New signs were installed Wednesday, July 29, designating parts of three roadways in Pike County as the Glen Campbell Memorial Highway.
The singer, who had a string of hits in the 1960s and ’70s, was born in the unincorporated community of Billstown and is buried in his family’s cemetery there. Campbell became nationally known as a native of Delight, the nearby city where he attended school. He concluded each episode of the CBS television program “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” which ran from 1969 to 1972, by saying, “If you’re ever in Delight, Arkansas, come see me.”
The designated route includes parts of highways 19, 26 and 301. The city councils of Delight and Murfreesboro, along with the Pike County Quorum Court, approved resolutions requesting the designation. The Arkansas State Highway Commission gave final approval during its Feb. 11 meeting.
Highway 301 runs through Billstown, passing directly in front of the Campbell family cemetery and making it easier for visitors to find his resting place. Some of Campbell’s relatives still live in the area.
The highway designation is the latest posthumous recognition for Campbell, who will eventually have two identical busts on display in Arkansas.
Sculptor Kevin Kresse said Tuesday, Aug. 4, that his bust of Campbell will be among the first group of six unveiled at a pavilion under construction in North Little Rock that will eventually honor 21 Arkansas musicians. An identical bust will be cast and placed in the Delight Branch Library, according to Steve Campbell, the singer’s cousin.
Glen Travis Campbell was born April 22, 1936, to John Wesley Campbell and Carrie Dell Campbell. He was the seventh son of 12 children and developed an early interest in singing and playing music.
He moved with his parents to Houston, Texas, then joined an uncle’s band in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he began performing in nightclubs. He eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1960, where his guitar playing made him an in-demand studio musician. He became part of the Wrecking Crew, a loose collective of studio musicians who performed on hundreds of recordings by some of the era’s biggest artists.
Campbell found success as a solo singer in 1967 with “Gentle on My Mind,” followed by the even bigger hits “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman.”
In 2011, Campbell disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and embarked on “The Goodbye Tour.” The documentary film “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me” captured many of those performances while also showing the progression of his illness.
Campbell died at a long-term care facility in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 8, 2017. He was 81.
RELATED STORIES:
The Glenwood Herald 