Songwriting Webb

Songwriting Webb

If you came of age when the variety show was king, then you probably tuned into Glen Campbell’s Goodtime Hour. It seemed like everyone watched the show and that’s where many of us were first introduced to the pop hits of the day. While we always associated songs like By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Wichita Lineman and Galveston with the country crooner, it was really legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb who was behind the curtain cranking the tunes out of his one man hit machine. He has written songs for The Supremes, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and just about everyone else and the results are golden. We spoke to Webb last year and he gave us the back story on Wichita Lineman and his cinematic approach to songwriting. If you’re a ‘special features’ kind of person, you will really appreciate the podcast. He was also recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the video is worth watching if only to catch a glimpse of the 5th Dimension who come in at 2:35. It’s more like Up, Up and Away in My Beautiful Ensemble. Were those the days or what? Long live the variety show!