Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb

[robduloc]

Thank you, Mike! What a beautiful post~

Yes, seeing Jimmy Webb for the first time is indeed, a series of firsts!

For instance hearing Richard Harris always called him by his full name in that thick Irish Accent of his, "Jimmy Webb"!

[Mike Joyce]

Hi robduloc,
Nice to see you posting again. I have seen Jimmy twice now and yes he tells the same stories between the songs.
I noticed you mention Jimmy saw the guy on the telegraph pole when he was still a child sitting in the back of his parents car. I hadn't heard that story before and it was a revelation to me. I assumed it had happened when he was an adult and was driving his own car at some point just prior to writing the song Wichita Lineman. I remember he mentioned that it happened in a place called Wastcha, but he felt the name didn't sound as good as Wichita.
A bit like By the Time I get to Phoenix would lose it's romance. if it was called By the Time I get to Bognor. No offence to anyone living in Bognor Regis.
I hope you enjoyed the show as much as I enjoyed seeing Jimmy for the first time. I kept saying to myself, here is the man who has created all those songs from his soul which have filled my life and I am here listening to him recreate those gems with his vocals and on his piano. A moment to remember for always.

[robduloc]

I got to hear Jimmy Webb tell the story how Wichita Lineman came about, does he repeat that story at all his shows?

[robduloc]

This isn't just about Jimmy Webb, there is the Nina Simone element. Torchlight Singer. Standing right in front of you or a mic.

Children who grew up listening to Rap pretty much know year by year what are the new laws or standards to sample, but no matter how much it changes over time it is all stripped down to me. My favorite Rap music doesn't rely on samples, the artist construe their own magic. There is no cashing in.

In the world of making or cutting records it is the difference between a candle flame and battery operated one, both have their place, one is playing it safe and the other is on fire!

smile~

[Dee]

Jimmy's latest post on his social media page, just prior to the Grammys show last night.

Jimmy Webb
Yesterday (February 12, 2017) at 7:31pm

Hello. Before you tune into the the Grammy's tonight, I wanted to update you on our situation. I, Jimmy Webb, am not nominated for a Grammy this evening, although I am responsible for more than 35% of Kanye West's 'Famous", which is nominated for Best Rap Song. There are a dozen other songwriters on that song up for the award tonight. I am the creator by far responsible for the largest portion of "Famous" but the Grammy's don't recognize original material, only new material in rap songs --at this point.
We have been in touch with Kanye's office. They said if Neil Portnow, President of the Recording Academy, personally calls Kanye and they both agree that this is important enough for Kanye to sign on to, Kanye will consider supporting the proposal that I must submit for the rule change to be considered.
Further communications in the last couple of weeks with the Recording Academy, home of the Grammy's, elicited a response that they were too busy now with the ceremonies but please submit the proposal by March 1st. The committee will review it, if they vote in favor, it will go before the full board for a vote.
Since similar proposals have been voted down by the Awards and Nominations Committee in the past, I respectfully requested copies so we could in turn create a proposal that had a better chance of being accepted. We were told by the gentlemen in charge that "we do not share previous proposals." So, we are going into this blind, not knowing what they will or will not approve and why.
My chances for this Grammy are past, unless Neil, Kanye, the various committees and board make some sort of exception BUT I am in this for the long haul, for the rights of the creators.
Neil Portnow is very respected in the music community. As a matter of fact, a full page Billboard Magazine ad (Feb. 18, 2017 issue) from the Recording Academy in the his honor is headlined Neil is "A Tireless Champion For Music Creators." I hope that this proposal doesn't get tied up in red tape and bureaucracy and that he and I can get this done for the songwriters--ALL music creators.
Good luck tonight to all of the nominees.
JLW
PS Do me a favor, give me a lot of travel on this post - talk about it, share it. Your efforts so far have been remarkable and I thank you. We are hearing from music and tv producers, songwriters, fans, journalists, musicians, managers, record labels--and thank you very much--even Howard Stern and Robin Quivers - Official Fan Page--the word is out there. People are angry at this inequity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQDr2BaAV9Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Do What You Gotta Do (Jimmy Webb, performed by Nina Simone)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q821mNXNw-I" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Famous (performed by Kanye West and Rihanna, with Nina Simone)

# # #

[Cowpoke]

I've listened to the song. He's right, without the parts from his song the track would be nothing!

