These birthday tributes on the Internet are just amazing to me. Thank you for finding and posting the ones you found, Cowpoke!
I am certain that "The Wrecking Crew" won't mind if I share their really wonderful Facebook tribute to Glen on his birthday:
The Wrecking Crew
April 22 at 11:31am (lifted from Facebook) [Thank you, Denny!]
- GC_photo posted on TWC_FB.jpg (7.66 KiB) Viewed 13542 times
On this date April 22, 1936 country music singer, guitarist, television host, and occasional actor. Glen Travis Campbell was born in Delight, AR.
Glen got his start in 1960 when he moved to Los Angeles to become a session player. Around this time he was part of the group The Champs. Soon, Campbell was in great demand as a session musician. He became part of The Wrecking Crew and during this period he played on recordings by Bobby Darin - Singer, Ricky Nelson - Singer, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, The Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Jan & Dean ELVIS PRESLEY, Frank Sinatra and Phil Spector.
By January 1961 Campbell had found a daytime job at publishing company American Music, writing songs and recording demos. In May 1961 he left The Champs and was subsequently signed by Crest Records, a subsidiary of American Music. His first solo release was, "Turn Around Look At Me". In 1962 Campbell signed with Capitol records.
From December 1964 to early March 1965, Campbell was a touring member of the Beach Boys, filling in for Brian Wilson. He also played guitar on the group's Pet Sounds album, among other recordings. On tour, he played bass guitar and sang falsetto harmonies. In April 1966, he joined Ricky Nelson on a tour through the Far East, again playing bass.
Due to poor sales, Capitol was considering dropping Campbell from the label in 1966, when he was teamed with producer Al De Lory. Together they first collaborated on "Burning Bridges" which became a top 20 country hit in early 1967, and the album of the same name.
Campbell and De Lory collaborated again on 1967's "Gentle on My Mind", written by John Hartford, which was an overnight success. The song was followed by the bigger hit "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" later in 1967, and "I Wanna Live" and "Wichita Lineman" in 1968. Campbell won four Grammy Awards for his performances on "Gentle on My Mind" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix".
During his 50 years in show business, Campbell has released more than 70 albums. He has sold 45 million records and accumulated 12 RIAA Gold albums, 4 Platinum albums and 1 Double-Platinum album. He has placed a total of 80 different songs on either the Billboard Country Chart, Billboard Hot 100, and/or the Adult Contemporary Chart, of which 29 made the Top 10 and of which nine reached number one on at least one of those charts.
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