Glen Campbell stops at Rialto on final tour

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Glen Campbell will perform at the Rialto Square Theatre Jan. 26 and 27. | File photo

Updated: January 20, 2012 11:16AM

Country music icon Glen Campbell announced in June 2011 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and is currently performing on what is expected to be his final tour. The tour makes at stop at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet Jan. 26 and 27.

According to Randall Green, general manager of the Rialto Square Theatre, the two nights that Campbell will appear at the Rialto will be filled with mixed emotions.

“The current tour gives people the opportunity to hear their favorite hits and some songs from his latest CD,” said Green about Campbell’s tour and the CD entitled “Ghost On the Canvas.” “It is his farewell to fans and goodbye to live touring.

“If you are a Glen Campbell fan, it will be a bittersweet evening,” Green continued. “But he enjoys putting on a good show and it is a ‘Thank You’ and ‘Goodbye’ to his fans. Not often do you get to experience that.”

The 75-year-old Campbell has been putting on a good show in several mediums for 50 years. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s including “Gentle on My Mind,” “By the Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.” He made music history by winning a Grammy in both country and pop categories in the same year: “Gentle On My Mind” snatched country honors and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” won the pop award in 1967. Campbell has released more than 70 albums and sold more than 45 million records.

Before hitting it big as a solo artist, Campbell was a sought-after guitarist, performing on as many as 500 studio sessions a year. He played guitar for such artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley, Jan and Dean and The Righteous Brothers, among many others. He toured with The Beach Boys in 1964-65 for 18 months until his own solo career took off.

Campbell also a hosted a musical variety television series called “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” which ran on CBS-TV from 1969 to 1972. He also starred with John Wayne in the original movie version of “True Grit” in 1969. Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame by the Country Music Association of America in 2005.

“He became more of a mainstream pop artist,” said Green of Campbell’s wide appeal. “He was a guy who could crossover to TV and to the big screen.”

But Green believes Campbell’s main draw is his music.

“He had a whole string of hits,” Green said. “He owned adult contemporary radio for a long time.”

As for what will probably be Campbell’s final appearance at the Rialto, Green expects something very special.

“It will be an emotional evening,” Green continued. “For him to go out and perform night after night, it speaks volumes to his character and his personality and for the appreciation he has for his fans.”