Multiple Grammy-winning cross genre songwriter Jimmy Webb has topped the charts from pop to country, blues, jazz, disco to even rap and EDM numerous times with interpretations by some of the industry’s greatest including Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt, Frank Sinatra, Josh Groban, Glen Campbell, The Highwaymen, Barbra Streisand, Guns n’ Roses, and Little Big Town.
Since Webb’s Grammy sweep in 1968 when his own “Up, Up and Away” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” vied for Song of the Year ( “Up” won) to the use of his “Do What You Gotta Do” in Kanye West’s “Famous,” the man often praised as “America’s Songwriter” remains a respected icon in popular music – and continues to challenge his artistic boundaries with projects like a classical nocturne.
His most famous songs are touchstones for a generation yet remain timeless – “MacArthur Park,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Worst That Could Happen.” During his live shows Webb brings fans of his music a unique connection to their favorite songs, revealing the stories behind his hits as far back as his first songwriting job at Motown through a career trajectory that took a teenaged preacher’s son from a farm town in Oklahoma to the top of his longed-for profession in just a few short years, with pitfalls and blessings in equal measure between. His books, Tunesmith: The Art of Songwriting and recent memoir The Cake and the Rain demonstrate his incredible talent with words and music
