Photo: Bede735c / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jimmy Webb wrote songs of such aching beauty that they feel less composed than discovered, as if they had always existed. Wichita Lineman alone, with its lonely image of a man on a wire still searching for love, is arguably the most perfect three minutes in American popular music. He had a gift for marrying ambitious, almost orchestral structures to plainspoken heartland imagery, whether in the operatic sprawl of MacArthur Park or the quiet desolation of Galveston. Glen Campbell may have sung them, but Webb's pen made them immortal. To me he is a genuine American treasure, the rare craftsman whose songbook keeps revealing new depths with every listen.
Overview
Jimmy Webb (born August 15, 1946, in Elk City, Oklahoma) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. He is celebrated as one of the most accomplished American songwriters of the twentieth century, having written standards such as Wichita Lineman, MacArthur Park, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, and Galveston. He received the Johnny Mercer Award in 2003 and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jimmy Webb
- Name (Japanese)
- ジミー・ウェッブ
- Reading
- じみー・うぇっぶ
- Born
- August 15, 1946 (age 79)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dog
- Origin
- Elk City, Oklahoma, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Singer-Songwriter / Composer / Songwriter / Pianist / Film Score Composer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Johnny Mercer Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signature Work | Wichita Lineman | Songwriter | |
| Signature Work | MacArthur Park | Songwriter |
6. Links
Composer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.