Maps of Music

Gentle On My Mind (1967)

Where the lyrics of Gentle On My Mind take you, and where it was really made.

The hit on this album began as a rough demo, and the producer cut Campbell's shouted instructions out of the tape before releasing it.

Key places

Where the demo that became the hit was recorded (1967)

Recording site Capitol Studios — Campbell gathered session players and recorded a demo at the Capitol studio to pitch to his producer. The producer later released that demo, and it became a hit for Campbell. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Gentle on My Mind: sixth studio album by American singer-guitarist Glen Campbell
• Released in 1967 by Capitol Records
• Eleven tracks: six on side one, five on side two
• Centerpiece is 'Gentle on My Mind', a song by John Hartford that Campbell recorded
• The album is built around this song about memories of a lost love

Background

• Campbell heard Hartford's original version on the radio and fell in love with the song
• At the time Campbell was a solo artist under contract with Capitol Records
• He had little success establishing a name for himself in the public eye before this album
• Hartford's inspiration came from watching the film Dr. Zhivago

Recording

• Campbell gathered session players from the 'Wrecking Crew' gang, including Leon Russell credited as Russell Bridges
• They recorded a demo version in the Capitol studio that Campbell could pitch to his producer
• Between phrases and stanzas, Campbell yelled instructions to the players
• Campbell left the rough recording for his producer to listen to
• The producer fell in love with the song and with the recording itself
• Without telling Campbell, the producer removed the unwanted talk from between the phrases and released the demo
• The demo became a hit for Campbell when it was released
• Musicians: Campbell (vocals, acoustic guitar), James Burton (acoustic and electric guitar), Doug Dillard (banjo), Joe Osborn (bass), Jim Gordon (drums), Leon Russell (piano)
• Production: Al De Lory (producer, arranger, conductor); Leon Russell (arranger, conductor)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born April 22, 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas; began as a session guitarist in Los Angeles from 1960.
• Joined the studio group later known as The Wrecking Crew and played on recordings by many major artists.

Career

• Began a solo career in 1961; breakthrough hits included "Gentle on My Mind", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", and "Wichita Lineman" in 1967–1968.
• Hosted The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS from 1969 to 1972.
• Released 64 albums across five decades and sold over 45 million records worldwide.
• Hit "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Southern Nights" in the mid-1970s were both US number one songs.
• Won four Grammys in 1967 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

Personal and final years

• Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011; retired in 2013 after recording his final song.
• Died August 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 81.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released in 1967 by Capitol Records as Campbell's sixth studio album
• Eleven tracks, six on side one and five on side two
• Side one includes 'Catch the Wind' by Donovan Phillips Leitch and 'It's Over' by Jimmie Rodgers
• Side one also includes 'Bowling Green' by Terry Slater and Jackie Ertel
• Side two includes 'The World I Used to Know' by Rod McKuen and 'Without Her' by Harry Nilsson
• Side two includes 'Cryin'' by Joe Melson and Roy Orbison

Reappraisal

• 'Gentle on My Mind' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008

Records

• At the 9th Annual Grammy Awards in 1967, Campbell won two Grammy Awards
• The two awards were Best Country & Western Recording and Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Male
• Both awards were for 'Gentle on My Mind'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Campbell's session players came from the Wrecking Crew, and Leon Russell appears in the credits as Russell Bridges.
• John Hartford said watching the film Dr. Zhivago gave him a feeling that started him writing the song.
• Hartford wrote the song in about 15 minutes.
• The producer took the demo back to the studio and removed the talk between the phrases without telling Campbell.
• 'Gentle on My Mind' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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