Glen Campbell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glen Campbell
Campbell in 1967
Born	Glen Travis Campbell (1936-04-22)April 22, 1936 Billstown, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	August 8, 2017(2017-08-08) (aged 81) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	Singer guitarist songwriter television host actor
Years active	1958–2013
Spouse(s)	Diane Marie Kirk ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1959)​ Billie Jean Nunley ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1976)​ Sarah Barg Davis ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1980)​ Kimberly Woollen ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	8
Musical career
Genres	Country Western folk pop easy listening gospel soft rock
Instruments	Vocals Guitar Banjo Bagpipes
Labels	Capitol Atlantic MCA Liberty Surfdog Records New Haven
Associated acts	The Champs The Beach Boys Bobbie Gentry Anne Murray John Hartford Jerry Reed Tanya Tucker Jimmy Webb

Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American musician, singer and actor.

Early life

Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936, in Billstown, a tiny community near Delight in Pike County, Arkansas, to John Wesley Campbell (a sharecropper) and Carrie Dell (née Stone) Campbell. Campbell was of Scottish descent and was the seventh son of 12 children. As a child he almost died from drowning. The family lived on a farm, where they barely managed, by growing cotton, corn, watermelons and potatoes. "We had no electricity," he said, and money was scarce. "A dollar in those days looked as big as a saddle blanket." To supplement income the family picked cotton for other farmers. "I picked cotton for $1.25 a hundred pounds," Campbell said. "If you worked your tail off, you could pick 80 or 90 pounds a day."

Campbell started playing guitar at age 4 after his father gave him a Sears-bought five-dollar guitar as a gift, with his uncle Boo teaching him the basics of how to play. Most of his family was musical, he said. "Back home, everybody plays and sings." By the time he was 6 he was performing on local radio stations.

Campbell continued playing guitar in his youth, with no formal training, and practiced when he was not working in the cotton fields. He developed his talent by listening to radio and records and considered Django Reinhardt among his most admired guitarists, later calling him "the most awesome player I ever heard." He dropped out of school in the 10th grade at 14 to work in Houston alongside his brothers, installing insulation and later working at a gas station.

Not satisfied with that kind of work, Campbell started playing music at fairs and church picnics and singing gospel hymns in the church choir. He was able to find spots performing on local radio stations, and after his parents moved to Houston, he made some appearances at a local nightclub.

In 1954, at age 17, Campbell moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to join his uncle's band. It was there that he met his first wife, whom he married when he was 18 and she was 16.

In 1958, Campbell formed his own band, the Western Wranglers. "We worked hard," he said. "Six, sometimes seven nights a week. I didn't have my eye set on any specific goals or big dreams."

Career

Almost all of Campbell's solo works have been in the country music genre. Before his solo career, he played guitar on rock and pop music records, including "Mary, Mary" by The Monkees. Campbell joined The Beach Boys for a short time, when Brian Wilson became ill.

Campbell guest-starred on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Later he hosted a series of his own, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.

Campbell's hits include "Galveston", "By The Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Try a Little Kindness", "Gentle On My Mind", "Sunflower", and "Hey Little One". Many of his hits were written by Jimmy Webb. In 1975, Campbell had his biggest hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy". The song became a phenomenon, and rhinestone-covered clothing became a fad.

Campbell had more hits, including "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L. A.)" and "Can You Fool?". His career slowed down in the late 1970s. He seemed to suffer from public overexposure. His romance with Tanya Tucker, a much younger country singer, did not help the way many people saw Campbell. He stopped recording, and cut back on his public appearances.

Years later, Campbell returned to recording and appearing on television. In the 1990s, people were again interested in his music and career. His music is still popular with fans, and is part of popular culture.

Campbell discovered in late 2010 that he had Alzheimer's disease. He announced the diagnosis in June 2011. He released his final album that year. He completed his last concert tour in November 2012.

Death

Campbell died in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 8, 2017, at the age of 81. He was buried in the Campbell family cemetery in Billstown, Arkansas.

In June 2020, Campbell's wife of 34 years, Kim Campbell, published Gentle on My Mind: In Sickness and in Health with Glen Campbell, a memoir of their life together.

Personal life

Campbell was married four times and fathered six sons and three daughters:

• In 1955, Campbell married Diane Marie Kirk (born January 3, 1939; died July 16, 2015) at the Bernalillo County courthouse. They had two children: Glen Travis Campbell Jr., who was born two months prematurely on July 25, 1955, and died a few days later; and Deborah Kay "Debby" (born September 21, 1956). After a mandatory 12-month separation, they divorced in 1959.
• On September 20, 1959, Campbell married Billie Jean Nunley (1939–1993), an Albuquerque beautician, who gave birth to Kelli Glen, William Travis, and Wesley Kane. Billie Campbell filed for divorce in 1975, and their divorce was final in 1976.
• On September 2, 1976, Campbell married singer Mac Davis's second wife, Sarah Jan Davis (née Barg) in Carson City, Nevada. They had one child named Dillon and divorced in 1980.

After his divorce from Sarah Barg Davis, Campbell began a relationship with fellow country artist Tanya Tucker. The relationship was marked by frequent tabloid gossip and articles. The couple recorded a number of songs together, including the single "Dream Lover", and they performed the national anthem together at the 1980 Republican National Convention.

• Campbell married Kimberly "Kim" Woollen (born April 3, 1959) in 1982. The couple met on a blind date in 1981 when Woollen was a Radio City Music Hall "Rockette". Together they had three children: Cal, Shannon, and Ashley. All three joined Campbell onstage starting in 2010 as part of his touring band.

Related pages

• Carl Frederick Tandberg, his bass player

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

Academy of Country Music

American Music Awards

• 1976: Favorite Pop/Rock Single – "Rhinestone Cowboy"
• 1976: Favorite Country Single – "Rhinestone Cowboy"
• 1977: Favorite Country Album – Rhinestone Cowboy

Country Music Association Awards

• 1968: Entertainer of the Year
• 1968: Male Vocalist of the Year
• 2017: Musical Event of the Year – "Funny How Time Slips Away" with Willie Nelson

GMA Dove Awards

• 1986: Album by a Secular Artist – No More Night
• 1992: Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year – "Where Shadows Never Fall"
• 2000: Country Album of the Year – A Glen Campbell Christmas

Other honors

• 1968: Music Operators of America (MOA) Awards – Artist of the Year
• 1970: Golden Globe Award nomination for Best New Star of the Year - Actor in the movie "True Grit"
• 1974: Country Music Association of Great Britain's Entertainer of the Year
• 2005: Country Music Hall of Fame induction
• 2008: Q Legend Award
• 2012: Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. Career Achievement Award
• 2014: Hollywood Music in Media Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2014: Academy Award nomination for "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" (co-writer)
• 2018: Arkansas Country Music Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award

Images for kids

• 

  Campbell performing at the Michigan State Fair, c. 1970

• 

  Campbell performing in Texas, January 2004

See also

In Spanish: Glen Campbell para niños