RIP Glen Campbell

C&W was never my genre, but I have to admit he was not only talented, but iconically so. And he started out as a member of the "Wrecking Crew", a loose group of session musicians backing numerous bands and artists during the '60s & '70s, himself playing guitar on The Beach Boys 'I Get Around', 'Help Me Rhonda', even touring with them at one point. R.I.P. Glen.
 
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RIP, Glen Campbell. Your songs will play through my mind when ever I hear your name.

I don't want to start a separate thread because her name is much less well known, but the world lost another wonderful singer today: Barbara Cook, Broadway and cabaret singer, died at age 89. My parents saw her on Broadway as the original Marian, the librarian in The Music Man and I used to listen to the cast recording lp again and again. She was still performing until a year or two ago. Rest in peace, Ms. Cook. Your glorious voice will live on as long as there are recordings.
 
I remember when I saw Glen Campbell by accident. He was performing as an opening act for another artist, I no longer can remember who that was. Anyway, Glen was so talented and such a great performer I just knew he would be going places.

I heard Barbara Cook sing on MPR on the way home today. What an incredible voice. I had never heard of her.
 
My BIL did the arrangement for Rhinestone Cowboy, won Gold Record for it, did lots of commercial work, like a Bubblecious commercial and a local tv news theme that still runs today. Then he died at 40 in a house fire at his parents' house where they didn't even hear it until they walked down the hall to go to bed after watching tv and knew something was wrong upstairs. It was too late for him, but his 3 year old son who was in the room with him survived with blessedly minimal burns and fortunately no memory of it--such a tremendous talent gone so fast. His (and my DH's) parents never spoke with us about it after that night 30 years ago. I am quite sure he is welcoming Glen, if there is a place up there somewhere. It really really meant a lot to his son that he had that Gold Record.
 
Glen Campbell was one of the musicians I followed since I was a kid, because I've always loved the songwriter Jimmy Webb. Jimmy Webb said in one of his interviews that a song Glen Campbell helped co-write (Turn Around Look at Me) made him want to be a songwriter at the age of 13 or 14. Then Jimmy Webb turned around & ended up writing GC's most memorable songs (Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Galveston).

Another thing I always thought was interesting is GC said he loved Django Reinhardt when he was a kid & was learning how to play guitar. Kind of shows the far reaching power of music when a farm kid without much education from a poor family in small town AR discovers Django Reinhardt at that age. RIP Glen Campbell.
 
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His last tour was one that he knew he wouldn't remember. Often times he would forget the words, the music. One of the band members said that Glen fired them 8 times, but didn't remember it the next day so all was good.

His family's story about the disease is so touching. Ashley Campbell's song is amazing, telling the story.

Two weeks ago, on my birthday, the pastors used Glen and Ashley music, in a message based on his song I won't miss you. The reality of Alzheimer's and dementia. I totally lost it, several members of the congregation didn't know about my mom's illness.

It's true, it's not that they don't want to miss you. It's because they don't know you anymore. May his legacy be that his story of Alzheimer's touches everyone.
 
There is a good Glen Campbell concert by PBS that has most of his hits & was filmed in 2011 which was the year he learned he had Alzheimer's & then the documentary I'll Be Me about his concert tour from a couple years ago.

ETA: Sorry, I checked that PBS DVD & it's 2001 not 2011. Filmed with the South Dakota Symphony. He's also shown (younger years) in the documentary The Wrecking Crew which is a good one. Also Anthony Mason's segment from Sunday Morning.
*** Glen Campbell's final tour :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqRXOPJzgdY
 
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once_upon said:
His last tour was one that he knew he wouldn't remember. Often times he would forget the words, the music. One of the band members said that Glen fired them 8 times, but didn't remember it the next day so all was good.
Click to expand...

His wife said they made the diagnosis known beforehand so his fans would understand if he forgot the words or became disoriented on stage.
 
skatingfan5 said:
I don't want to start a separate thread because her name is much less well known, but the world lost another wonderful singer today: Barbara Cook, Broadway and cabaret singer, died at age 89. My parents saw her on Broadway as the original Marian, the librarian in The Music Man and I used to listen to the cast recording lp again and again. She was still performing until a year or two ago. Rest in peace, Ms. Cook. Your glorious voice will live on as long as there are recordings.
Click to expand...
Because of "The Bell Telephone Hour" I knew her glorious voice/gifts from when I was very young, onward:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BWLRymSsCU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOeJpnX99i0

A few more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INd4j7P1aEI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_G4JNMURj4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIOwhGY3gK8

Still the best version of this, IMO:
"Glitter and Be Gay"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOpXPQH9zS0

I'm sure she is one of the leading Sopranos in the Choir of Angels, today.
 
9 p.m. (eastern) tonight, Wednesday, August 9 - Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (from 2014) - on HLN.

I was looking at the online guide to see if there was ANYTHING on t.v. tonight, and there it was. HLN (Headline News) will not pre-empt this for any "news". They are probably just pre-empting four episodes of Forensic Files already.
 
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Jimmy Webb posted a eulogy on his facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/JimmyWebbMusic/posts/1812201325474480
One of his favorite songs was “Try A Little Kindness” in which he sings “shine your light on everyone you see.” My God. Did he do that or what? Just thinking back I believe suddenly that the “raison d’etre” for every Glen Campbell show was to bring every suffering soul within the sound of his voice up a peg or two. Leave ’em laughin.’ Leave them feeling just a little tad better about themselves; even though he might have to make them cry a couple of times to get ’em there. What a majestically graceful and kind, top rate performer was Glen on his worst night!
Click to expand...
When it came to friendship Glen was the real deal. He spoke my name from ten thousand stages. He was my big brother, my protector, my co-culprit, my John crying in the wilderness. Nobody liked a Jimmy Webb song as much as Glen! And yet he was generous with other writers: Larry Weiss, Allen Toussaint, John Hartford. You have to look hard for a bad song on a Glen Campbell album. He was giving people their money’s worth before it became fashionable.
Click to expand...
 
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