ somewhat, amending the chord progression at the end,” Glen recalled. “Jimmy has always teased me that it’s my obsession to tamper with his work.”

Glen, a superb musician as well as vocalist, put his ear to work again on another Jimmy Webb penned tune, “Galveston.” Glen heard the original version of “Galveston” and felt that the tempo was too slow. He decided to record the song at a much faster tempo. Jimmy recalled to Country Weekly magazine in 2010 that “Galveston” was more of a lament and was “meant to be a sad song. It’s about this guy who’s involved in a war and doesn’t want to be there and it is [also] about this woman back at home who’s waiting for him. But Glen changed the tempo and it became a huge record. He was a gifted arranger,” Jimmy added. “Galveston” debuted on the charts March 15, 1969, and went on to become the third No. 1 single of Glen’s career.

Glen Campbell scored his fifth career No. 1 country single when the bouncy “Southern Nights” captured the top spot on March 19, 1977. The song was written by New Orleans-based R&B great Allen Toussaint, who used childhood memories of his Louisiana relatives as the backdrop.

Glen, who grew up in rural Arkansas, identified with “Southern Nights” and recorded it in October of 1976, with slightly altered lyrics. The tune became the title track to his 1977 album, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was also recently included in the movie soundtrack for The Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2.

Nash Country Daily | by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | May 4, 2017

Listen to “Adiós” From Glen Campbell’s Final Studio Album

Glen Campbell will release his final studio album, "Adiós", on June 9.

"Adiós" was recorded at Station West in Nashville following Glen’s Goodbye Tour in 2012, which he launched after revealing he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Glen’s wife, Kim, revealed in March that Glen can no longer play guitar and struggles to sing. Glen, who turned 81 on April 22, is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Glen’s new 12-track offering features songs that he always loved but never got a chance to record, including several from Jimmy Webb, who wrote hits such as “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to

Phoenix” and “Galveston.” In addition to the title track, “Adiós,” first popularized by Linda Ronstadt, Glen also sings Jimmy’s “Just Like Always” and “It Won’t Bring Her Back.”

Glen also puts his spin on several classic songs, including “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right,” inspired by Jerry Reed’s version of Bob Dylan’s timeless tune. Glen sings Roger Miller’s “Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me),” which begins with a home recording of Roger singing the tune at a guitar pull before going into Glen’s version with Vince Gill on harmonies. Glen joins his old pal Willie Nelson for a duet of Willie’s 1968 “Funny How Time Slips Away.”

Above, listen to Glen’s rendition of “Adiós,” a tune Linda Ronstadt took to No. 9 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in 1990.

Background information From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early life

Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936 in Billstown, a tiny community near Delight in Pike County, Arkansas, to John Wesley (a sharecropper) and Carrie Dell (Stone) Campbell. Campbell was of Scottish descent and was the seventh son of 12 children. The family lived on a farm where they barely got by growing cotton, corn, watermelons and potatoes. "We had no electricity," he said, and money was scarce. "A dollar in those days looked as big as a saddle blanket." To supplement income the family picked cotton for more successful farmers. "I picked cotton for $1.25 a hundred pounds," said Campbell. "If you worked your tail off, you could pick 80 or 90 pounds a day."

Campbell started playing guitar at age four after his uncle Boo gave him a Sears-bought five-dollar guitar as a gift, with his uncle teaching him the basics of how to play. Most of his family was musical, he said. "Back home, everybody plays and sings." By the time he was six he was performing on local radio stations.

Campbell continued playing guitar in his youth, with no formal training, and practiced when he was not working in the cotton fields. He developed his talent by listening to radio and records, and considered Django Reinhardt among his most admired guitarists, later calling him "the most awesome player I ever heard." He dropped out of school at 14 to work in Houston alongside his brothers, installing insulation and later working at a gas station.

Not satisfied with that kind of unskilled work, Campbell started playing music at fairs and church picnics and singing gospel hymns in the church choir. He was able to find spots performing on local radio stations and after his parents moved to Houston, he made some appearances at a local nightclub.

In 1954, at age 17, Campbell moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to join his uncle's band, known as Dick Bills and the Sandia Mountain Boys. He also appeared there on his uncle's radio show and on K Circle B Time, the local children's program on KOB television. It was there that he met his first wife, whom he married when he was 17 and she was 16.

Career

1960-66: Early career

In 1960, Campbell moved to Los Angeles to become a session musician. That October 1960 he joined The Champs. By January 1961, Campbell had found a daytime job at publishing company American Music, writing songs and recording demos. Because of these demos Campbell soon was in demand as a session musician and became part of a group of studio musicians later known as The Wrecking Crew.

