|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, American popular music has lost one of its greatest |
|
stars with the death of guitarist and singer Glen Campbell on August |
|
8, 2017, at the age of 81; and |
|
WHEREAS, Glen Travis Campbell was born in Billstown, |
|
Arkansas, on April 22, 1936, to John and Carrie Campbell; one of 12 |
|
children in a family of sharecroppers, he learned to play the guitar |
|
at the age of four, and he was playing professionally by the age of |
|
15; and |
|
WHEREAS, Early in his career, Mr. Campbell was a sought-after |
|
session guitarist in Los Angeles, playing for artists as diverse as |
|
Dean Martin, the Beach Boys, Merle Haggard, and the Ronettes, and |
|
his guitar can be heard on such classic recordings as Frank |
|
Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night," the Monkees' "I'm a Believer," |
|
and Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas"; and |
|
WHEREAS, By the late 1960s, Mr. Campbell's country charm, |
|
boyish good looks, and warm tenor voice had propelled him to stardom |
|
in his own right, performing such hits as "Gentle on My Mind," |
|
"Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," |
|
and from 1969 to 1972, he hosted a hit TV variety show, The Glen |
|
Campbell Goodtime Hour; during these years, he also appeared as a |
|
Texas Ranger in the classic John Wayne western, True Grit, and as a |
|
Vietnam veteran turned singer in the film Norwood; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Campbell went on to record more hits such as |
|
"Rhinestone Cowboy," "Southern Nights," "Sunflower," and "Country |
|
Boy"; over the course of a remarkable career that spanned half a |
|
century, he recorded more than 70 albums and sold 45 million |
|
records, including 12 gold records, 4 platinum records, and 1 |
|
double-platinum record; he won 10 Grammys, including 3 Grammy Hall |
|
of Fame Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award, and 10 Academy of |
|
Country Music Awards; in 2005, he was inducted into the Country |
|
Music Hall of Fame; and |
|
WHEREAS, Near the end of his life, Mr. Campbell waged a |
|
courageous public battle with Alzheimer's disease, undertaking a |
|
"Goodbye Tour" during which he performed with members of his family |
|
before sold-out crowds; he won his final Grammy for the last song he |
|
ever recorded, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which was also featured in |
|
the 2014 documentary, Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me; and |
|
WHEREAS, From the cotton fields of Arkansas to the recording |
|
studios of Los Angeles to concert halls all around the world, Glen |
|
Campbell won the respect of his peers and inspired generations of |
|
younger performers with his musicianship and his talent, and the |
|
mellow sound of his voice and the warmth of his personality will |
|
remain forever gentle on the minds of his millions of fans; now, |
|
therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
|
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory |
|
of Glen Campbell and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his |
|
family: to his wife, Kim Campbell; to his children, Debby, Kelli, |
|
Travis, Kane, Dillon, Cal, Shannon, and Ashley; to his 10 |
|
grandchildren; and to his other relatives and his many friends and |
|
fans; and, be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Glen |
|
Campbell. |