Not only do Glen’s special appearances as co-headliner at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson draw sold-out crowds, but he’s still a hot draw on television as well. In 2000, PBS aired a Glen Campbell Special taped in Sioux Falls, SD, and he’s been profiled recently on A&E’s Biography , VH-1 Behind The Scenes, and CMT’s Inside Fame. The CMT profile pulled such strong ratings from the coveted 18-49 demographic that Country Music Television is now showing reruns of the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.  Although Glen was already hitting the top of both the country and pop charts by 1969, the Goodtime Hour gave his career “legs.” The popular CBS musical variety series was simulcast on the BBC from England to Singapore to Australia and paved the way for five BBC specials. The exposure gave Glen a global presence he enjoys to this day, 30+ years later. He has toured the UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. As recently as 2000, Glen’s popularity in the UK sustained a 31-day tour of the region.  “It’s awesome when you think about the power of TV and movies,” Glen comments. “If I hadn’t had hit records, I wouldn’t have gotten TV and movies, but the Goodtime Hour made my career explode all over the world.” Besides having one of the most successful variety shows in television history, Glen will be remembered as one of the best guitarists of his generation. His musicianship has inspired many of today’s most renowned pickers, including Keith Urban and Steve Wariner, and lives on in the tracks of the most legendary collections of the 20th century. His enormous success as a crossover artist also paved the way for hit makers such as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton to break genre barriers. In addition, Glen was one of the first country artists to forge a path into Hollywood’s studio back lots. His portrayal of John Wayne’s young sidekick in the classic True Grit will be viewed by generations to come, and since that success, numerous other country singers have gotten a chance to stretch their acting wings.  Glen’s tremendous impact on the artistic scene was an unlikely outcome for a sharecropper’s son, one of 12 children raised in rural Billstown, Arkansas. But Glen’s father recognized his talent early and bought his youngster a five-dollar Sears & Roebuck guitar. The child prodigy had conquered the instrument by the time he was 10. At 16, Glen left school to pursue music full time. He started in a three-piece combo with his uncle, Dick Bills, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but was soon touring the Southwest fronting his own band.  In 1961, the 24-year-old musician hit the Los Angeles studio scene like a blast of fresh air. Glen quickly became a sought-after studio picker, his talents enriching records by such artists as Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley, Jan & Dean and the Righteous Brothers. In addition, Phil Spector and Jimmy Bowen used him for most of their projects, and the Beach Boys invited him to join their group in the mid-sixties. He toured with that legendary band for 18 months in 1964 and ‘65, until his own solo career took off.  Glen had released a single, “Turn Around Look At Me,” on a regional label in 1961 that cracked the charts and got the attention of Capitol Records. His first album for Capitol, Big Bluegrass Special, was recorded under the name The Green River Boys Featuring Glen Campbell. The debut collection yielded one Top 20 hit, “Kentucky Means Paradise,” and Glen continued to record for the label. Then, in 1967, “Gentle On My Mind” broke the world open like an oyster for Glen Campbell.  The single initially only made it to #30 in Billboard. More than a year later, however — after Glen had become a crossover sensation with “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “I Wanna Live” and “The Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife” — “Gentle On My Mind” made an incredible second chart climb. His success continued with the late 1968 release of “Wichita Lineman,” which hit #1 country and #3 on the pop charts.