Jimmy Webb -

Jimmy Webb is an American singer, composer, producer, and arranger who emerged as a writer of late-Sixties hits for the 5th Dimension (“Up, Up and Away”), Glen Campbell (“Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston”), and Richard Harris (“MacArthur Park”).

Webb commenced his solo career with the 1970 Reprise release Words and Music, followed by And So: On, Letters, Land’s End, El Mirage, and the 1982 album Angel Heart. He also composed for film and television and maintained long-running collaborations with Campbell, Art Garfunkel, and Linda Ronstadt.

Background

He was born Jimmy Layne Webb on August 15, 1946, in Elk City, Oklahoma. His father, a baptist minister, forbid all but country and white gospel music in the home. Encouraged by his mother, young Jimmy learned piano and organ. Starting at age 12, he played backing to his church choir, accompanied by his father on guitar and his mother on accordion.

As a teenager, Webb’s sudden interest in rock n’ roll inspired him to take liberties with the rhythms and themes of the pieces he played at church. In 1964, his family moved to Southern California, where Webb studied music at San Bernardino Valley College. That September, his ballad “Take Marion for Example” was recorded by pop singer Millie Rodgers. The following year, his mother died and his father returned to Oklahoma, giving his son a $40 parting gift.^[1]

Webb first worked as a music notationist for a Hollywood publishing firm. He was then signed as a songwriter to Jobete Music, the publishing division of Motown. During 1965, he wrote and arranged singles for The Contessas, Danny Day, and Don Ray Sampson. His most prominent early credit is “My Christmas Tree,” recorded by The Supremes for their 1965 seasonal album Merry Christmas.

Early Credits

In 1966, Webb signed a publishing deal with singer and producer Johnny Rivers, who included one Webb composition (“By the Time I Get to Phoenix”) on his album Changes and seven on the following Rewind, including the much-covered “Do What You Gotta Do.”

Rivers then presented the young writer’s material to soul-popsters The 5th Dimension, who recorded five Webb compositions for their 1967 debut album Up, Up and Away, including the hit title-track (later covered by Hugh Masekela, Willie Bobo, and Nancy Sinatra). The group enlisted Webb as sole writer/arranger for their followup album The Magic Garden, which spawned the hits “Paper Cup” and “Carpet Man.” Garden also includes the first-recorded version of “Worst That Could Happen,” later a hit for Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge.

Meanwhile, country singer Glen Campbell won the Grammy for 1967 Song of the Year with his version of “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” The singer then scored a further million-seller with Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” later covered by The Meters. “Phoenix” was also recorded by Frank Sinatra, who praised it as the “greatest torch song ever.”^[2]

In 1968, Webb wrote and arranged the album A Tramp Shining for Irish actor Richard Harris. Shining spawned the seven-minute melodramatic opus “MacArthur Park” (US #2), later covered by Beggars Opera and Donna Summer. Later that year, their partnership yielded a second successful album, The Yard Went On Forever.

Jim Webb Sings Jim Webb

Epic Records released Webb’s debut album, Jim Webb Sings Jim Webb, in August 1968 without artist approval.

The unauthorized LP repackages ten publishing demos with orchestral overdubs added without Webb’s participation. Epic accessed the songwriters piano/vocal demos, taped with vocal backing by Skip Mosher, Jim Stotler, and Greg Waitman.

A1. “You’re So Young” (2:58)
A2. “Run Run Run” (2:21)
A3. “I Can Do It on My Own” (2:48)
A4. “I’ll Be Back” (2:23)
A5. “I’m in Need” (2:25)

B1. “I Keep It Hid” (2:27)
B2. “Life Is Hard” (2:06)
B3. “Our Time Is Running Out” (2:13)
B4. “I Need You” (2:01)
B5. “Then” (2:11)

Webb recorded the demos on March 23, 1968, in Hollywood. Producer Hank Levine arranged and conducted the orchestral overdubs after recent production work for actor-singer Davy Jones. Bob Breault and Sy Mitchell engineered the recordings. Epic art director Sid Maurer painted the cover portrait.

