When it comes to names that loom large in the world of songwriting, there are few as formidable as the late, great Glen Campbell.
From his peerless guitar playing as part of the now-legendary session supergroup The Wrecking Crew to penning some of the most timeless tracks in popular music history, Glen has quite rightly earned his place as one of the finest songwriters the world has known.
Sadly, Glen passed away in 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, but that wonderful collection of music lives on.
One person who is making sure that those classic songs do live on is award-winning Australian country star, Darren Coggan.
Darren, a lifelong fan, will be bringing his show Like A Rhinestone Cowboy: The Best Of Glen Campbell to Belmont 16s this weekend and told Newcastle Live it would be a joyous celebration of the man who had a huge influence on Darren’s musical life.
“I’ve always been such a huge fan of Glen’s, pretty much since I was a kid,” he said.
“There’s a cassette tape of me somewhere singing Rhinestone Cowboy when I was, like, four years old, so this show is kind of me coming full circle.”
Darren said that the show would revisit the bulk of Glen’s best-loved tracks – Rhinestone Cowboy, Witchita Lineman, Galveston, By The Time I Get Tp Phoenix, et al, but given the breadth of Glen’s songbook, creating a set for a show such as this can be problematic.
“Yeah, he did have so many great songs – six decades of songs in fact – so it can be hard to please everyone, but this show will cover all the bases,” he said.
Darren added that he was lucky enough to witness the magic of a Glen Campbell up close and personal when he opened for the iconic songwriter on his 1997 Australian tour.
“That was a huge honour and just having the chance to see him in action from the side of the stage was something I’ll never forget,” he said.
“He was a consummate performer who had incredible wit and the ability to really get the crowd into the palm of his hand. “
Catch Darren Coggan in Like A Rhinestone Cowboy: The Best Of Glen Campbell at Belmont 16s on Saturday 1 February. Get your tickets here.
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