From Session Guitarist to Country Icon: Glen Campbell’s Journey to Stardom
Born in Arkansas, Glen Campbell moved to New Mexico and joined his first professional band in 1954 at just 17 years old.
By 18, he was married and had started his own band, the Western Wranglers, in 1958—gigging seven nights a week. Unsurprisingly, this demanding schedule took its toll, and the marriage ended in 1959.
Looking for a fresh start, Glen relocated to Los Angeles in 1960 in search of bigger opportunities.
His first notable gig came with The Champs, who had scored a hit two years earlier with the instrumental classic Tequila!.
During the day, he worked at a publishing company, writing songs and making demos. These recordings eventually caught the attention of the Wrecking Crew—L.A.’s answer to Motown’s Funk Brothers.
As a member of the Wrecking Crew, Glen played on sessions for an extraordinary list of artists, including Frank and Nancy Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Dean Martin, The Monkees, Nat King Cole, Phil Spector, Doris Day, and perhaps most famously, Elvis.
Glen Campbell’s Solo Breakthrough: From Universal Soldier to Wichita Lineman
By 1963, Glen Campbell had already played on over 500 recordings. Although he was releasing his own albums and singing his own tunes, he hadn’t yet achieved a hit under his own name. The closest he came was in 1965 with Universal Soldier.
Things started to pick up in 1967, with By the Time I Get to Phoenix, I Wanna Live, and Dreams of the Everyday Housewife all charting, finally making Glen Campbell a household name.
Ironically, his first worldwide success came from a song he didn’t write himself. Wichita Lineman was penned by Jimmy Webb, though Glen had requested a song similar in theme to By the Time I Get to Phoenix, so in a way, he played a part in the writing process. Fun fact: Wichita Lineman is Bob Dylan‘s favourite song.
The following year, Jimmy Webb wrote another hit for Glen, Galveston, which also reached #1.
By this point, Glen wasn’t afraid to take on covers. He recorded renditions of All I Have to Do Is Dream (The Everly Brothers), the gospel classic Oh, Happy Day, My Girl (The Temptations), and Bacharach’s I Say a Little Prayer.
However, the success wasn’t as widespread as it once was. It wasn’t until 1975 that he released his signature song, Rhinestone Cowboy, which took him back to #1. Ironically, this time Glen didn’t write it either; it was penned by Larry Weiss, who also wrote Hi Ho Silver Lining, a hit for Jeff Beck.
Glen’s last #1 hit came in 1977 with Southern Nights, which sold a million copies in the U.S.
He continued to record studio albums and release singles for a remarkable six decades. His final two singles were I’m Not Gonna Miss You (2014), the lead track from the film about his life, Alzheimer’s, and his last tour, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. The final single, appropriately titled Adios, was released in 2017, the same year he passed away.
In total, Glen Campbell released 64 studio albums and 115 singles, solidifying his place as one of America’s most productive country superstars.
Glen Campbell Tunes | Related Pages
Everybody’s Talkin’ | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Everybody’s Talkin’ by Harry Nilsson using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Cmaj7 G6 | Cmaj7 G6 |
Everybody’s talkin’ at me…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Everybody’s Talkin’ (Harry Nilsson) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
I Say A Little Prayer | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play I Say A Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| F#m | Bm7 | Bm7 |2/4 E7 |4/4 Amaj7 |
The moment I wake up. Before I put on my makeup (makeup)…
My Girl | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play My Girl by The Temptations using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C | F | C | F |
I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: My Girl (The Temptations) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Rhinestone Cowboy | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C (F/C) | C (F/C) |
I’ve been walkin’ these streets so long…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Glen Campbell on the web
