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Django Reinhardt's Influence on Glen Campbell

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Dee
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Django Reinhardt's Influence on Glen Campbell

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Glen and Kim Campbell_Django Reinhardt Painting.jpg
Glen and Kim Campbell_Django Reinhardt Painting.jpg (39.38 KiB) Viewed 5173 times
Photo by: Kurt Markus


Here's another portrait of Glen Campbell posing in front of his painting of Django Reinhardt at his former Malibu home:

Visit :arrow: http://l450v.alamy.com/450v/gmyg23/reco ... gmyg23.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


1. Practice makes genius of Rhinestone Cowboy
Albuquerque Tribune, The (NM)
July 20, 2001

In this article, the writer helps the reader imagine Django Reinhardt's influence on Glen's playing as far back as the fifties when Glen was performing in some rough venues in Albuquerque:
You want the quintessential definition of genius at a time when music at least in Albuquerque and the Southwest was a two-fisted, tightfisted battle of survival?

Try this.

Try Glen Campbell, barely into his adolescence, listening to a recording of Rhinehardt (sic), the virtuoso Gypsy jazz guitarist.

Watch Campbell as he absorbs the sinew-knotting chords pouring from a Dark Ages stereo speaker. Watch as his fingers emulate, recreate, then modify. Watch the talent and hard work and dreams merge to form their own six-string colonnade of sound only bigger, more expansive, more versatile.

Then watch as he puts the needle on the vinyl over and over again.

That's how you get good.

Better than good.

Great.

"To me," Campbell says, "Django Rhinehardt was one of the best guitar players and musicians around. I'd get his stuff, and pretty soon I was doing a lot of things I didn't know I could do."
2. How Glen came to find and purchase a painting of his music hero
From: The LA Times
Article "Despite his Alzeimer's diagnosis, Glen Campbell is proud of his new album and is preparing for a farewell tour"
Written by Randy Lewis
August 28, 2011
At Glen Campbell's house in Malibu, a large framed painting of the great Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt hangs over a baby grand piano in the living room.
Campbell is proud of the portrait of the musician who quite possibly is Campbell's biggest hero on the instrument with which both men came to fame, happily showing it off to a visitor on an overcast morning recently.
"I was walking down the street -- not this one...," he (Glen) says, prompting his wife, Kim, to remind him: "Rodeo Drive."
"Rodeo Drive," he confirms, "and here's Django! I bought it for $225."
Kim, sitting next to him around the island amid their kitchen, calmly interjects, "Not on Rodeo you didn't!"
Campbell pauses, looks at her, reconsidering his remark. "How much was it?"
"I think it was more like $2,000."
He pauses again for a split second, then jokes, "Well, shoot, sell it back. I've seen it enough now."
3. From Blurtonline at http://blurtonline.com/feature/farewell ... -campbell/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"FAREWELL TO THE LINEMAN Glen Campbell"
Interview with Glen--bolded quote is Glen's:
His distinct guitar playing, inspired by the likes of Barney Kessel and Django Reinhardt (“Django was my main influence”) gave him the confidence to form western swing bands and, by age twenty-one, head to Los Angeles where he quickly became a sought-after session musician.
4. From: GUITAR Museum Announces “Lifetime Achievement” Award For Glen Campbell
Musician Recognized For Contribution To The Legacy Of The Guitar
January 31, 2017

Kim Campbell spoke about Glen in response to his recent induction to the National Guitar Museum:
“I would like to thank the National Guitar Museum for this great honor,” said Kim Campbell, Glen’s wife. "Glen’s dream as a young man was to be a jazz guitarist like his hero, Django Reinhardt. His years working with The Wrecking Crew developed him into one of the most versatile guitarists of all time instead. Very few guitar players have the opportunity—or skill—to play the variety of styles that Glen did through his 60 years of performing. Glen’s playing has surely inspired countless guitarists and will continue to do so as new generations discover his contributions to the canon of popular music.”


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