[Dee]

Jimmy Webb takes on Kanye West and the NARAS

From BestClassicBands.com:

One of the truly great songwriters, Jimmy Webb, has taken to his Facebook page to bring attention to a Recording Academy (NARAS) snub that denies him Grammy nominations–and potential awards–for a Kanye West song, “Famous,” which has been nominated for Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance. Webb’s complaint? “More than 35% of ‘Famous’ is rooted in my song ‘Do What You Gotta Do.'”

Go get 'em, Jimmy Webb!
To add fuel to the fire, the Recording Academy has offered Jimmy a "certificate" instead of a Grammy nom / potential award in response to his formal complaint.
A certificate for one of America's songwriting giants? A certificate for the only artist ever to have received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics, and orchestration?
A certificate for a songwriter whose song has been blatantly plagiarized?

Readers, this is an outrageous example, perhaps the worst example, of how songwriters are treated in America.

As I posted to Jimmy's facebook page, this matter is symptomatic of the times (which is no assurance to him, I realize). We are living in an age in which intellectual property is not recognized and not honored. One's creative efforts and achievements are neither respected nor revered. A seemingly "small" infringement, at least small to some people (and I can give you many personal examples of this abusiveness), is no less an infringement than stealing lyrics and melodies from an established and esteemed songwriter. Creativity = Creativity. I admire Jimmy for taking on this fight to protect his rights as a creator. By doing so, he sets an example for protecting the rights of all creators, from highly successful artists to the every day person working hard to self-express.

Read the full story here. http://bestclassicbands.com/jimmy-webb- ... b-1-31-17/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A list of Jimmy Webb's honors and awards to-date:

1967 Grammy Award for Song of the Year ("Up, Up and Away")
1969 Oklahoma Baptist University Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia honorary membership, Pi Tau Chapter
1986 Grammy Award for Best Country Song ("Highwayman")
1986 National Academy of Popular Music Songwriter's Hall of Fame
1990 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
1993 National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award
1999 Oklahoma Hall of Fame
1999 ASCAP Board of Directors, Vice Chairman (as of January 2015)
2000 Songwriters Hall of Fame Board of Directors
2003 Songwriters Hall of Fame, Johnny Mercer Award
2006 ASCAP Voice of Music Award
2010 Songwriters Hall of Fame, Chairman Emeritus, 2010–2014
2012 Ivor Novello Awards, Special International Award
2013 Great American Songbook Hall of Fame, Songbook Award

(from Jimmy Webb's bio, Wikipedia)

[Dee]

This is a facebook share from Jimmy Webb.
Please keep Jimmy and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Click once on this capture to enlarge viewing window:

Jimmy Webb on the passing of his father.jpg (164.16 KiB) Viewed 5282 times

Live link: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


The YouTube video link shared by Jimmy is to a track from the LP "Jimmy Webb / The Webb Brothers Cottonwood Farm" released September 22, 2009. From allmusicdotcom: Recorded at sessions in 2008 and 2009, Cottonwood Farm is a family affair, featuring Webb and his sons Christiaan, Justin, James, and Cornelius -- the Webb Brothers, who have three critically acclaimed albums of their own under their belts -- as well as his father, Bob Webb, and daughter, Camila. The final cut is among the most poignant -- it features Webb's 86-year-old father, Bob Webb, singing a delightfully endearing version of “Red Sails in the Sunset,” making this album a three-generation family affair.



--Dee

# # #

[Cowpoke]

That's a great link Mike. Two hours of pure bliss. Thanks for sharing!

[Cowpoke]

Hi Mike,
best wishes for the new year to you too! I have the Watermark album by Art Garfunkel. What a great collection of songs! But the Jimmy Webb songs done by Art Garfunkel I like best are All I Know and Another Lullaby from the Angel Clare album.