American singer and songwriter Glen Campbell sold more than 45 million records during his highly successful career, which spanned more than six decades. He shot to fame in the 1960s, when he signed a deal with Capitol Records, leading to a host of television appearances.

As a prolific recording artist, he released 115 singles and 60 studio albums. He had nine number one albums and five number one singles in the United States' country charts. After starting life as the son of an impoverished farmer, he reportedly amassed a $410,000 fortune through his music.

© CBS Television 1969

 

Starting out

Campbell was born in April 1936, in the small rural community of Billstown, Arkansas. He was the seventh son of 12 children born to John and Carrie Campbell, who barley scraped a living off the land growing cotton, potatoes, watermelons and corn.

When he was only four years old, Campbell's uncle gave him a $5 guitar and started teaching him the basics of how to play. The youngster showed an aptitude for playing from the outset. He never had formal training, but soon began entertaining the crowds at fairs, when he wasn't picking cotton in the fields.

He also played on church picnics and sang in the choir, honing his performance skills through his adolescence and teens. When he was 17, he moved to Albuquerque after being invited to join his uncle's band, Dick Bills and the Sandia Mountain Boys.

Playing regularly on his uncle's radio show, the band also had a spot on a local TV show, K Circle B Time. This led to Campbell forming his own band, called the Western Wranglers, in 1958, when he was 21.

 

Recording career

Campbell moved to Los Angeles to work as a session musician and played guitar on recordings by top stars of the day, such as Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, the Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Nancy and Frank Sinatra, the Monkees, Merle Haggard and Phil Spector.

In 1962, he signed for Capitol Records and recorded the single, Kentucky Means Paradise, with the Green River Boys, which peaked at number 20 in the US country music chart.

From 1964, he began making TV appearances on shows such as ABC's Shindig, Rod Cameron's Star Route and Hollywood Jamboree. He was on tour with the Beach Boys between December 1964 and March 1965, before releasing Universal Soldier, his biggest solo hit at the time, on his return.

After establishing himself as a popular recording star during the 1960s, he enjoyed further hits such as his first number one in the country chart, I Wanna Live, in 1968, followed by another chart-topper, Wichita Lineman, later the same year.

By 1969, he had his own TV variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which continued until June 1972 on CBS. His famous hit, Gentle on My Mind, which made the top 30 in 1967, was the show's theme song.

Other big hits included his second US Billboard Hot 100 number one, Southern Nights, in 1977, All I Have to do is Dream (his duet with Bobbie Gentry) in 1969, and It's Only Make Believe in 1970.

 

Most famous song

Campbell released many hit records throughout the 1970s, including arguably his most well-known single, Rhinestone Cowboy, in 1975. It shot to number one in the US chart and was the inspiration for the 1984 film, Rhinestone, which starred Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton.

Stallone played Nick Martinelli, an obnoxious New York taxi driver, who became the protégé of country singer Jake Farris, played by Parton. Trapped by a long-term contract, Farris is singing in a sleazy cowboy bar called The Rhinestone.

She bets the nightclub owner that she can turn anyone into a country singing star in two weeks - and if she wins the bet, he must release her from the contract, but if she loses, her contract will be extended by another five years.

Unfortunately, her boss randomly chooses Martinelli, who can't sing and says he hates country music! It becomes a race against time to see if Farris can mould him into a country star before her time is up.

The song, Rhinestone Cowboy, has also been used in many modern-day films and TV shows, such as Daddy Day Care, High School High and Desperate Housewives.

 

Lyrics meaning

Fans may think that a Rhinestone Cowboy is simply a cowboy who likes looking dazzling in a bejewelled hat and clothing, but this isn't the real meaning of the song.

Rather than riding around in clothes decorated with rhinestone jewellery, the cowboy in the song hasn't had such good fortune and the lyrics have a more poignant meaning.

The song begins with the words, "I've been walking these streets so long, singing the same old song, I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks."

Then the narrator proclaims, "I'm gonna be where the lights are shining on me, like a rhinestone cowboy, riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo."

The lyrics are based on the struggles that a singer is facing in his search for fame, as he walks the streets, trying to hustle his way into getting a break. He believes that when he finally attains his dream, he'll shine "like a Rhinestone Cowboy".

Written by Larry Weiss, the song was a massive hit for Campbell, despite having been recorded by other artists in the past with little commercial success. Weiss himself had recorded the song in 1974.

Although it would appear the visual appeal of a cowboy covered in rhinestones lent weight to the song, the true meaning was to follow your dreams and keep trying to overcome any obstacles until your ambition is realised.

Weiss said he once heard the phrase and decided Rhinestone Cowboy would make a good song title. He put his own meaning to it and described it as relating to the heroes of his childhood cowboy movies, such as Hopalong Cassidy.

The words also described his own early career, he explained. He said it epitomised the "spirit of a bunch of us on Broadway", including Neil Diamond and Tony Orlando before they were famous. "We all had dreams of making it," he said.

Campbell's version of the song continues to be a classic, crossing over the country and pop genres.

 

Later career

Campbell's hit records, TV appearances and live tours continued for almost five decades, during which time he won 10 Grammy Awards. In 2010, at the age of 74, he was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease, which leads to confusion, memory loss and mood changes.

He decided from the outset to go public with his diagnosis, embarking on what he labelled his "goodbye tour". His final live show was held on 30th November 2012, in Napa, California. In January 2013, he recorded his final single, I'm Not Gonna Miss You. It won the Best Country Song award at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

His final album, Adiós, had been compiled in recording sessions in 2012 and 2013. When it was released on 9th June 2017, it became the UK's best-selling country album of the year. Campbell died on 8th August 2017, at the age of 81, leaving the great legacy of his wonderful music.

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