Glen Campbell Biography

Fast Facts

• One of 12 children
• Received his first guitar at age 4
• Began playing in country bands at 14
• Left school at 16 to pursue music full-time
• Formed his own band, the Western Wranglers, at age 18
• Moved to L
• A
• in the late 1950s to become a studio musician
• Briefly joined the Champs, best known for their hit "Tequila
• " Became part of the famed "Wrecking Crew"—a group of session musicians who played on many Phil Spector sessions
• Released his first single, "Turn Around, Look at Me," in 1961
• One of the people who heard it on the radio: a 14-year-old Jimmy Webb, who would go on to write many of Campbell's classic hits
• Became a touring member of the Beach Boys after Brian Wilson retired from the road in 1965, but decided against joining them full-time
• Had his big breakthrough in 1967 with "Gentle on My Mind" and the Webb-penned "By the Time I Get to Phoenix
• " Scored five No
• 1 country hits ("I Wanna Live," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Southern Nights") and two No
• 1 pop hits ("Rhinestone Cowboy," "Southern Nights") during his career
• Published his autobiography, Rhinestone Cowboy, in 1994
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005
• Had his own theater in Branson, MO
• Announced in 2011 that he had Alzheimer's disease