Remembering Glen

Glen Campbell boiled over with talent and personality. Whether singing or picking, he took a backseat to no one.  Always smiling and upbeat with a ready story for whatever the occasion may be. We worked stage shows together; lots of TV; awards shows; specials; even went to the White House together one time.  We guested on his TV show on the west coast and he guested on ours in Nashville.

I used to take my coat off at the end of each show as we said our goodnights and it would reveal that I had on dress suspenders with my suit.  Glen was amused by this and told me he had never worn suspenders.  I said, “Even with a tux?  Certainly you have.”  But he swore he never had.  I gave him a pair of mine after one of the shows.  Don’t know if he ever tried them or not. (They were very fashionable at the time.)

Half the time he would call Harold, Wayne.  He said he just looked like that’s what his name should be.  He used to say, “You guys can call him Harold all you want to but I’m gonna call him Wayne.”  And, of course, Harold called him something different every time he saw him which became a running gag.

The clip you will watch here is of Glen and the Statlers on his show sometime in the 80s in L.A.  I’ve been asked what I remember about the show.  I remember we had fun as we always did when we got together.  And I remember this small, unrelated tidbit:  I was sitting outside our dressing room in the hallway that day reading a book when someone sat down beside me and started talking to me.  I looked over at the guy and realized it was Fred Willard.  You know Fred today as Phil Dunfey’s father on “Modern Family” and from all the comedy movies.  (“Best In Show” is my favorite.) Fred’s a big Statler fan and we hit it off as I’m an equally big fan of his.

(Strange how one memory leads to another.)

We hosted Glen numerous times during our seven-year series and on the last season (’97-’98) he was there three times.  Harold and I wrote a special segment called “Hollywood” especially for him and Pat Boone where we would sing and salute songs from the movies.  Pat did three of them with us and Glen did three of them.

The final show aired in May of ‘98.  Glen was on that final show.

I could write a thousand words and more about him but isn’t a picture worth just that?  And a video full of laughs and memories is worth even more.

Click on it and enjoy.  It makes me smile every time I do.  Of course, remembering Glen always makes us smile.

DSR    8/9/17