Glen Campbell Dies At 81
During a career that spanned six decades, Campbell sold over 45 million records and earned ten Grammys and ten ACM Awards. In 1968, one of his biggest years, he outsold the Beatles. In the early ’60s, after moving from Delight, Arkansas to Los Angeles, Campbell solidified a spot in the now legendary group of session musicians known as “The Wrecking Crew.” As Rolling Stone reports, in 1963 alone Campbell appeared on 586 cuts, and countless others throughout the decade, including The Byrds‘ “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Elvis Presley‘s “Viva Las Vegas,” Merle Haggard‘s “Mama Tried” and the Righteous Brothers‘ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”
In late 1964 Campbell briefly replaced an ailing Brian Wilson as a touring member of The Beach Boys, and he had his first major hit in 1967 with “By The Time I Get to Phoenix,” written by the remarkable Jimmy Webb, who also wrote “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston.” In the summer of 1968, Campbell guest-hosted the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which led to his own variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which ran from 1969-1972. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
Campbell is survived by his wife, Kim Campbell; their three children, Cal, Shannon and Ashley; his five children from previous marriages, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane and Dillon; ten grandchildren and great- and great-great-grandchildren; sisters Barbara, Sandra and Jane; and brothers John Wallace “Shorty” and Gerald. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Glen Campbell Memorial Fund at BrightFocus Foundation through CareLiving.org.