Glen Campbell, "Rhinestone Cowboy" singer dead

[c172]

https://apnews.com/2e58582abbb94e718a9ba...770s,-dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Glen Campbell, the affable superstar singer of “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Wichita Lineman” whose appeal spanned country, pop, television and movies, died Tuesday, his family said. He was 81.

Campbell’s family said the singer died Tuesday morning in Nashville and publicist Sandy Brokaw confirmed the news. No cause was immediately given. Campbell announced in June 2011 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and that it was in its early stages at that time.

[Rev. Rye]

Knowing that he was diagnosed a while back with Alzheimer's, I could see his imminent death coming. The last I heard, though he could barely speak coherently or play his guitar, he still tried to sing, even if the words were gibberish, and he even sometimes tried to play air guitar along with his tune. Requiescat in Pace, Glen. At least you're finally at peace.

Here's my favourite song by him:





And also, the song that got named the best song of all time by Blender magazine somehow:





I mean, it's a great song, but it's not the best of all time. It's probably not even the best song Glen Campbell ever sung. Or even the best song Glen Campbell ever sung that was written for him by Jimmy Webb. Well, at least it's the best song written by Jimmy Webb for Glen Campbell on the album Wichita Lineman.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Good singer, good guitarist, truly awful actor.  Seemed a nice enough bloke.

Boru

[chimp3]

Sang a lot of songs by Jimmy Webb. Good guitar player. Alzheimers is terrible disease. Takes your brain one neuron at a time. We need to find a cure.

[vorlon13]

I teared up when they played Wichita Lineman. Never one for country western, but I liked his music.

Easy on the eyes too, another man that just looked better and better as he matured.

And hell, I loved True Grit, not ashamed to say that.

[Thumpalumpacus]

He was one hell of a musician. Many don't know he was part of the fabled Wrecking Crew, a studio band that cut sessions for all sorts of West Coast acts in the early 60s, most notably the Beach Boys.

Now, that might not sound like much of a musical pedigree, until you understand the crazy shit Brian Wilson would walk in with.

He could play about anything he wanted to, he wasn't any one-trick pony:

[Rev. Rye]

Also, fun fact: before Glen Campbell hit it big, he was actually briefly a member of The Beach Boys. Shortly after Brian's big freakout in December 1964, they decided they needed to have a replacement for Brian. In the brief time before they discovered Bruce Johnston, they had Glen Campbell replace Brian for about eight weeks.

Of course, this didn't last, and, while the Beach Boys recently released a live album from that part of 1965 (for copyright reasons), it seems Brian was actually back in the live act for that brief period of time. Of course, he also played on five songs from Pet Sounds (though none of the huge hits from that album), and possibly some songs from other albums (but I don't have the time to look through the band's whole discography to see which tracks Glen Campbell might appear on.

Also, Brian Wilson wrote and produced one of his early hits:






And remarkably, he was known to play a medley of the band's hits:





Of course, given that, by this point, he was a country superstar and not a surf musician, it's kind of inevitable that his versions of these songs might be a bit lackluster (particularly "Good Vibrations", where he can't even find anyone to sound vaguely theremin-like) but it's incredible hearing him play those Chuck Berry-style licks, especially on that 12-string guitar. Those bends have to be murder to pull off. To be fair, it's been donkeys since I've played an electric 12-string (though I do own an acoustic 12-string I bought at a flea market when I was just old enough to know who Leadbelly was), but I still don't think it can be that easy, and yet it sounds like he's not even trying that hard.

[Joods]

That's a shame. One of his songs is played on the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.