Back when variety television shows were all the rage, few came out of central casting quite like Glen Campbell. His musical appeal and down-home personality crossed genre and generation gaps without compromise, pleasing fans of such varied talents as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Andy Williams. Toss in the success of the Grammy-winning album
Wichita Lineman and Campbell’s film debut alongside John Wayne in
True Grit, and an Arkansas farm boy made fiscal sense in 1969 as a prime-time television star.
And so, 52 years ago today, on Jan. 29, 1969,
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour debuted on CBS. One of the era s numerous television variety shows, the program lasted a whopping 91 episodes and served as a national platform for a number of major country music moments.