Glen Campbell

by Frank M. Roberts

September 2015

The backstage pass I found among my souvenirs reminded me of the time I met up with the chummy singer who was a major star, a gentleman who, today, as his wife, Kim notes, "has lost most of his language skills and has a hard time communicating."

Glen Campbell had just finished his concert. At the time, I was working as a disc jockey and, like most of us in those years, I played his records. Country and pop stations featured the man from Billstown, Arkansas. He played concert arenas, was on countless television shows and, from '69 to '72 starred on the appropriately named, "Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour."

I was happy to see that major stardom did not affect his friendly personality, and we schmoozed for several minutes. He was like a chum.

It is an entirely different story these days. "He lives in a mental fog most of the time. The aides and nurses say he must have been a godly man because they always see him thanking the Lord. I've seen him walk over to the window and lift up his hands and say, 'thank you, heavenly Father,'" said his wife, Kim.

That window is in a long-term care and treatment facility where the performer lives, because of stage 6 Alzheimer's Disease which began plaguing him in 2012.

"He doesn't understand a word I say to him," his wife said. "He can't communicate, but we have a beautiful life together."

His life has been interesting, to say the least - and rewarding. The tenor won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, an appreciation from his peers. And, there was this from his wife about "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," cut during his continuing bout with the dreaded disease: "The song tells the truth of what it's like to lose your memory and yet be at peace with it. We are very proud of Glen and grateful for God's grace."

God was in and out and back in with the 78-year-old singer who was wed four times, and is dad to five sons and three daughters. And, there was the well publicized romance with Tanya Tucker. He was raised in the Church of Christ, later became a Baptist, then practiced Messianic Judaism.

Through it all he had such major hits as, "By the Time I Get To Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman," "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Southern Nights" and oodles of others. He won four Grammy Awards, was Male Vocalist of the Year, and Entertainer Of the Year. Another career highlight was his starring role in "True Grit," with John Wayne, who personally selected Campbell. By the way, the song was nominated for an Academy Award.

No, he cannot communicate today, but over many, many years he has done so majestically without, as far as I could tell when we met, any 'swellheadedness.' Obviously, he enjoyed his career and, he enjoyed meeting his thousands of fans.

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On the subject of very nice stars, here is a little something about Ernest Borgnine, who played a genuine 'meanie' in "From Here To Eternity," and other movies. He was a gentle soul in one of my favorite movies, "Marty," and a fun guy as part of "McHale's Navy."

In real life he was a 'Mr. Nice Guy'. Proof? Read on: He would drive around the country and when he spotted families on their front porches, he'd stop, get out of the car, go up on the porch, pull up a chair, sit down, and join in the conversation.

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Try this on for size: To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the loving cup, whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right --- shut up.