In 1969, Campbell scored further hits with the Webb compositions “Galveston” and “Where’s the Playground Susie.” Elsewhere, prior hits received second chart runs by Isaac Hayes (“By the Time I Get to Phoenix“) and Waylon Jennings (“MacArthur Park”). Later that year, Webb wrote and arranged Sunshower, the debut album by soul-pop singer Thelma Houston.

Words and Music

Jimmy Webb released his second album, Words and Music, in November 1970 on Reprise.

Side two contains the three-part “Music From an Unmade Movie” and a linked medley of three outside compositions. Webb performs most parts with guitarist Fred Tackett, while saxophonist Tom Scott and percussionist Darrell Birch enter selected tracks. Susan Webb sings on “Never My Love.”

“Sleepin’ in the Daytime” rolls through an uptempo opening as horns widen a dramatic instrumental interlude. “P.F. Sloan” drifts through a subdued tribute while Susan Webb’s answering lines temper Webb’s weathered delivery. “Love Song” swells through broad theatrical phrasing as shared lines steady its romantic appeal. “Careless Weed” circles rolling piano figures beneath an intimate, increasingly urgent plea.

“Music for an Unmade Movie” shifts across three linked sections as contrasting tempos and theatrical episodes carry caustic industry satire. “Three Songs” entwines familiar themes in a close sibling duet. “Once Before I Die” lingers through measured closing passages as Susan Webb’s harmony supports a defiant close.

A1. “Sleepin’ in the Daytime” (5:03)
A2. “P.F. Sloan” (4:00)
A3. “Love Song” (3:35)
A4. “Careless Weed” (3:12)
A5. “Psalm One-Five-O” (4:35)

Music for an Unmade Movie (In Three Parts)
B1a. “Songseller” (3:40)
B1b. “Dorothy Chandler Blues” (6:18)
B1c. “Jerusalem” (5:00)
Three Songs (2:11)
B2a. “Let It Be Me” – Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë
B2b. “Never My Love” – Don Addrisi, Dick Addrisi
B2c. “I Wanna Be Free” – Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart
B3. “Once Before I Die” (4:30)

Webb recorded Words and Music at MCA Studios in Universal City and produced the sessions with engineer Brent Albright. Recent Canopy projects for Richard Harris and Thelma Houston supplied his immediate production context. Engineers Brian Ingoldsby and Terry Brown also worked at the console.

Art director Ed Thrasher built the Reprise sleeve around a portrait by photographer Guy Webster.

Reprise lifted “P.F. Sloan” as a December 1970 single (b/w “Psalm One-Five-O”).

And So: On

Jimmy Webb released his third album, And So: On, in May 1971 on Reprise.

The label requested a rapid follow-up, so Webb combined four new songs with material from the 1967 catalog. “Highpockets” and “Laspitch” came from a proposed stage musical; all ten selections bear Webb credits. Guitarists Larry Coryell and Fred Tackett join the sessions, while Tom Scott returns on alto saxophone. Francie Lauridsen adds flute and recorder; Skip Mosher handles bass and tenor saxophone.

“Met Her on a Plane” glides through sweeping strings, unexpected harmonic turns, and an airy travel scene steeped in regret. “All My Love’s Laughter” unfurls as Larry Coryell’s guitar threads around Webb’s measured piano figures. “Highpockets” pivots through multipart theatrical sections and reversed solo passages.

“Laspitch” veers across a fuzzed lead and abrupt theatrical shifts. “One Lady” eases through a mild opening before a searing solo unsettles its restraint. “If Ships Were Made to Sail” drifts through understated phrasing and quiet regret. “See You Then” settles into a softer farewell and confessional closing lines.

