Rhinestone Cowboy

I've liked Glen Campbell since I was a little kid. I watched his specials on TV and memorized "Rhinestone Cowboy" while we drove across the country the summer it came out. (I'm surprised Dad didn't change the station whenever it came on as often as stations played it.) Reading about his struggles made me sad. When he recovered and cut a Gospel/Christian album, I bought it. I liked his singing and playing as much as I ever had.

A few years ago he announced he was suffering from Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. It was a reminder regardless of who you are, what you can do/did, or what you have in the world, the disease can strike. I'd already spent enough time volunteering with residents in the nursing home to know where he was going and was hurt to hear it. He continued touring, and I remember him commenting that although he had trouble remembering stuff, his hands remembered the music. It goes along with what we used to teach in College Reading and Study Skills--employ as many senses as you can when you are learning, including touch (for example, writing notes), because your body remembers the motions and helps your brain remember the information.

My uncle posted a link for me and my sister of Glen's daughter Ashley performing a song she co-wrote for her dad. She really nailed the journey we're all on when a loved one has dementia. Ashely explained in an interview, "I wanted to write something that expressed to my dad how much I wanted him to feel safe," she tells Rolling Stone Country. "I wanted to let him know that he didn't have to worry, that I'll take care of him when he can't take care of himself. The chorus of the song says, '[We can talk until you can't even remember my name]/Daddy, don't you worry, I'll do the remembering.' The song goes through the journey of how when you're little your parents take care of you and make the world not such a scary place. As you get older, those relationships change and kind of swap places. The kids are the ones taking care of the parents and making sure the world's not a scary place for them."

She's every bit as talented as her dad. I hope you enjoy the song too. (Thanks, Tim!)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-ashley-campbells-home-movies-with-father-glen-20151028