Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell has been a critically respected mainstream country-pop star for more than two decades. A subtle, adept interpreter (as evidenced in such Jimmy Webb compositions as "Wichita Lineman"), Campbell has also been well received by contemporary Christian audiences.

Campbell was one of 12 children in a family where everyone played the guitar and sang. He got his first guitar at age four and left home as a teenager to tour with an uncle, a musician named Dick Bill. In 1960 Campbell moved to L.A., where he became known in country and rock circles and supported himself with session work for Frank Sinatra, Rick Nelson, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, the Mamas and the Papas, Gene Clark, and several of Phil Spector’s groups. In 1965 he played bass or guitar (sources differ) with the Beach Boys for eight months following Brian Wilson’s decision not to appear with the band.

Campbell signed with Capitol in 1962 and recorded with occasional and minor success; his 1965 cover of Donovan’s “Universal Soldier” entered the Top 50. In 1967 he hit with John Hartford’s "Gentle on My Mind” (#39) and became a regular guest on the Smothers Brothers’ variety program. His other ’60s hits included the Jimmy Webb compositions “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” (#11, 1967), “Wichita Lineman” (#3, 1968), and “Galveston” (#4, 1969). From January 1969 to June 1972 Campbell hosted his own variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. His later hits include “Rhinestone Cowboy” (#1, 1975), Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights” (#1, 1977), and “Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)” (#11, 1976). Over the years, he has also worked in movies (True Grit with John Wayne, Norwood) and has made countless appearances on television, including the syndicated series The Glen Campbell Music Show (1982–83).

Though Campbell’s appearances in the pop Top 40 became rare, he toured relentlessly and remained a strong presence on the country and gospel charts during the ’80s and ’90s. He also spoke freely in interviews about his 1981 baptism. In 1991 he launched a long-running tour that featured John Hartford, Jim Stafford, and Nicolette Larson. The following year he voiced Chanticleer the Rooster in the animated feature film Rock-a-Doodle. In 1994 he published his autobiography, Rhinestone Cowboy. Campbell recently resumed touring after a five-year stint at his own Glen Campbell Goodtime Theatre in Branson, Missouri. He continues to record occasional gospel and Christmas albums. He is also a frequent performer on the golf course, often with his somewhat unlikely pal Alice Cooper.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)