
Singer, guitarist, session guitarist, and actor Glen Campbell was born in this day in 1936. Here’s one of my favorite videos of him, a 1999 appearance on CMT with some of the biggest names in country music, playing and singing his 1968 hit, "Gentle On My Mind." The story goes that Glen heard John Hartford’s version on the radio and bought the single, calling it "an essay on life."
He was a complex man with a lot of demons but he could sing and I enjoyed his music even though it is country. It’s sad that he got dementia (I am not sure if it was true blue Alzheimer’s, Vascular dementia, like my mom had, or Alcohol dementia) but he could still sing.
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From what I’ve read, it was Alzheimer’s in his case. He and Alice Cooper, believe it or not, were very close friends: they both went thru AA, lived in the same town, both were Christians, and both loved to golf. Alice said that other members of the rock community would ask him to introduce them to Glen, because they were awestruck by him. Glen was a superior guitar player and a topnotch session musician.
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Thank you. I was writing that he suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease.
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Great song it is what it says on the bottle 💜💜
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One of my favorites by Glen Campbell.
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Did you watch the people watching him? I think they were introduced as country music’s royalty, and they were just in awe of him.
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I took another look at the video and I agree. I saw him in Atlanta on one of his last gigs. He was still awesome!
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What’s even more poignant for me is he’s singing about memory and of course, he lost all of his at the end of his run. What a charismatic, gentle man he was. ❤️
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Not long after I heard he was suffering from Alzheimer’s I found this video and ended up sobbing though it…
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Yes. Completely heart-breaking. That old saying … “Only the good die young ..”
Yes, in the scheme of life, he was still young. ❤️🩹
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I heard that, a couple of days before he died, someone handed him a guitar, and he started playing some incredible stuff. His mind might have been gone, but he still could play.
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Such a breezy carefree song. Not my favorite by Campbell, but it’s a really good one. I liked Hartford’s version as well.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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Glen had a ton of hit records; I’m not sure which is my favorite, but this performance definitely is one of the best I’ve seen. He plays that solo so effortlessly, and you can tell everyone sitting there with him was really impressed.
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Hi John – definitely a favourite – love. it … he’s got a fabulous voice … thank you – cheers Hilary
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Glad you liked it!
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You got me with that one. Also “Wichita Lineman.” ❤️
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He did some great songs.
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