Glen Campbell

 

Glen Campbell handled the lead guitar on the first single by the Rip Chords, "Here I Stand" .  Most people know of Campbell's string of fine hits in the mid-1960's – "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Gentle on My Mind", "Galveston", and many more – but might not realize that he was one of the best session guitarists around for many years previously and had the most successful individual career among the loose aggregation of session players known as the Wrecking Crew.  Campbell recently embarked on a farewell tour after acknowledging that he is suffering from Alzheimer's.  

 

(July 2011)

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There have been so many great guitarists that I have enjoyed hearing over the years, for many different reasons:  The old-fashioned blasts of Chuck Berry and Keith Richards, the unexpected dexterity and ear of Bob Dylan and Glen Campbell, the pounding virtuosity of Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman, the nearly unsung anonymity of Tommy Tedesco and Jerry Cole, the steady precision of George Harrison and Tom Petty, the sheer power ofJimmy Page and Tony Iommi, the blues-based thunder of Jack White and Eddie Van Halen, lesser known greats like Nikki Sudden and Chris Spedding, and so many more.

 

(August 2011)