Campbell played on recordings by Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, The Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Jan and Dean, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector. He befriended Presley when he helped record the soundtrack for Viva Las Vegas in 1964. He later said, "Elvis and I were brought up the same humble way – picking cotton and looking at the north end of a south-bound mule."

In May 1961, he left the Champs and was subsequently signed by Crest Records, a subsidiary of American Music. His first solo release, "Turn Around, Look at Me", a moderate success, peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. Campbell also formed the Gee Cees with former bandmembers from the Champs, performing at the Crossbow Inn in Van Nuys. The Gee Cees, too, released a single on Crest, the instrumental "Buzz Saw", which did not chart.

In 1962, Campbell signed with Capitol Records. After minor initial success with "Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry", his first single for the label, and "Kentucky Means Paradise", released by the Green River Boys featuring Glen Campbell, a string of unsuccessful singles and albums followed. By 1963 his playing and singing were heard on 586 recorded songs. He never learned to read music, but besides guitar, he could play the banjo, mandolin and bass.

From 1964 on, Campbell began to appear on television as a regular on Star Route, a syndicated series hosted by Rod Cameron, ABC's Shindig!, and Hollywood Jamboree.

From December 1964 to early March 1965, Campbell was a touring member of the Beach Boys (image underneath), filling in for Brian Wilson, playing bass guitar and singing falsetto harmonies. He was replaced by Bruce Johnston, who became a long-term replacement for Brian onstage and full-time member of the band who tours with the current incarnation of the Beach Boys to this day.

In 1965, he had his biggest solo hit yet, reaching number 45 on the Hot 100 with a version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier". Asked about the pacifist message of the song, he said that "people who are advocating burning draft cards should be hung."

Campbell continued as a session musician, playing guitar on the Beach Boys' 1966 album "Pet Sounds", among other recordings. In April of that year, he joined Ricky Nelson on a tour through the Far East, again playing bass.

1967-72: «Burning Bridges» to «The Goodtime Hour»

When follow-up singles did not do well, and Capitol was considering dropping Campbell from the label in 1966, he was teamed with producer Al De Lory. Together, they first collaborated on "Burning Bridges" which became a top 20 country hit in early 1967, and the album of the same name. Campbell and De Lory collaborated again on 1967's "Gentle on My Mind", written by John Hartford, which was an overnight success. The song was followed by the bigger hit "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" later in 1967, and "I Wanna Live" and "Wichita Lineman" in 1968. Campbell won four Grammy Awards for his performances on "Gentle on My Mind" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".

In 1967, Campbell was also the uncredited lead vocalist on "My World Fell Down" by Sagittarius, a studio group. The song reached number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1968, Campbell released "Wichita Lineman", a song written by Jimmy Webb. It was recorded with backing from members of the Wrecking Crew [33] and appeared on his 1968 album of the same name. It reached number 3 on the US pop chart, remaining in the Top 100 for 15 weeks. In addition, the song also topped the American country music chart for two weeks, and the adult contemporary chart for six weeks.

The 1969 song "True Grit" by composer Elmer Bernstein and lyricist Don Black, and sung by Campbell, who co-starred in the movie, received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Song and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

The 1969 song "True Grit" by composer Elmer Bernstein and lyricist Don Black, and sung by Campbell, who co-starred in the movie, received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Song and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

After he hosted a 1968 summer replacement for television's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour variety show, Campbell hosted his own weekly variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, from January 1969 through June 1972. At the height of his popularity, a 1970 biography by Freda Kramer, The Glen Campbell Story, was published.

With Campbell's session-work connections, he hosted major names in music on his show, including The Beatles (on film), David Gates, Bread, The Monkees, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, and Mel Tillis. Campbell helped launch the careers of Anne Murray and Jerry Reed, who were regulars on his Goodtime Hour program.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Campbell released a long series of singles and appeared in the movies True Grit (1969) with John Wayne and Kim Darby and Norwood (1970) with Kim Darby and Joe Namath.

1973-79: «Rhinestone Cowboy» and «Southern Nights»

After the cancellation of his CBS series in 1972, Campbell remained a regular on network television. He co-starred in a made-for-television movie, Strange Homecoming (1974), with Robert Culp and up-and-coming teen idol, Leif Garrett. He hosted a number of television specials, including 1976's Down Home, Down Under with Olivia Newton-John. He co-hosted the American Music Awards from 1976–78 and headlined the 1979 NBC special Glen Campbell: Back to Basics with guest-stars Seals and Crofts and Brenda Lee. He was a guest on many network talk and variety shows, including: Donny & Marie, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Cher, the Redd Foxx Comedy Hour, The Merv Griffin Show, The Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack, DINAH!, Evening at Pops with Arthur Fiedler and The Mike Douglas Show. From 1982 to 1983, he hosted a 30-minute syndicated music show on NBC, The Glen Campbell Music Show.

