Jimmy Webb


Webb at Oslo Jazzfestival 2016

Background information
Birth name: Jimmy Layne Webb
Born: August 15, 1946 (age 78); Elk City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Origin: Laverne, Oklahoma, U.S.

Website: jimmywebb.com

Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He achieved success at an early age, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the age of 21. During his career, he established himself as one of America's most successful and honored songwriter/composers.

Webb has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst That Could Happen", "Galveston" and "All I Know". He had successful collaborations with Glen Campbell, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, the 5th Dimension, the Supremes, Art Garfunkel and Richard Harris.

Webb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990. He received the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, the Songwriters Hall of Fame Johnny Mercer Award in 2003, the ASCAP "Voice of Music" Award in 2006 and the Ivor Novello Special International Award in 2012. According to BMI, his song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was the third most performed song in the 50 years between 1940 and 1990. Webb is the only artist ever to receive Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and orchestration.

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Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
319,765 views Aug 15, 2017

Glen Campbell
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Glen Campbell sings, "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" live on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour!

http://vevo.ly/7nZg14

MacArthur Park
901,527 views Aug 20, 2018

Richard Harris - Topic
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Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

MacArthur Park · Richard Harris

A Tramp Shining

℗ A Geffen Records Release; ℗ 1968 UMG Recordings, Inc.

Released on: 1968-01-01

Producer: Jimmy Webb
Composer Lyricist: Jimmy Webb

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MacArthur Park Will Lee on Letterman

Will Lee
7.78K subscribers

My version of how it went down:
This great and controversial song penned by Jimmy Webb, was something David Letterman originally had in mind for us, The CBS Orchestra, to do as a “bumper” song (going in and out of commercials). We tried it out at rehearsal one night and I think Paul went back to Dave and reported that it was sounding pretty good. At that point, Dave said “Let’s do it as a feature”.
A little history:
This song has been in my life for decades. I was nervous and humbled to be asked to sing it, even though, unlike the seasoned pros that have handled it in the past who had multiple takes, or at least lots of rehearsals, before presenting it to the public, we had one chance to get it right.
In my opinion, Richard Harris defined MacArthur Park, with his flawless performance on the huge hit version and nobody will ever come close. There have been outstanding cover versions by, among others, Glen Campbell, Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Donna Summer, Waylon Jennings, Sammy Davis Jr., Maynard Ferguson, even Weird Al Yankovik. In fact I sang it way back in 1971 in college, as a duet with Mike Gerber in a performance with the University Of Miami Jazz Band, under the direction of Jerry Coker. In 2006 Jimmy Webb and I, with full orchestra, backed Will Farrell at Carnegie Hall doing a comedic version for Trudy Styler and Sting’s Rainforest Benefit. More recently, I was performing MacArthur Park with a trio I was doing with drummer Chad Smith and GE Smith!

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1946 - Jimmy Webb

Jimmy Webb American singer, songwriter who wrote the 1968 hit for Richard Harris 'MacArthur Park', plus 'Galveston', for Glen Campbell (and other hits for Campbell), and 'Up Up and Away', a hit for 5th Dimension. According to BMI, his song 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix' was the third most performed song in the fifty years between 1940 and 1990. Webb is the only artist ever to have received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration.