Glen Campbell: 1936-2017
Country legend Glen Campbell has died after a long, brave battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 81.
Campbell went public with his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2011 and went on a farewell tour, which was documented in the moving 2014 film I’ll Be Me.
While his biggest hit came with “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Campbell also netted success with “Gentle on My Mind,” “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman.”
Campbell’s first big break in music came in the 1960’s as part of The Wrecking Crew, an L.A.-based group of session musicians that played on some of the decade’s biggest hits. Campbell, himself, played on such iconic tracks like The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” and other tracks by Bobby Darrin, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and many more.
Campbell also notably played on The Beach Boys’ landmark Pet Sounds album and would was a touring member of the band.
His solo accolades are as numerous as they are overwhelming. They include:
-10 Academy of Country Music awards
-2 Country Music Association Awards
-Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005
-Induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2007
-10 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012
Campbell’s storied career yielded 64 studio albums, 7 live albums, and over 45 million albums sold. To sum up a career this influential is difficult, but we’re just going to use four letters: I-C-O-N.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger. The first man she ever loved was Jack Daniel. (True story.)
