Glen Campbell's Alzheimer's Forces Him To Quit Touring, But A New Album's On The Way

Singer Glenn Campbell's Alzheimer's has progressed to a point where he will have to cease touring, but Campbell will release a new album, "See You There," on July 30. Campbell's long career has included stints as a musician, actor, and TV variety show host.

Glen Campbell's wife, Kim Campbell, told the press that Campbell's Alzheimer's disease has now advanced too much for him to continue touring. He wrapped up a successful goodbye world tour last year. Touring is an option the family and Campbell's management had initially left open, but it is not likely to happen now. Still, Kim Campbell said but her husband still sometimes lays down vocal tracks in the studio.

"Glen still wants to record, but it's just a matter of if he's able to," she said. "It just gets more and more difficult for him all the time."

The album, "See You There", will be a reimagining of some of his hits from throughout the years, such as "Wichita Lineman," "Rhinestone Cowboy," and  "By the Time I Get to Phoenix."  The album was recorded while producing Campbell's last all-new studio album, 2011's "Ghost on the Canvas," with producer Julian Raymond. Campbell said of the songs, "Oh, they're great. Those are great."

Glenn plans to spend 77th birthday, which is today, in Washington as an advocate for Alzheimer's research. He'll visit Capitol Hill and attend a fundraising dinner for the Alzheimer's Association.

Campbell doesn't have the memory he once did, but he remains physically healthy and continues to play golf. "We're trying to live our lives and stay out there and socialize as much as we can as long as we can," Kim Campbell said. "The other night we went to see Merle Haggard and hung out with Toby Keith on his bus. ... Everybody played different songs and had a great time. So we're still out there trying to do that kind of stuff. But eventually we might not be able to do that."

Surfdog Records owner Dave Kaplan says "See You There" is to be an intimate album, as if listeners are next to Campbell in his living room. His voice has changed through the years, so Kaplan surrounded Raymond's vocal recordings with instrumentation to give Campbell's voice room. Kaplan said he was "immediately struck," and that the songs were " haunting and stunning and had this new intimacy in a way I hadn't heard these songs."