Remembering the RHINESTONE COWBOY
THE SINGER’S HEART, TALENT AND COURAGE WILL FOREVER KEEP HIS MEMORY GENTLE ON FANS’ MINDS
I’m Glen Campbell and I’m happy to be here,” the legend would announce at the beginning of each night of his Goodbye Tour, and nothing could be more true. With his three youngest children — Ashley, Shannon and Cal — performing in his band, the beloved entertainer enjoyed the best of both worlds as he bravely set out on a 15-month set of shows in 2011 shortly after announcing he was battling Alzheimer’s. “He was happiest when he was around family and onstage entertaining,” grandson Jeremy Olson tells Closer. “Even though he just announced his diagnosis, he’d go up there and he knew what to do. That’s where he shined the most.”
Glen’s appeal was always electric: his flawless vocals, musical prowess, good looks and down-home charm ignited his career in the ’60s and made him irresistible to fans, who joined his family in mourning the singer’s death on Aug. 8 at the age of 81. “Dad was so real. He wasn’t one of those artists that forgot where they came from,” Glen’s eldest child, Debby Campbell, tells Closer of the man who shot from humble roots to international stardom — all while conquering major demons along the way. He even proved that Alzheimer’s couldn’t sideline his career, and his unflinching openness about his struggles — documented in the 2014 documentary I’ll Be Me — was nothing short of groundbreaking. “He had an amazing journey,” Debby shares. “There will never be anyone like him ever again.”
COUNTRY STRONG
One of 12 kids born to his sharecropper father, Glen got his first guitar at age 4. His whole family was musical, but “he became somewhat of a prodigy,” Michael McCall, a writer and editor at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, tells Closer. “He was encouraged to follow his talent to escape the poor farm life. As Glen once said, ‘It’s a lot easier to work with a guitar than work with a mule!’ ”
Having landed in LA at age 22, Glen became an in-demand session musician who played on recordings for top talent such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys, a band he toured with in 1964. His solo career then took off in 1967 when he scored a string of pop and country hits, becoming one of the first and most successful crossover artists. He’d go on to sell an estimated 45 million records, including “Rhinestone Cowboy,” which became his signature tune.
“A change has come over country music lately. They’re not just shuckin’ it right off the cob anymore,” Glen said of how his songs, which he simply dubbed “people music,” capitalized on shifting trends. He parlayed his popularity in 1969 into TV’s The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which ran until 1972. “Glen had a Southern, friendly smile; a good-ol’ boy thing,” McCall says of his appeal. TV suits took note. “Johnny Cash may never have had a show if Glen hadn’t had success before him, so Glen even influenced TV networks.”
He made a mark in film, too. John Wayne handpicked him to star in 1969’s True Grit and, in 1970, he co-starred with football titan Joe Namath in Norwood. “He knew this was my first time out of the gates and he was a big help,” Joe tells Closer of how Glen took him under his wing. “I was completely starstruck by Glen, but he wanted no special treatment. He was always humble, accessible and a team player.”
Though Glen’s career was bright, dark times soon fell upon him. “Frankly, it is very hard to remember things from the 1970s,” he admitted of his battles with drugs and alcohol. “The public had no idea how I was living. I spent some time in hell. I drowned.”
LOVE & REDEMPTION
Already three times divorced by 1980, Glen had a whirlwind romance with Tanya Tucker that sent him spiraling. Soon after their split, he met fourth wife Kimberly Woollen, whom he said helped save him from his substance-abuse issues. The two wed in 1982 and had three kids, and they all stood faithfully by Glen’s side through the devastation of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2011. “Glen’s always been really open about his life and his ups and downs, his struggle with drugs, finding God,” Kimberly said of Glen’s decision to be so public about his disease, though many warned he risked losing bookings due to concerns about his health.
But Glen’s fans came out in droves to support him, and his songs proved to be therapeutic for the singer. “I swear, if he didn’t play, he would’ve deteriorated quicker,” Siggy Sjursen, a musician on Glen’s last tour, tells Closer. “To keep his mind active by playing was a very good thing for him. It strengthened his life.” His fans helped him, too. “He was always humbled by the love they gave him,” Debby says. “And he treated them like real people, not just fans idolizing an entertainer.”
Jimmy Webb, Glen’s longtime friend and collaborator on hits such as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” and “Wichita Lineman,” fittingly notes that one of Glen’s favorite songs was “Try a Little Kindness.” It includes the lyric, “Shine your light for everyone you see,” and that’s something Glen did to all who knew and loved him, whether they were blood or part of his extended fan family.
“I believe the [purpose] for every Glen Campbell show was to bring every suffering soul within the sound of his voice up a peg or two,” Jimmy said after Glen’s passing. “Leave ’em laughin’. Leave them feeling just a little tad better about themselves, even though he might have to make them cry a couple of times to get ’em there.”
“All I wanted to do ever since I could remember was play my guitar and sing.”
— Glen