Glen Campbell Plays On Despite Alzheimer's Disease

I have long admired and tried to emulate Glen Campbell, as a person and particularly as a guitarist/singer.  He is just incredible!  He now bears the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease, which is something that all who love him are saddened by.  He is out there on the road now conducting a concert swing designed as a farewell tour.  The beauty of it is his family travels with him and several of his family members are playing instruments and singing, as well.  Campbell speaks of them with great pride, in an article by Chris Talbott called "Family Helps Glen Campbell fight Alzheimer's," when he states, "What's really fun is it's not like work now because I've got my kids here, and my wife here, and they're all playing" (Wednesday, August 24, 2011, Press Enterprise, Riverside, CA).

As a musician, Glen Campbell has had numerous hit recordings and is known for his blazing fast lead guitar, played acoustically and on an electric.  The recent photos of him show him playing a blue Fender Stratocaster with a pearloid pick guard (just a coincidence in reference to this blog, not intended irony).  His family refers to the disease as "Part-timers" because it ebbs and flows from memory and cognitive struggles to a fairly fluid mental performance on Campbell's part.  It seems that he is very capable still of playing even though he may at times forget something important, such a the key the song is being played in.  This is not like him his wife, Kim, says, and adds that he sometimes, "repeats himself a little."

According to the writer Campbell still glides amazingly over the strings on his guitar and sings well.  I intend to try to catch a west coast version of the concert tour.  I wouldn't miss it for the world.  I feel for the great Glen Campbell, but I am impressed by his overcoming attitude and the spirit with which he faces each day.  As Talbott writes, Campbell explains that, "Tomorrow's cool. Just don't mess it up.  It's just wonderful. I think where I am right now in this universe, I wouldn't want to be anything else than what I am."  Now that is what I call standing strong in the face of the wind and remaining focused on what matters.  In this case you would have to include music, but what Glen Campbell is clearly saying is that his family is what he lives to enjoy.  -- Guitar Man