A1. “Met Her on a Plane” (3:04)
A2. “All Night Show” (3:03)
A3. “All My Love’s Laughter” (4:11)
A4. “Highpockets” (5:25)
A5. “Marionette” (2:33)

B1. “Laspitch” (6:04)
B2. “One Lady” (3:31)
B3. “If Ships Were Made to Sail” (2:18)
B4. “Pocketful of Keys” (4:02)
B5. “See You Then” (4:56)

Webb produced and arranged the 1971 sessions. Sid Sharp conducted the orchestral parts, while engineers Terry Brown and Brian Ingoldsby returned from the Words and Music console team.

Ed Thrasher directed the sleeve; Barry Feinstein photographed the cover.

Letters

Jimmy Webb released his fourth album, Letters, in 1972 on Reprise.

The program pairs nine Webb songs with Boudleaux Bryant’s “Love Hurts.” Joni Mitchell sings backing vocals on “Simile,” while Susan Webb appears on “Once in the Morning” and “When Can Brown Begin.”

“Galveston” slows to an intimate reading, with acoustic guitar beneath each exposed line. “Campo de Encino” sways through a buoyant waltz as brief flute phrases punctuate comic domestic detail. “Love Hurts” hovers inside airy, mildly dissonant strings. “Simile” ripples beneath Joni Mitchell’s close harmony and preserves confessional intimacy.

“Hurt Me Well” rises through ornate swells and increasingly exposed delivery. “Song Seller” surges through fuzzed lead phrases and repeated media taunts. “When Can Brown Begin” unfolds around a mournful trumpet line and restrained sibling harmony. “Piano” settles into a peaceful, end-of-day reflection with old-room intimacy.

A1. “Galveston” (4:09)
A2. “Campo de Encino” (4:51)
A3. “Love Hurts” (3:58) – Boudleaux Bryant
A4. “Simile” (3:14)
A5. “Hurt Me Well” (4:13)

B1. “Once in the Morning” (3:07)
B2. “Catharsis” (3:29)
B3. “Song Seller” (3:30)
B4. “When Can Brown Begin” (4:16)
B5. “Piano” (3:59)

Webb recorded Letters at A&M Studios in Los Angeles with producer Larry Marks and engineer Henry Lewy. Marks entered the project after album work with Gene Clark and Lee Michaels. Lewy joined through his concurrent association with Joni Mitchell.

Reprise issued “Love Hurts” in September 1972 (b/w “Campo de Encino”).

The Naked Ape

Playboy Records released Webb’s soundtrack album The Naked Ape in 1973 for the Donald Driver film.

Webb combines songs and score cues with dialogue drawn from the screen adaptation of Desmond Morris’s book. Variants of the “Fingerpainting” theme recur across the LP, while “Saturday Suit” carries one song from Webb’s solo catalog into the film sequence. All remaining selections bear Webb credits.

A1. “9 A.M., October 23, 4004 B.C.” (0:46)
A2. “D-Minor Toccata” (1:39)
A3. “Naked Ape Theme (Fingerpainting): Ape Inventory” (2:23)
A4. “Carnivorock” (0:47)
A5. “Arnie’s Letter (My Wife Ran Off With a Juke Box)” (2:22)
A6. “Cathy’s Theme: Pair-Bonding” (1:58)
A7. “Saturday Suit” (1:58)
A8. “Fingerpainting” (2:33)
A9. “You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me” (1:13) – Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal, Pierre Norman

B1. “Jesus Loves Me” (1:20) – Anna Bartlett Warner, William Batchelder Bradbury
B2. “Survival Rag” (1:47)
B3. “Gymnast’s Ballet (Fingerpainting)” (4:48)
B4. “Arnie’s Appeasement Signals (Samurai Sequence)” (3:31)
B5. “The Elephant Hunt” (3:23)
B6. “Naked Ape Theme (Fingerpainting): How Like an Angel” (2:06)

Webb produced the Hollywood soundtrack recordings, which pair his music with performances by Clydie King and writer-director Donald Driver. Playboy sequenced dialogue, songs, and instrumental cues for the soundtrack LP.

