Remembering ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ Glen Campbell

It was Glen Campbell himself who made preparations for what he anticipated would be a long, difficult goodbye after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2010. He embarked on his final tour which reached up to 151 sold-out shows in the US. This was documented in the inspiring film Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, which told of his struggle with his illness. He recorded his final album, a poignant collection aptly titled Adios. Then he came out at the 2012 Grammy Awards for a goodbye performance of his hit Rhinestone Cowboy. 

From then on, his fans knew it was just a matter of time. Still, news of the end was received with a collective sigh all over the world. Campbell died last Aug. 8 at the age of 81 in Nashville, Tennessee. And along with the news came the remembering, a look- back at the music of this man, which was as much a part of our lives as The Beatles or The Beach Boys or The Carpenters or other greats. He was a living legend, one of the very few artists who crossed over from country to dominate pop music with his charming farmboy looks, sweet tenor voice and succession of hits.

Campbell was born in Arkansas, the seventh child in a sharecropper’s family of 12. But he was not destined to pick cotton or grow watermelons all his life. After learning to play the guitar whichever way he could, he was performing in fairs at the age of 14 and in his uncle’s radio show when he was 17. He moved to Los Angeles when he was 24 and though he couldn’t read music, was accepted into the legendary group of session musicians, The Wrecking Crew. While there, he played guitar for all the big stars, Elvis to Sinatra to the Monkees and The Beach Boys and was considered one of the best.

One day, while on tour, Beach Boy Brian Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and Campbell who was as good-looking and could sing better than any of the Boys was asked to substitute. He played bass and sang harmonies. From then on, Campbell worked on his solo singing career in between his session work. His first hit, albeit a minor one, was Burning Bridges in 1966.

This was followed a year later by the Grammy-winning Gentle On My Mind, the beginning of a fantastic streak of good luck. He next met songwriter Jimmy Webb, who gave him another Grammy winner, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, plus Wichita Lineman and Galveston. By the time he got to Rhinestone Cowboy, which was named Song of the Year in 1975 and Southern Nights two years later, Campbell, had become one of the biggest stars in music history. He also appeared in films and hosted his own TV show.

 Campbell recorded 27 albums during his 55-year career. He sold over 45 million records. Among the best of his other recordings are the folk tune Universal Soldier; Guess I’m Dumb, composed by Beach Boy Brian Wilson expressly for Campbell; the Dennis Lambert composition Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A.); Highwayman by Webb; Times Like These, a cover of a Foo Fighters song; I Wanna Live, by the legendary country music songwriter John Loudermilk; Let It Be Me, a duet of the Everly Brothers classic with Bobbie Gentry; Kentucky Means Paradise, a cover of a Merle Travis song; Ghost On The Canvas composed by The Replacements’ Paul Westerberg; Sunflower from Neil Diamond; I’m Not Gonna Miss You, the Academy-nominated theme from I’ll Be Me; and Adios, the lead cut of his last album recorded after the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. This is his last recorded song and it was also composed by Webb.

For the curious and those who did not grow during Campbell’s power years, I would recommend that you get a Campbell greatest hits collection. I am sure you will be surprised to find out that he was the original singer of all those romantic ballads. For the fan, who has admired him all these past 55 years, make sure you get a copy of the beautiful Adios, a masterpiece in every way. The crystal-clear tone is no longer there but the slight rasp in his throat brings a touch of intimacy to these very special songs

Cuts included are Everybody’s Talkin’, the Midnight Cowboy theme song; Funny How Time Slips Away, a duet with Willie Nelson; Am I All Alone, another duet with country music star, Vince Hill; Arkansas Farmboy; Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me); Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright; She Thinks I Still Care; A Thing Called Love; and those that were all composed by Webb, Just Like Always, It Won’t Bring Her Back, Postcard From Paris and Adios.

Adios indeed and to the Rhinestone Cowboy.