Exclusive: Ashley Campbell Opens up About Lessons Learned From Her Father, Glen Campbell

Ashley Campbell, daughter of the late Glen Campbell, toured with her father for the last few years of his career, before his Alzheimer’s forced him off the road, and eventually into a skilled-care nursing facility. Still, the 31-year-old learned plenty by spending time with her famous dad on stage each night, even when – or maybe especially when – he struggled.

“Watching my dad and how he interacted with the audience, and how he really felt the vibe of the audience every night, and how they gave him energy and strength, especially while he was dealing with Alzheimer’s – the crowd was such a huge support,” Campbell tells PopCulture.com. “And the crowd can make or break a show. So I learned a lot about that. And then also, I used to do comedy. And you can only do comedy, I think, if you’ve totally bombed and failed hardcore. I feel like that’s the same with being on stage, and not getting stage fright any more. [With] my dad and his Alzheimer’s struggle, we had some bad nights.

“We had some rough times, and some times on stage when I just wanted to crawl under my keyboard and hide,” Campbell continues. “But we got through it, and I learned that being on stage, you just have to be at ease and roll with the punches. If something goes wrong, don’t freak out about it, just fix it.”

Campbell’s The Lonely One album will be out on May 11, and although her dad isn’t around to hear it, his influence permeates each song on the record.

“My dad always told me, as often as he could, to just do what you love, because you love doing it, and not to do it because you think someone else will like it,” Campbell says. “That’s my rule of thumb with my music is, do I like this? Would I listen to this? Will I enjoy playing this for the rest of my life? And so, the record is just stuff that I love, and I made it the way I wanted to make it.”

The Lonely One will be released on Campbell’s own Whistle Stop Records. The singer has several shows scheduled over the next few months, including a performance at Nashville’s CMA Fest. Dates and more information can be found on her website.

“Better Boyfriend,” from The Lonely One, is available for download on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Instagram/ashcambanjo