University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Glen Campbell is a bona fide living legend with a career that spans more than 50 years. He is considered one of the outstanding guitar musicians of his generation, has one of the most formidable chart histories in country music and recorded such standards as “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Gentle On My Mind,” “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Wichita Lineman,” and more. He has released over 70 albums and sold more than 45 million records. His final studio album Ghost On The Canvas was released last fall. A child prodigy, Glen left school at age 16 to pursue music full time on the road. In 1961, the 24-yearold musician hit the Los Angeles studio scene. Glen quickly became a sought-after studio picker, with his talents enriching records by such artists as: Frank Sinatra; the Beach Boys; Nat King Cole; Dean Martin; Merle Haggard; Elvis Presley; Jan & Dean; and the Righteous Brothers. The Beach Boys invited him to join their group in the mid-sixties. He toured with the band for 18 months in 1964 and ’65, until his own solo career took off. Although Glen was already hitting the top of both the country and pop charts by 1969, his weekly CBS television musical variety show Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour gave his career “legs.” The popular series was seen by a weekly worldwide audience of up to 50 million. Besides having one of the most successful variety shows in television history, his enormous success as a crossover artist also paved the way for hit makers such as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton to break genre barriers. In addition, Glen was one of the first country artists to forge a path into Hollywood, portraying John Wayne’s young sidekick in the classic True Grit. In 2011 Glen announced that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. So far it has had little effect on his touring schedule and he is doing quite well, however, he believes his current tour will be his last.