The sleeve reduces the human-animal premise to a nude figure set against a simian profile beneath block lettering.

Land’s End

Jimmy Webb released his fifth album, Land’s End, in June 1974 on Asylum.

The London sessions add drummer Ringo Starr to Webb’s regular circle. Elton John associates Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson form the rhythm section on selected tracks. Fred Tackett returns on guitar, while Joni Mitchell and Susan Webb contribute backing parts.

“Ocean in His Eyes” drifts through an open-tuned figure, holding its parting scene inside an intimate hush. “Feet in the Sunshine” sways through sunlit group harmony, giving plainspoken advice a relaxed communal air. “Cloudman” circles echoed piano figures and high, tensile guitar touches, then recedes into an impressionistic haze.

“Just This One Time” broadens from a private plea into orchestral swells and choir, enlarging each appeal without losing first-person intimacy. “Land’s End/Asleep on the Wind” unfurls from ominous strings into a sweeping song passage, then gathers sound effects, key changes, and massed harmony around a maritime meditation.

A1. “Ocean in His Eyes” (4:27)
A2. “Feet in the Sunshine” (3:28)
A3. “Cloudman” (3:45)
A4. “Lady Fits Her Blue Jeans” (4:05)
A5. “Just This One Time” (4:58)

B1. “Crying in My Sleep” (4:10)
B2. “It’s a Sin” (3:06)
B3. “Alyce Blue Gown” (4:58)
B4. “Land’s End / Asleep on the Wind” (9:07)

Sessions took place in 1974 at De Lane Lea and Trident studios in London, with Webb producing and Henry Lewy engineering. Lewy returned from Letters amid his early-Seventies work with Joni Mitchell.

Gary Burden directed and designed the sleeve around Henry Diltz photography. The pair previously shaped the 1973 Eagles package Desperado.

Asylum issued “Crying in My Sleep” in November 1973 (b/w “Ocean in His Eyes”) ahead of the album. In July 1974, the label followed with “Feet in the Sunshine” (b/w “Lady Fits Her Blue Jeans”).

El Mirage

Jimmy Webb released his sixth album, El Mirage, in May 1977 on Atlantic.

Los Angeles session players join Webb after a three-year gap between solo albums. Toto keyboardist David Paich and Little Feat guitarist Lowell George take selected parts; Kenny Loggins and Billy Davis Jr. join the backing ensemble. Fred Tackett wrote the only selection without a Webb credit, “Dance to the Radio.” Paul A. Skylar co-wrote the closing instrumental.

“The Highwayman” glides through a time-spanning narrative, with road-worn singing and late horns widening each historical turn. “If You See Me Getting Smaller I’m Leaving” wanders through a travel-worn confession while background harmony settles beneath Webb’s retreat. “Mixed-Up Guy” saunters from a rounded bass entrance into bright horn interludes, giving troubled self-description a polished rhythmic sway.

“Sugarbird” shimmers over light percussion before a Bach-shaped interlude briefly redirects its airy charm. “P.F. Sloan” rises from plainspoken lines into banjo filigree and repeated group answers, turning private concern into communal appeal. “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” resolves through warm strings and wistful space, leaving Webb’s restrained delivery suspended over loss.

A1. “The Highwayman” (3:51)
A2. “If You See Me Getting Smaller I’m Leaving” (3:53)
A3. “Mixed-Up Guy” (3:40)
A4. “Christiaan, No” (3:07)
A5. “Moment in a Shadow” (3:39)
A6. “Sugarbird” (3:25)

B1. “Where the Universes Are” (3:34)
B2. “P.F. Sloan” (4:17)
B3. “Dance to the Radio” (3:06) – Fred Tackett
B4. “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” (3:06)
B5. “Skylark (A Meditation)” (3:37) – Webb, Paul A. Skylar

George Martin produced the 1977 sessions at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood. He arranged and conducted the orchestral parts after mid-Seventies album work with America on Hideaway and Harbor. Engineer John H. R. Mills led the main recording, with George Tutko also credited.

