Celebrity Graveland

April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017

Glen Campbell was not the first “Rhinestone Cowboy,” but he’s arguably the most famous. At least, that’s what you might suspect judging him solely by his biggest hit.

Despite personally resonating with the titular character in the chart-topping 1975 song, Campbell was so much more than a sequined journeyman waiting for his turn in the spotlight.

A guitarist from the age of 4, Glen Campbell paid his dues and made his way south from his Arkansas home; then west. He became a highly-sought session musician in Los Angeles, eventually becoming part of the notable session collective known as The Wrecking Crew. He recorded guitar for acts like Sinatra, Elvis, Lou Rawls and The Beach Boys. He even toured with the Beach Boys for a bit in the mid-1960s and played on their seminal masterpiece, Pet Sounds. All the while, he built on a burgeoning solo career that found major success in the 1970s. Hits like “Wichita Lineman”, “Galveston”,  “Southern Nights” and “Rhinestone Cowboy” made Campbell a household name on both Country and Pop charts. TV variety shows and movies followed. He sang popular theme songs like “True Grit” and “Any Which Way You Can.” He was nominated for Grammys, Golden Globes (as an actor), Oscars (as a songwriter), AMAs and many, many Country Music awards. The lights were most definitely shinin’ on him.

He beat addiction, influenced generations of new artists and was widely considered one of the best guitar players of all time by the likes of Paul McCartney, Alice Cooper and others. In short, Glen Campbell was a pretty big deal. In 2010, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and shortly thereafter launched a farewell tour and final album recording. He then retired and battled the disease for 5 more years. At the age of 81, Campbell succumbed to the disease in Nashville.

Burial

Campbell’s Cemetery – Billstown, AR

Specific Location

This is a small family cemetery so it’s not hard to locate Glen’s marker once you arrive. But, his is the one that is facing away from the road – covered in rocks and fan mementos.

This entry was posted on November 23, 2020 at 8:40 am and is filed under Campbell's Cemetery with tags Beach Boys, Campbell's Cemetery, Country Musicians, Musicians, Singers, The Wrecking Crew. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.