Glen Campbell

Long before he was a star in his own right, Glen Campbell could be heard playing on many hits of the 1960s as a session guitarist as part of The Wrecking Crew. He played on tracks by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Monkees and Bobby Darin before going on to tour with The Beach Boys and playing on their classic 'Pet Sounds' album.

Attempting to break free from his session career and into the solo market, Campbell released his debut solo album 'Turn Around, Look at Me', but it failed to make the top 50. He struggled to find a sound that would get people to take notice of his solo work until he met and collaborated with producer Al De Lory with whom he created 'Burning Bridges' which reached the top 20 in the Country Charts in 1967. The same year, Campbell and Lory collaborated again on 'Gentle On My Mind' which went on to win four Grammy Awards and reached number 30 in the Country Charts.

A partnership with songwriter Jimmy Webb produced a rich vein of classic hits in the 1960s including 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix', 'Wichita Lineman' and 'Galveston'. After a short stint of filling in as host of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', Campbell was offered his own variety show and 'The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour' was born - the show ran from 1969 until 1972.

1975 saw the release of Campbell's biggest-selling single 'Rhinestone Cowboy'. The single reached number one in the Country Singles Chart and the Billboard 100 and number four in the UK Singles Chart. Throughout the '80s and '90s Campbell turned to TV and film with a notable appearance in Clint Eastwood's 1980 movie 'Any Which Way You Can', for which he also recorded the title song on the soundtrack. In 2005 Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and began working on a brand new album - featuring covers of songs by U2, Foo Fighters and Jackson Browne - which he released three years later with the title 'Meet Glen Campbell'. In 2011 he released 'Ghost On the Canvas' and in 2013 he recorded his final song 'I'm Not Gonna Miss You' before announcing his retirement. Campbell revealed that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and set out on his 'Goodbye Tour' in 2012. He wouldn't let the disease keep him out of the studio however, and as soon as the tour was over he began recording 'Adiós'. Finally released in 2017 after five years of work, 'Adiós', featuring collaborations with Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and Vince Gill, was promoted as Campbell's 64th and final studio album. After a hard-fought battle with Alzheimer's, Glen Campbell passed away in August 2017, at the age of 81.