Glen Campbell: The Rhinestone Cowboy

If you thought Glen Campbell was some middle of the road Country & Western singer then you would be wrong.

From an impoverished childhood in Arkansas, Campbell went on to be a top session guitarist in the 1960s playing for Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Righteous Brothers, The Monkees. He even stood in for Brian Wilson when The Beach Boys toured without him.

Solo success came in 1967 with his country pop sound, at one time his albums in America were outselling The Beatles. He even had his own show on US television and appeared as an actor in True Grit alongside John Wayne. With the country divided in the late 1960s because of the Vietnam war and the counterculture, his clean cut looks and Republican outlook was a boon to the media.

This comprehensive documentary whittles through Campbell's life but he is no Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson or quirky as Kenny Rogers. There was some depth missing about him despite his own descent to darkness.

In the 1970s his career quickly hit the skids with divorce, drugs and drink. Maybe not such a clean cut Republican after all. Eventually Campbell managed to turn his life around, he renewed his Christian faith and as one of the contributors puts it, the Country music fans are loyal to you if you are good to them.

In 2011 Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and made his diagnosis public.

One thing I took from this show was just what a good guitarist he was.