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Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell was a country music legend known for such hits as "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Wichita Lineman" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix."
Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936, on a family farm between Billstown and Delight, Arkansas. The son of Wesley, a sharecropper, and Carrie Dell, Campbell was one of 12 children. The family faced financial hard times—all the Campbell children pitched in to help pick cotton—but they were extremely musical, and Glen displayed early promise in that area. At the age of 4, his father bought him a $5 Sears and Roebuck guitar; within a few years, Campbell was appearing as a paid act and performing guest spots on local radio stations.
At age 14, Campbell dropped out of school to embark on a music career. He soon joined his uncle Dick Bills as part of the Sandia Mountain Boys, a band that enjoyed some success out of New Mexico. In 1958, Campbell put together his own group, the Western Wranglers. Shortly thereafter, Campbell relocated to Los Angeles. He took a job at the American Music Company, a small publishing house that employed a staff of songwriters. In 1961, at the age of 24, Campbell recorded the single "Turn Around, Look at Me." Its modest success caught the attention of Capitol Records, which signed the young artist to its roster.
With Capitol, Campbell became known as a skilled session guitarist and finger-picker. He worked alongside such chart-topping artists as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, the Righteous Brothers, and the Monkees, and joined prominent producers Phil Spector and Jimmy Bowen for their recordings. Additionally, following Brian Wilson's retreat from the public eye, Campbell was invited to tour with the Beach Boys in 1964.
By 1967, Campbell was finally earning acclaim for his own work. "Gentle on My Mind" found its way onto both the country and pop charts, and his next single, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," also cracked the Top 40. Early the following year, he took home Grammy Awards for his performances on both tracks.
Campbell maintained his strong showing on the charts with "Wichita Lineman," an effort that propelled him to the dual honor of Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1968. The 1969 release of another major hit, "Galveston," continued to narrow the gap between country and pop music.
Beginning in the late 1970s, while dating singer Tanya Tucker, Campbell's abuse of cocaine and alcohol began to take a toll on his career. The couple's explosive relationship and flagging record sales made Campbell a mainstay in the gossip pages. However, after a few years of touring in the 1980s, Campbell left Los Angeles, successfully overcame his drug habit and became a born-again Christian.
In 1994, Campbell published a tell-all autobiography fittingly titled Rhinestone Cowboy. In 2005, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He continued to appear at theaters in Branson, Missouri, and in 2008 he released an album of cover songs titled Meet Glen Campbell.
Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
In April 2013, Campbell announced plans to retire from touring, citing the progression of his Alzheimer's disease. Around the same time, Campbell embarked on a trip to Washington, D.C., where he advocated for Alzheimer's research.
His next album, See You There, which included a reimagining of hits like "Wichita Lineman" and "Rhinestone Cowboy," became available in August 2013. The following year brought the release of the documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, with one of its songs, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," earning an Oscar nomination and a Grammy win for Best Country Song.
Following a public battle with Alzheimer's disease, the country music legend died on August 8, 2017, at the age of 81.
