Glen Campbell, who died on 8 August age 81 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, leaves a legacy of great performances – some he is well known for, others less so. Here’s our pick of them:
By The Time I Get To Phoenix (1967)
Though he had already been making records for almost a decade – initially under aliases such as Billy Dolton, later as a top LA session guitarist - for many people, this 1967 hit was the first time they heard the name Glen Campbell. Frank Sinatra called it “the best saloon song ever”.
Winkie Doll – Billy Dolton (1961)
One of the earliest recordings of Campbell singing was this 1961 pop obscurity, released under the nom-de-disque Billy Dolton. This one didn’t make him a star.
The Monkees – Mary Mary (1966)
Growing up in Arkansas, the young Glen taught himself to play on a seven-dollar guitar. By the early 60s he had moved to Los Angeles and earned a reputation as one of the city’s top session guitarists. During this time he played on hundreds of tracks including some huge hits like Frank Sinatra’s ‘Strangers In The Night’ and The Righteous Brothers’ ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’. He also played some particularly tasty guitar on this Monkees cut.
Gentle On My Mind (1967)
Perhaps the best guitar he played on one of his own records was on his 1967 version of this classic John Hartford song. In this live video he shows a bunch of his peers how it’s done. Hear him whip it out at around 1.25
Help Me Rhonda (1965)
Glenalso played guitar on numerous Beach Boys sessions. You can hear him all over their great Pet Sounds album, and he briefly became a touring member of the Beach Boys after Brian Wilson’s breakdown in 1965. Hear the twang he puts into this classic.
Guess I’m Dumb (1965)
Brian Wilson wrote and produced this song for Glen, during Campbell’s close association with The Beach Boys. Though it didn’t give him the solo breakthrough he was looking for, it’s still a great track.
Wichita Lineman (1968)
Songwriter Jimmy Webb was a self-confessed hippie and left-winger when the politically conservative Campbell scored a massive hit with his ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’. When they met, Campbell’s first words to Webb were ‘When are you going to get a haircut?’ Campbell was already on record as saying that "the people who are advocating burning draft cards should be hung". But clashing ideologies didn’t stop the pair collaborating on a score of further smashes. This is the greatest of them all. Glen, of course, had his own ideas about hair. Dig his styling in this clip from the late 60s.
Roll Me Easy (1975)
The pairing of Campbell with Little Feat’s Lowell George may have been as improbable as that of Campbell and Jimmy Webb, still George’s ‘eloquent profanity’ translated remarkably easily into M.O.R. pop in this minor 70s hit.
Rhinestone Cowboy
Among his many achievements, Glen found the sweet spot between country music and metropolitan pop. This was the most successful example.
Ghost On The Canvas
The title track of Glen’s penultimate album is as haunting in its way as Johnny Cash’s late-career recording of ‘Hurt’. Written with Campbell in mind by the great Paul Westerberg of the Replacements, it’s a subtle masterpiece, right down to its eerie reprise of the ‘Witchita Lineman’ intro.
