Since Glenn just passed away I thought I’d write a short article about his life. You might be old enough to remember his career but a lot of people don’t know that he was a successful actor, musician, singer, songwriter, and television host.
He had so many iconic songs a few of which are on my list of favorites of all time such as: Like a Rhinestone Cowboy, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Gentle on My Mind, and Wichita Lineman. It was hits like these that led to so many Country Music and Grammy Awards for Glenn and got him in several halls of fames for his singing and writing expertise (in all he sold over 50 million records). He also performed in 12 movies including working with John Wayne in the award winning movie: True Grit. His variety show was called: The Glenn Campbell Goodtime Hour and it was a success as he was on the air for 91 episodes before deciding to go on tour again.
Glenn came from very humble beginnings in Arkansas where his father was a sharecropper and he had 11 siblings (he was the 7th born). He said that he couldn’t remember for sure when he picked up a guitar because his uncle Boo taught him how to play further back than he could remember.
His adult life was an extreme up and down journey. He was married three times early in his career before meeting his current wife Kim who he’d been married to for 34 years before his death. With all the wives combined he’s had eight children.
Kim and Glenn gave credit to their marriage because of their strong Christian faith and involvement with their church. I’ve seen several interviews with Kim because Glenn had gone through many difficult times including a widely publicized DWI where a drunken photo of him was plastered all over the media, and I can see why he married her, she’s such a wonderful, down to earth, person. She was truly his rock for decades especially during his trying time over the last several years as he’s battled Alzheimer’s.
When Glenn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011 he got busy in the recording studio putting out two albums with the last one just released in June pointedly called: Adios. The very last song he recorded was called: I’m Not Going to Miss You and it was released as a single in 2014 (three years before the album), and was nominated for a Grammy. Kim and Glenn wanted to release the album close to the time of his death as a goodbye celebration for his fans. It was an awesome gift.
Unfortunately he had a difficult time recognizing people his last year of life. His recall would go in and out so no one knew for sure when they approached him whether he’d remember who they were. I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been for him and his family and friends. Even when he got to the point of having a difficult time putting the right words together to speak, he could still sing his songs perfectly.
No one had a voice like Glenn Campbell as it was so smooth and beautiful and his smile was contagious. He’s going to be greatly missed and we were blessed to have him entertaining us for over 50 years.
He had so many iconic songs a few of which are on my list of favorites of all time such as: Like a Rhinestone Cowboy, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Gentle on My Mind, and Wichita Lineman. It was hits like these that led to so many Country Music and Grammy Awards for Glenn and got him in several halls of fames for his singing and writing expertise (in all he sold over 50 million records). He also performed in 12 movies including working with John Wayne in the award winning movie: True Grit. His variety show was called: The Glenn Campbell Goodtime Hour and it was a success as he was on the air for 91 episodes before deciding to go on tour again.
Glenn came from very humble beginnings in Arkansas where his father was a sharecropper and he had 11 siblings (he was the 7th born). He said that he couldn’t remember for sure when he picked up a guitar because his uncle Boo taught him how to play further back than he could remember.
His adult life was an extreme up and down journey. He was married three times early in his career before meeting his current wife Kim who he’d been married to for 34 years before his death. With all the wives combined he’s had eight children.
Kim and Glenn gave credit to their marriage because of their strong Christian faith and involvement with their church. I’ve seen several interviews with Kim because Glenn had gone through many difficult times including a widely publicized DWI where a drunken photo of him was plastered all over the media, and I can see why he married her, she’s such a wonderful, down to earth, person. She was truly his rock for decades especially during his trying time over the last several years as he’s battled Alzheimer’s.
When Glenn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011 he got busy in the recording studio putting out two albums with the last one just released in June pointedly called: Adios. The very last song he recorded was called: I’m Not Going to Miss You and it was released as a single in 2014 (three years before the album), and was nominated for a Grammy. Kim and Glenn wanted to release the album close to the time of his death as a goodbye celebration for his fans. It was an awesome gift.
Unfortunately he had a difficult time recognizing people his last year of life. His recall would go in and out so no one knew for sure when they approached him whether he’d remember who they were. I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been for him and his family and friends. Even when he got to the point of having a difficult time putting the right words together to speak, he could still sing his songs perfectly.
No one had a voice like Glenn Campbell as it was so smooth and beautiful and his smile was contagious. He’s going to be greatly missed and we were blessed to have him entertaining us for over 50 years.
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