This Country Singer Was the First to Win Grammys for Both Pop and Country

There’s a long history of country songs becoming mainstream hits, and one of country’s biggest names made Grammy history more than once thanks to his crossover appeal.

Early in his career, Glen Campbell worked as a session musician as part of a group known as the Wrecking Crew. Together, they worked with the likes of the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, Frank Sinatra, and more. Campbell began releasing his own music in the early ’60s.

Campbell had his first hits in 1967 with “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Gentle On My Mind.” He made history when he swept the Grammy Awards, with each song winning two awards in country and pop categories, respectively. He also won Album of the Year for By the Time I Get to Phoenix, the first country album ever to win in the category.

“Wichita Lineman,” released in 1968, hit No. 3 on the pop charts and spent 15 weeks in the Top 100, while also topping the country and adult contemporary charts.

“Rhinestone Cowboy” Gave Campbell Another Crossover Hit

Campbell’s crossover success continued in 1975 with his biggest hit, “Rhinestone Cowboy,” which topped both the country and pop charts. After being knocked out of the top spot, the track had a comeback and hit No. 1 for a second time, a rarity which hadn’t happened since the early ’60s. The song was originally released by Larry Weiss a year prior and caught Campbell’s attention.

“The idea for the song was also a crying out of myself,” Campbell said. “It was the spirit of a bunch of us on Broadway where I started out—Neil Diamond, Tony Orlando—we all had dreams of making it.”

“Rhinestone Cowboy” went on to sell over five million copies and is remembered as Campbell’s signature song, as well as one of the best country songs of alltime. He continued to have a long, successful career in the following decades. He released over 70 albums, with 45 million sold, and had 81 songs hit the charts. In 2012, he was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and released his finale album, See You There, in 2013. He died in 2017 at age 81.

Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images