Bob Defrin directed the package. Steve Smith supplied additional photography, while Henry Diltz photographed Webb at El Mirage Lake in the Mojave Desert.

Atlantic lifted “If You See Me Getting Smaller I’m Leaving” as a July 1977 single (b/w “Christiaan, No”). The label followed in October with a mono/stereo promotional issue of “The Highwayman.”

Collector’s Choice Music returned El Mirage in a 2006 CD edition.

Voices

Planet Records released Webb’s soundtrack Voices in 1979 for the Robert Markowitz film.

Burton Cummings sings three Webb titles, while Andy and David Williams perform “The Children’s Song.” Planet also retained source recordings by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Willie Nelson. Webb supplies the remaining songs, themes, and dramatic cues.

A1. “I Will Always Wait for You (Theme From Voices)” (3:19)
A2. “Rosemarie’s Theme” (1:03)
A3. “Disco If You Want To” (3:30)
A4. “The Children’s Song” (2:20)
A5. “Family Theme” (1:30)
A6. “Anything That’s Rock ’N’ Roll” (2:23) – Tom Petty
A7. “I Will Always Wait for You (Instrumental)” (1:52)

B1. “On a Stage” (2:49)
B2. “Across the River” (2:58)
B3. “Bubbles in My Beer” (2:32) – Tommy Duncan, Cindy Walker, Bob Wills
B4. “Rosemarie and Drew” (1:04)
B5. “Drunk as a Punk” (2:04)
B6. “The Children’s Song (Instrumental)” (1:14)
B7. “Rosemarie’s Dance / I Will Always Wait for You (Reprise)” (4:03)

Film producer Joe Wizan engaged Webb for the songs and orchestral score. Planet chief Richard Perry produced the soundtrack album after his work on Burton Cummings’s 1976 solo debut.

Varèse Vintage issued the first CD edition in August 2016 with remastering by Chas Ferry and Daren Chadwick.

Angel Heart

Jimmy Webb released his seventh album, Angel Heart, in April 1982 on Lorimar/Columbia.

Featured singers Leah Kunkel and Daryl Hall join Webb on separate tracks. Stephen Bishop takes the lead part on “In Cars.” David Paich and David Foster share keyboard assignments, while Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro work across the sessions. John Cooper supplied “One of the Few”; Webb wrote the remaining titles.

“Angel Heart” sways through a tender declaration, then softens into an a cappella ending shaped by close harmony. “God’s Gift” opens on a rhythmic piano figure, then settles into affectionate doubt around one clear guitar solo.

“Nasty Love” darkens from pointed opening figures into nocturnal passages, where trumpet licks answer Webb’s increasingly forceful lines. “In Cars” settles into reflective calm before floating harmony and percussion gather into a layered closing collage. “Old Wing Mouth” turns rueful satire toward televangelism, with sparse synthesizer touches and dark background harmonies sharpening each accusation.

A1. “Angel Heart” (3:24)
A2. “God’s Gift” (3:52)
A3. “One of the Few” (4:30) – John Cooper
A4. “Scissors Cut” (4:44)
A5. “Work for a Dollar” (5:34)

B1. “His World” (4:37)
B2. “Our Movie” (3:53)
B3. “Nasty Love” (4:29)
B4. “In Cars” (3:33)
B5. “Old Wing Mouth” (3:49)

Sessions took place at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, with Matthew McCauley and Fred Mollin producing. McCauley arranged and conducted the orchestral parts; the pair followed their co-production of Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We Touch” and related album sessions. Bob Schaper and Dennis Drake engineered the recordings, while Bill Schnee mixed the album.

Nancy Donald designed the package around Henry Diltz photography. Diltz returned after his cover work on Land’s End. The front shows a bearded Webb holding a cigarette as a woman leans into the frame.

