INFLUENCED: Keith Urban and Glen Campbell

Superstar Keith Urban is one of the current reigning guitar gods of country music, not to mention his great talents as a vocalist, songwriter and phenomenal entertainer.  As a young boy growing up in his native Australia, Keith admired Renaissance man Glen Campbell who was one of the trailblazers when it came to crossing genres in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.  In 2009, Keith took the legend on the road as part of his “Escape Together World Tour.”  When it came time to introduce his hero, Keith shared, “This guy is such a huge influences on what I do as a guitar player, as a singer, as a songwriter and as an entertainer.  He’s won Entertainer of the Year; he’s won CMA Vocalist of the Year multiple times; he’s sold 45 million records; he’s been a Beach Boy; he’s played on Frank Sinatra records – it’s just unfathomable what he’s done.”

Before seeing his star rise, Glen Campbell grew up one of 12 children born into a family of sharecroppers in Delight, Arkansas.  Luckily for Glen, his father recognized his musical talent and bought his son a guitar.  When Glen reached age 16, he left school to pursue a career in music.  When he was only in his early to mid 20s, Glen became a much sought after session musicians, playing on records by everyone from Dean Martin to Merle Haggard to the Righteous Brothers.  He even was included as a guitarist on the Beach Boys’ influential 1966 album Pet Sounds.  Prior to that, he joined the group for two years.

But, in 1967, Glen’s solo career kicked into high gear with the release of the classic “Gentle On My Mind” and the hits just kept coming for the singer.  Iconic songs like “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston” not only became country hits for Glen, they also crossed over, expanding the horizons of country music.  Soon, Glen had his very own network television show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (1968-1972), with guests that included Lucille Ball, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash, just to name a few.  He also starred in the John Wayne movie True Grit.  He followed that role by accumulating even more hit tunes like the smash “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights” and collecting honors from the Grammy Awards, the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.

During his 45-plus year career in music, Glen has released over 70 albums, sold 45 million records and earned 27 Top 10 hits.  In 2005, he received one of country music’s highest honors when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Currently, Glen is placing the finishing touches on his final project Ghost on the Canvas and preparing for his farewell tour, but fans like Keith Urban will always remember Glen’s contributions to music.

Nikita Palmer for Citadel Digital © 2010

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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