On this day (August 8) in 2017, Glen Campbell died in Nashville, Tennessee, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 81. Before he found success as a solo artist, he was an in-demand session guitarist as part of the Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles. He then found success with a string of crossover hits in the 1960s.
Campbell showed early promise as a guitarist. By the time he was a teenager, he was playing in his uncle’s western swing band. However, his small hometown of Delight, Arkansas, held limited possibilities for the budding musician. So, in 1960, he moved to the West Coast, where he jumped into a music career. First, he played guitar for the Champs, who are best known for their hit “Tequila.” He also recorded a handful of unsuccessful pop singles.
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According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he found his first chart success with “Turn Around, Look at Me,” which peaked at No. 62 on the Hot 100 and No. 15 on the adult contemporary chart in 1961. A year later, he landed his first country hit with The Green River Boys. The short-lived project released a single hit with “Kentucky Means Paradise,” which reached No. 20.
Glen Campbell Toured with the Beach Boys
He recorded a handful of singles over the next few years with little to no chart success. However, by the middle of the decade, he had become an in-demand session guitarist and backup singer. During his time as a member of the Wrecking Crew, he recorded with Merle Haggard, Rick Nelson, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, the Mamas & the Papas, and many others.
Notably, Glen Campbell played on several sessions for the Beach Boys, including tracks for their landmark album Pet Sounds. In 1964, he briefly replaced Brian Wilson while the band was on the road.
Solo Success
His career picked up in 1966. That year, he released “Burning Bridges,” which reached No. 18 on the country chart. A year later, he released “Gentle on My Mind.” While it wasn’t a major chart hit, the song caught on with fans of pop and country music, giving Campbell momentum to continue climbing the charts. It also brought him a pair of Grammy Awards.
Later that year, he reached No. 2 on the country chart with “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” The hit brought Campbell two more Grammys. The album of the same name won Album of the Year. Then, in 1968, he found his first chart-topper with “I Wanna Live.” Then, months later, he went back to the top with “Wichita Lineman.”
Campbell consistently reached the top 10 throughout the rest of the decade and into the early 1970s.
After a bit of a dry spell, he returned to the top of the charts in 1975 with his signature hit, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” It topped the pop, country, and adult contemporary charts. Two years later, he was back atop the country tally and the Hot 100 with “Southern Nights.”
Even after his singles began to slip down the charts, Campbell continued to record and perform. His final album, Adios, recorded in 2012 and 2013, dropped in June 2017. As the title suggests, it was his final farewell to generations of adoring fans.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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