In the mid-1970s, he had more hits with "Rhinestone Cowboy", "Southern Nights" (both U.S. number one hits), "Sunflower" (U.S. number 39) (written by Neil Diamond), and "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)" (U.S. number 11).

"Rhinestone Cowboy" was Campbell's largest-selling single, initially with over 2 million copies sold. Campbell had heard songwriter Larry Weiss' version while on tour of Australia in 1974. The main phrase of Campbell's recording was included in Dickie Goodman's Jaws movie parody song "Mr. Jaws". Both songs were in the October 4, 1975 Hot 100 top 10. "Rhinestone Cowboy" continues to be used in TV shows and films, including Desperate Housewives, Daddy Day Care, and High School High. It was the inspiration for the 1984 Dolly Parton/Sylvester Stallone movie Rhinestone. Campbell also made a techno/pop version of the song in 2002 with UK artists Rikki & Daz and went to the top 10 in the UK with the dance version and related music video.

"Southern Nights", by Allen Toussaint, his other number one pop-rock-country crossover hit, was generated with the help of Jimmy Webb, and Jerry Reed, who inspired the famous guitar lick introduction to the song, which was the most-played jukebox number of 1977.

From 1971 to 1983, Campbell was the celebrity host of the Los Angeles Open, an annual professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour.

1980-2011: Later career

Campbell made a cameo appearance in the 1980 Clint Eastwood movie "Any Which Way You Can", for which he recorded the title song.

From 1982 to 1983, he hosted a 30-minute syndicated music show, The Glen Campbell Music Show.

Campbell gave up smoking in March 1992, and believed it improved his singing voice. In 1991, Campbell voiced "Chanticleer the rooster" in Don Bluth's live action/animated film "RockaDoodle".

In 1999 he was featured on VH-1's "Behind the Music", and on A&E Network's Biography and a PBS "in concert" special in 2001. He also appeared on a number of CMT programs, where he ranked among their Greatest Men of Country Music.

He is credited with giving Alan Jackson his first big break after Jackson recorded with Campbell's music publishing business in the early 1990s. Campbell also served as an inspiration to Keith Urban, who cites Campbell as a strong influence on his performing career.

In 2005, Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was announced in April 2008 that Campbell was returning to his signature label, Capitol, to release his new album, Meet Glen Campbell. The album was released on August 19. With this album, he branched off in a different musical direction, covering tracks from artists such as Travis, U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, and Foo Fighters. It was Campbell's first release on Capitol in over 15 years. Musicians from Cheap Trick and Jellyfish contributed to the album as well. The first single, a cover of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", was released to radio in July 2008.

In 2005, Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was announced in April 2008 that Campbell was returning to his signature label, Capitol, to release his new album, "Meet Glen Campbell". The album was released on August 19. With this album, he branched off in a different musical direction, covering tracks from artists such as Travis, U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, and Foo Fighters. It was Campbell's first release on Capitol in over 15 years. Musicians from Cheap Trick and Jellyfish contributed to the album, as well. The first single, a cover of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", was released to radio in July 2008.

2011-2017: Illness and retirement

In March 2010, a farewell album titled "Ghost on the Canvas" was announced which served as a companion to Meet Glen Campbell (2008).

Following his late 2010 Alzheimer's diagnosis, Campbell embarked on a final "Goodbye Tour", with three of his children joining him in his backup band.

He was too ill to travel to Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2012. [47] His final show was on November 30, 2012, in Napa, California. After the end of the tour, Campbell entered the studio in Nashville to record what would be his final album, "Adiós", which would not be revealed until five years later. According to his wife, Kim Campbell, he wanted to preserve "what magic was left", in what would be his final recordings. In January 2013, Campbell recorded his final song, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You", during what would be his last recording sessions. The song, which is featured in the 2014 documentary, "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me", was released on September 30, 2014, with the documentary following on October 24. On January 15, 2015 Campbell and fellow songwriter Julian Raymond were nominated for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards.

On August 30, 2016, during the 10th Annual ACM Honors, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and others performed a medley of Glen Campbell's songs in tribute to him. His wife Kim Campbell accepted the Career Achievement Award on his behalf. Alice Cooper described him as being one of the five best guitar players in the music industry.

In April 2017, Campbell's final album, "Adiós", was announced, featuring twelve songs from his final "2012–13 sessions". The album was released on June 9, 2017. "Adios" was named by the UK's Official Charts Company as the best-selling country/Americana album of 2017 in Britain.

