A Tribute to Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell died yesterday.  He was 81, but had suffered for a lengthy period with Alzheimer’s.  For many reasons, he inhabits a special place in my musical constellation.

I first became aware of his music when his big trio of hit records crossed over from country to pop – Galveston, Wichita Lineman, Gentle on my Mind.  I was in my rock and roll prime, a high school student with little patience for slick pop songs or overly orchestrated ballads.  So of course I was dismissive of him and his music.  But something in his voice and the songs captured my attention much more acutely than the typical pop song and I found myself furtively seeking out his songs on the radio.

In early 1979 I stopped in Reno for the night with my Mom, who had joined me on my way out to California to report for duty with the USS Seawolf.  She suggested we go to a Vegas-style show with Glen Campbell and I acquiesced, though not particularly eager for what I thought would be a stylized and phony glamour display.

Much to my surprise, for the next three hours I was mesmerized by the talent and energy that this amazing man displayed.  He played the guitar and the banjo with effortless virtuosity and his singing was powerfully melancholic and inspiring.  He performed songs from numerous genres, including a medley of Beach Boy tunes from his days replacing Brian Wilson on one of their tours in the mid-60s.  The range and breadth of his repertoire astounded me.  When he sang his trademark Wichita Lineman, I could feel the aching need and loneliness of every human being in those perfect lines:

 ‘and I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time’

I left that Reno theater with a stunning epiphany.  All my prejudices and pretensions were false!  Glen Campbell was not some glitzy country crooner, but rather a musical genius and he had a much more profound message and impact than I could ever have imagined.  I soon discovered that Glen had been one of the most sought after studio musicians in LA in the 60's and that he was considered one of the era's best and most versatile guitarists before his singing led him to stardom.  I had totally misread him!

But it wasn’t just Glen Campbell that I had been wrong about.  I suddenly realized that the depth I had missed in him was also the depth I was missing in every person I was too smug to learn more about or too busy to engage with.  Not many people have the amazing talents that Glen had, but everyone is deeper and more interesting than we realize – and has more to offer than we are apt to believe.

Last night I listened for hours to youtube videos of Glen’s canon, tearing up as his aching, yearning tenor and flawless guitar filled my heart.  I saw snippets of his farewell tour, when the ravages of his Alzheimer’s had taken much of his mental acuity, but somehow his singing and playing fought through the haze and shone brightly.

I am grateful for the life and music of Glen Campbell, and in debt to him for teaching me an invaluable lesson about people and prejudice.