Glen Campbell - The Rhinestone Cowboy

Episodes

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0106-04-200520111030Ahead of Glen Campbell's headline performance for Radio 2 In Concert, the musician shares memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight, with his guitar by his side to illustrate songs that made his career.

Presented by REM's Mike Mills, this documentary first broadcast on Radio 2 in 2005 and has been updated to include new material with Glen who, in 2011, revealed his diagnosis with Alzheimer's and announced plans to undertake one last tour before the illness makes such an endeavour impossible.

One of the great crossover artists of the past 50 years, Glen has sold over 45 million albums worldwide and some of the songs he recorded have become popular music classics, including Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get To Phoenix, Galveston and Rhinestone Cowboy.

In this series he talks honestly about every aspect of his career, from his poor upbringing to the glistening heights of fame, from his battles with addiction to his re-discovery as an artist in recent years, right up to his diagnosis with Alzheimer's and his farewell album and tour.

In episode one, Campbell talks about his childhood, growing up the son of a sharecropper in rural southern US. He recalls learning guitar, and his first tentative steps as a professional musician. During his tenure as a radio session player and live musician, he met Elvis for the first of many times. He also married the first of his four wives, before heading to California in an attempt to break into the music scene there.

Listen to Radio 2 In Concert on Thursday 17 November to hear Glen Campbell performing classic hits and songs from Ghost On The Canvas in the BBC Radio Theatre.

The musician shares his thoughts and memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

Glen Campbell shares memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

0213-04-200520111113Ahead of Glen Campbell's headline performance for Radio 2 In Concert on Thursday, the musician continues to share memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

Presented by REM's Mike Mills, this documentary first broadcast on Radio 2 in 2005 and has been updated to include new material with Glen who, in 2011, revealed his diagnosis with Alzheimer's and announced plans to undertake one last tour before the illness makes such an endeavour impossible.

One of the great crossover artists of the past 50 years, Glen has sold over 45 million albums worldwide and some of the songs he recorded have become popular music classics, including Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get To Phoenix, Galveston and Rhinestone Cowboy.

In this series he talks honestly about every aspect of his career, from his poor upbringing to the glistening heights of fame, from his battles with addiction to his re-discovery as an artist in recent years, right up to his diagnosis with Alzheimer's and his farewell album and tour.

In episode two, Glen Campbell moves to California where he falls in with The Wrecking Crew, a group of session musicians who recorded some of the best known songs of the 1960s. Producer Jimmy Bowen, bassist Carole Kaye and Glen Campbell recall those sessions including Strangers in the Night with Frank Sinatra and You've Lost That Loving Feeling.

In those early days, Brian Wilson produced and wrote a song Guess I'm Dumb for Glen, before he joined the Beach Boys on tour and on the sessions for Pet Sounds. Producer Al Delory recalls working with Glen on his first hit single Gentle on My Mind, a track that earned Glen his first Grammy Award and paved the way to stardom.

Glen Campbell continues to share memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

Glen Campbell shares memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

0320-04-200520111120Glen Campbell continues to share memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight, with his guitar by his side to illustrate songs that made his career.

Presented by REM's Mike Mills, this documentary first broadcast on Radio 2 in 2005 and has been updated to include new material with Glen who, in 2011, revealed his diagnosis with Alzheimer's and announced plans to undertake one last tour before the illness makes such an endeavour impossible.

This episode looks at arguably the greatest period in Glen's career, both artistically and commercially. He recalls recording the trio of Jimmy Webb songs that would become his trademark - Witchita Lineman, By The Time I Get To Phoenix and Galveston. Jimmy recalls the blossoming of their relationship and remembers writing Witchita Lineman at the behest of Glen and his producer Al Delory.

Keith Cameron, from Mojo Magazine, delves into the artistry of the song and ponders on the impact Campbell made on popular music. And Glen presents extracts from his popular TV programme - The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour - which at its peak attracted 50 millions viewers a week. The programme featured John Wayne amongst others, after Glen appeared alongside him in True Grit.

Glen Campbell continues to share memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

Glen Campbell shares memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.

0427-04-200520111127Mike Mills presents the concluding part of this 2005 documentary which brings Glen Campbell's story right up to the present day, with the release of his latest album Ghost On The Canvas.

In spite of his huge success during the 1960s, Glen Campbell didn't have a Number One pop hit until Rhinestone Cowboy in 1975. In this episode he talks about how his life paralleled the lyrics to that song, with periods of huge success broken up with dark times. He recalls his failed relationships and his battles with drug and alcohol before he found God and married Kim, his wife of three decades.

Jimmy Webb talks about Campbell's ability to turn hitherto unsuccessful songs into hits and Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters talks about Campbell's recent recording of modern songs and his introduction to another generation of pop fans.

And following the announcement of Glen's diagnosis with Alzheimer's and a farewell tour, Mojo's Keith Cameron considers his legacy. Glen and Kim Campbell also give a moving account of the changes this illness has brought to their lives and talk about the latest hit record.

The concluding episode brings Glen Campbell's story up to the present day.

Glen Campbell shares memories of a lifetime lived in the limelight.