Personal life

Relationships and children

Campbell was married four times, and fathered five sons and three daughters, ranging in year of birth from 1956 to 1986. Campbell's eldest daughter is Debby, from his marriage (1955-1959) to Diane Kirk. After divorcing Kirk, Campbell married Billie Jean Nunley, an Albuquerque beautician, who gave birth to Kelli, Travis, and Kane. Billie Campbell filed for divorce in 1975, and their divorce was final in 1976. He married singer Mac Davis's second wife, Sarah Barg, in September 1976. They had one child named Dillon and divorced in 1980.

After his divorce from Barg, Campbell began a relationship with fellow country artist Tanya Tucker. The relationship was marked by frequent tabloid gossip and articles. The couple recorded a number of songs together, including the single "Dream Lover", and they performed the national anthem together at the 1980 Republican National Convention.

Campbell married Kimberly "Kim" Woollen (image, right) in 1982. The couple met on a blind date in 1981 when Woollen was a Radio City Music Hall "Rockette". Together, they had three children: Cal, Shannon, and Ashley. All three joined Campbell on stage, starting in 2010, as part of his touring band.

Religion

Campbell was raised in the Church of Christ, Baptist. In the 1980s, he joined a Baptist church in Phoenix along with his wife Kim. In a 2008 interview, they said that they had been adherents of Messianic Judaism for two decades.

Alcoholism and drug addiction

Campbell began having problems with alcoholism and cocaine addiction in the 1970s. Campbell credited his fourth wife Kim with helping him turn his life around. Campbell eventually stopped drinking alcohol and taking drugs in 1987 but relapsed in 2003. He pleaded guilty to drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident and spent 10 days in jail in Arizona.

Politics

On The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour television show, Campbell avoided political topics. Around this time, in interviews he described himself as "a registered Democrat" but also said he "voted Republican a few times," and he performed in support of both Republican and Democratic politicians. Campbell performed the National Anthem at the 1980 Republican National Convention and continued to make a number of campaign appearances for Republican candidates during the 1980s and 1990s.

Death, legacy and tributes

In June 2011, Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease six months earlier. He became a patient at an Alzheimer's long-term care and treatment facility in 2014. That same year Campbell was featured in the documentary I'LL BE ME which examined Alzheimer's and how it affected his musical performances during his final tour across the United States with his wife, Kim, and family. Campbell died in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 8, 2017, at the age of 81. He was buried in the Campbell family cemetery in Billstown, Arkansas.

Tributes and acclaim

Following the announcement of Campbell's death, fellow musicians, friends and fans expressed their condolences, and noted his music legacy. Recording Academy president Neil Portnow praised him for having been "an American treasure" whose songs, guitar work and "dazzling showmanship shot him to superstardom in the 1960s," to make him one of the most successful music artists in history. Tributes poured in from countless others in the industry, including Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, comedy writer and actor Steve Martin, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton, Lenny Kravitz, and Anne Murray. Campbell's former partner Tanya Tucker wrote and released a song in his honor, "Forever Loving You."

Jimmy Webb, who wrote many of Campbell's hits and worked with him throughout his life, said that Campbell could play with "any guitar player in the world, from George Benson to Eric Clapton," adding that Paul McCartney considered him among the best guitar players. "People will realize what an extraordinary genius Glen really was," Webb told ABC News.

The Country Music Television Channel (CMT) aired a special about his career a few days after his death. Other networks were also "lining up to honor his life and brilliant legacy," to include interviews with Keith Urban, Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton, among others.

Campbell's daughter Ashley was invited to perform at the O2 Arena in London as part of the C2C: Country to Country festival. Her set on the main stage was billed as a special tribute to her father.

Loss of material

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Glen Campbell among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Discography and videography

Campbell recorded and released 60 studio albums and six live albums between 1962 and 2017. He also lent his vocals to four soundtracks for motion pictures: "True Grit" (1969), "Norwood" (1970), "RockaDoodle" (1992), and the 2014 documentary film "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me". He placed a total of 82 singles (one of which was a re-release) on either the Billboard Country Chart, the Billboard Hot 100, or the Adult Contemporary Chart, nine of which peaked at number one on at least one of those charts. He released 15 video albums and featured in 21 music videos. His first two music videos, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Wichita Lineman", were directed by Gene Weed in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Campbell released his final music video, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You", in 2014 to coincide with the release of the documentary "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me". His final studio album, "Adiós", was released on June 9, 2017.

In May of 2019, it was announced that Glen Campbell’s ‘Legacy’ Box Set was to be reissued and expanded. [