ABOUT
Glen Campbell (April 22, 1936 - August 8, 2017) was a highly acclaimed country singer, songwriter, and guitarist with a tremendous crossover appeal who became one of the top performing artists of the 1960s and 1970s. In his over 50 years in show business, he was also a highly sought-after session guitarist, popular TV host, and movie actor.
Born Glen Travis Campbell in Billstown, Arkansas into an impoverished but musical family, he began playing the guitar at age four and was performing on local radio stations by the time he was six. He started out in the late 1950s as a session guitarist, and throughout most of the 1960s, he recorded with bands and artists as varied in genre as The Beach Boys, The Champs, Nat "King" Cole, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Sagittarius, and Frank Sinatra. Widely known for his guitar virtuosity, he became part of an elite group of Los Angeles-based studio musicians later known as the Wrecking Crew who backed numerous hits of the 1960s and 1970s.
Glen Campbell had his first charting song in 1961 with "Turn Around, Look At Me" which was followed by a long string of hits on the Pop/Rock, Country, and Adult Contemporary charts that also included "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" (1967), "I Wanna Live" (1968), "Gentle On My Mind" (1968), "Wichita Lineman" (1968), "Galveston" (1969), "Try A Little Kindness" (1969), "Rhinestone Cowboy" (1975), and "Southern Nights" (1977), the latter two of which topped all three charts. He also recorded several hit duets with Bobbie Gentry that included "Let It Be Me" (1969).
From 1968-1972, he hosted the popular TV variety show, "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour." He also acted in a number of movies that included "True Grit" (1969) in which he co-starred with John Wayne and sang the hit title song. Over the years, he continued to record and tour actively and released over 70 albums. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011, he released "Ghost On The Canvas" and launched "The Glen Campbell Goodbye Tour." This trek, which continued through late 2012, was the main subject of the award-winning 2014 documentary, "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me." In early 2017, Campbell released his final studio album, "Adios," which was recorded in 2012-2013 after his Goodbye Tour.
Glen Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and over his long career, he received multiple Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), as well as numerous honors from the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association, the American Music Awards, and the GMA Dove Awards.
RELATED BANDS AND ARTISTS
LINKS
- For more info about Glen Campbell's life and career, visit glencampbell.com.
- The Guardian remembers Glen Campbell.
MERCHANDISE
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- Glen Campbell - CDs, vinyl, & more - Amazon.com
- Glen Campbell - Digital music - Amazon.com
- Glen Campbell - Rare vinyl, CDs, & more - MusicStack.com
- Glen Campbell - Sheet Music - SheetMusicPlus.com
SONGS
To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples.
Glen Campbell And Bobbie Gentry
- Let It Be Me 1969
(This song was previously a hit for Jill Corey (1957), the Everly Brothers (1960), Betty Everett & Jerry Butler (1964), and the Sweet Inspirations (1967) and later also became a hit for Willie Nelson (1982).)
Glen Campbell
- By The Time I Get To Phoenix 1967
(This song later also became a hit for Isaac Hayes (1969), the Mad Lads (1969), and Glen Campbell & Anne Murray (1971, as a medley).) - Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) 1971
(This song was previously a hit for Roy Orbison (1962).) - Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife 1968
(This song also became a hit for Wayne Newton (1968).) - Galveston 1969
(This song also became a hit for Roger Williams (1969).) - Gentle On My Mind 1968
(This song also became a hit for Patti Page (1968) and Aretha Franklin (1969).) - Hey Little One 1968
(This song was previously a hit for Dorsey Burnette (1960) and J. Frank Wilson (1964).) - Honey Come Back 1970
- I Wanna Live 1968
- It's Only Make Believe 1970
(This song was previously a hit for Conway Twitty (1958).) - Oh Happy Day 1970
(This gospel-infused song was previously a hit for the Edwin Hawkins Singers (1969).) - Rhinestone Cowboy 1975
(This song topped the charts.) - True Grit 1969
- Try A Little Kindness 1969
- Where's The Playground Susie 1969
- Wichita Lineman 1968
(This song also became a hit for Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (1969).)
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