Adiós, Glen Campbell

Not an obituary, but it might as well be. With Help From Friends And Family, Glen Campbell Says 'Adiós'

On Friday, the legendary singer-songwriter Glen Campbell bid a final farewell to his fans by releasing his last-ever album. Titled Adiós, it was recorded in 2012, when the "Rhinestone Cowboy" formally ended his music career after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease the year before.

Produced by his friend and longtime banjo player Carl Jackson, Adiós also involved Campbell's daughter Ashley Campbell, a country musician in her own right. She and Jackson both spoke with NPR's Michel Martin the day the album was released, and she says knowing that Adiós is her father's last album is "definitely bittersweet."

"But I'm so excited about it because I know he would be excited to share new music with his fans," she says.

The 12-song collection includes songs that Glen Campbell loved but never had the opportunity to record. Some of the album's poignancy stems from the fact that, on it, Campbell sounds nearly as robust and fluid as ever. Jackson says that's partly because these are songs that were "ingrained" in him.

Glen at his peak. Look at who is in the crowd:

"He couldn't remember lyrics — that was one of the first things to go," Jackson says. "But he didn't lose his melodies, and that beautiful perfect pitch and tone."

According to Jackson, Adiós could not have come together without the intimacy of the recording process. "It was a special thing that went on in the room. There was so much joy, so much laughter, so much fun," he remembers. "I think there was so much love in the room [that] made me able to get some things out of him that maybe somebody else couldn't have done."

Ashley Campbell, who played the banjo parts for the song "Everybody's Talkin'," says the experience pressured her to measure up not to her father's musicianship, but to her own capabilities.

Glen was an awesome, but underappreciated guitarist. Hat tip to "open blogger" at Ace's, where there are more examples of Glen's abilities.




Wombat-socho came in a little late with "Rule 5 Tuesday: EDC Girls".

Ashley and Glenn Campbell do "Dueling Banjos" in 2012: