On This Day in 1975, Glen Campbell Was at No. 1 With a Song He Discovered While on Tour in Australia

On this day (August 26) in 1975, Glen Campbell was on a two-week run at the top of the country chart with “Rhinestone Cowboy.” While he didn’t write the hit, he could relate to it. The song is about a country singer who is barely getting by but knows he’ll make it one day. At the time, Campbell was going through a rough patch in his career after spending years paying his dues in Los Angeles and Nashville.

Campbell hit a dry spell in the early 1970s. His popular variety show was canceled in 1972. At the same time, his acting career was slowing down. He went from co-starring in True Grit with John Wayne in 1969 to doing the made-for-TV movies Strange Homecoming and Christmas in Disneyland in 1974 and 1976, respectively. Additionally, most of his singles missed the upper reaches of the country and pop charts.

While touring in Australia, Campbell heard “Rhinestone Cowboy” on the radio and immediately fell in love with the song. He went to a record store and bought a copy of Larry Weiss’ Black and Blue Suite to learn the song.

Glen Campbell Was Meant to Record “Rhinestone Cowboy”

Sometimes, the world has a way of letting you know you’re on the right track. Glen Campbell experienced that after he returned from his Australian tour. According to Songfacts, he went to Al Coury’s office at Capitol Records, telling him he’d found a song he wanted to cut. Coury was happy to see him because he, too, had found a new song that would be perfect for Campbell’s next single. They were both talking about “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

Larry Weiss, a songwriter from Nashville, wrote the song. He released it in 1974 on his album Black and Blue Suite. It didn’t perform well in the United States. However, it was a minor hit in Australia. The stars aligned and both Weiss and Campbell benefited.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1968, Glen Campbell Recorded an Unfinished Song That Became a Huge Crossover Hit]

“Rhinestone Cowboy” was one of six songs that topped the country and Hot 100 charts in 1975. It also reached No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart. It also went to No. 1 in Yugoslavia, Canada, and Ireland, and was a top 10 single in several other countries. The single sold more than a million copies, breathed new life into Campbell’s career, and became his signature song.

Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns

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