Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936, on a family farm in Billstown, Arkansas. The son of Wesley, a sharecropper, and Carrie Dell, Campbell was one of 12 children. The family was largely impoverished - all the Campbell children pitched in to help pick cotton - but extremely musical, and Campbell showed musical promise early on. At the age of four, his father bought him a $5 Sears and Roebuck guitar; within a few years, Campbell was appearing as a paid act and performing guest spots on local radio stations.
In his career, Glen seemed to have it all. He was handsome and talented. An actor and a singer. He had some great times and some dark times, due to alcohol. He was even a friend of King Elvis Presley!
Sadly, Glen is now suffering from Alzheimer's Disease - A horrible disease causing the brain to forget. He made the announcement in June of 2011. He was beginning to forget words to his songs, repeating things he had said before, and even forgetting the names of his children! What would it be like to forget who your children are? Or your spouse? Some days with Alzheimer's are good, but some are not. However, Glen has vowed to go one one final tour to share his wonderful country hits to the world.
Back in November during the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, an extremely short tribute was made to Glen. He was there, sitting in the audience next to his lovely wife. While watching Vince, Brad, and Keith sing his hit songs, it seemed to me that Glen was trying to mouth the words but may have had trouble remembering some of them. He also seemed a little disoriented when he stood up to go on stage. His wife firmly, but softly led him in the right direction.
Last night's tribute to Glen at the Grammy's was different. As one of the final acts of the night, a tribute to him was made by Taylor Swift and songs of his were sung by The Band Perry and Blake Shelton. Glen actually sang his song that bares his nickname: Rhinestone Cowboy. He clearly was singing. Hit every note and word perfectly! He did not seem disoriented at all during his performance. I was so inspired and happy for him! Such a different man than I saw in November!
Glen is living his life to the fullest. He is still singing and touring because he knows someday that he will no longer be able to use his talent due to Alzheimer's Disease. I think the best thing about this tour is that he has his three children in his band traveling with him!
He's going through probably the most difficult barrier in his lifetime, but Glen Campbell has still got it. Though he may not remember EVERY word of his songs, he is still one of the best guitar players in the world. He has chosen to use his talent to live his life and takes one day at a time. Today, take some time to think about what barriers you will have this week. What talents do you have that you can use to get around them to achieve your goals?
Hope everyone has a great Monday!
- Mindy