Real Gone Music issued a 35th-anniversary expanded edition in 2017 with remastering by Mark Linett. The set added three omitted album-session tracks and three Webb demos.

Contemporary Work With Other Artists

Webb extended his album-production work in 1972 with The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb. Jean Terrell and Mary Wilson recorded the album with new member Lynda Laurence. Webb tailored the arrangements to the revised trio and produced every selection except “I Guess I’ll Miss the Man,” which Sherlie Matthews and Deke Richards produced.

Glen Campbell reunited with him for the October 1974 Capitol album Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb. Jimmy Bowen produced the sessions, while Webb arranged the program and played piano. Most selections came from Webb’s catalog, including songs that also appeared on Land’s End.

The 5th Dimension returned to Webb for the August 1975 ABC album Earthbound. He produced and arranged the original five-member lineup at Sunset Sound and the Village Recorder, closing the group’s first era with a program that mixed Webb material with songs by George Harrison and the Rolling Stones.

Art Garfunkel built the original version of Watermark around Webb compositions, with Webb playing keyboards across the 1976–77 sessions. Garfunkel and Barry Beckett produced the main recordings before Columbia added “(What a) Wonderful World” to later configurations. Thelma Houston reunited with Webb on the 1980 RCA album Breakwater Cat, where he served as executive producer and supplied five songs. Garfunkel then recorded “Scissors Cut” and “In Cars” for his 1981 album Scissors Cut.

Webb also supplied contemporary material outside those album-length partnerships. Arlo Guthrie recorded “Oklahoma Nights” for the 1979 album Outlasting the Blues. Linda Ronstadt selected “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” and “Easy for You to Say” for the 1982 Asylum album Get Closer. Joe Cocker carried “Just Like Always” onto the 1982 Island album Sheffield Steel.

Later Activity

Webb shifted toward film, television, and large-format projects after Angel Heart. He composed and arranged the instrumental score for the animated film The Last Unicorn. Webb also conducted the orchestral sessions, while America performed five new songs for the 1982 soundtrack. Television work included the complete score for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and the theme for the 1984–85 sitcom E/R.

Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings joined Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson on “Highwayman” for their 1985 album of the same name. The quartet then adopted the Highwaymen name. Webb joined Art Garfunkel and Amy Grant for the 1986 cantata The Animals’ Christmas. Further screen work included The Hanoi Hilton, while Glen Campbell devoted most of Light Years to Webb material.

Linda Ronstadt recorded four Webb songs for the 1989 album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. Webb played piano on “Still Within the Sound of My Voice” and “I Keep It Hid,” then arranged “Adios” for orchestra. John Denver recorded “Postcard From Paris” for the 1990 album The Flower That Shattered the Stone.

Webb resumed his solo catalog with Suspending Disbelief in 1993, produced with Linda Ronstadt and George Massenburg. Ten Easy Pieces followed in 1996 with new voice-and-piano readings of ten established songs under producer Fred Mollin. He co-produced the 1997 Carly Simon album Film Noir and supplied orchestration and piano. Webb returned for her 2008 release This Kind of Love.

Hyperion published Webb’s Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting in 1998 as a craft manual. The 2005 album Twilight of the Renegades introduced new material, while the 2007 concert set Live and at Large documented Webb’s solo stage format. Webb returned to studio collaborations on Just Across the River in 2010 and Still Within the Sound of My Voice in 2013, both produced by Fred Mollin. The 2019 instrumental album SlipCover presented solo-piano interpretations of songs by other composers.

Webb recorded the 2009 album Cottonwood Farm with his sons’ group the Webb Brothers. Fantasy released the 1988 Glen Campbell television performance as the 2012 album In Session. His 2017 memoir The Cake and the Rain covered family history and the first decades of his career. The deluxe edition of Ten Easy Pieces later added four bonus tracks and new Webb liner notes.

Discography: