JIMMY WEBB
SONGWRITER. PIANIST. COMPOSER
"Few singers blend grit and grandeur like Jimmy Webb…[his] voice is like an old Mustang heading through a treacherous yet often gorgeous landscape." – Rolling Stone
"At an age when other singers are losing their voices, Mr. Webb finds his mercurial, unguarded, singing…attaining the gritty authority of a softhearted country outlaw’s…Mr. Webb is still at the top of his game."
– Stephen Holden, The New York Times
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Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer and performer known worldwide as a master
of his trade. Since his first platinum record, “The Worst That Could Happen,” Webb has had
numerous hits including “Up, Up and Away,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,
“Galveston,” “Highwayman,” “All I Know,” “Didn’t We” and “MacArthur Park.” Webb’s songs have
been recorded by the greatest voices in music history including Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell,
Barbara Streisand, Nina Simone, Isaac Hayes, Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt, Tony Bennett,
Josh Groban, and countless others. His timeless, cross-genre hits continue to be performed
and recorded by the industry’s biggest names including Guns N’ Roses, Little Big Town, and
Ye. Webb’s compositions span the musical spectrum from pop to disco to country to R&B to
jazz and classical.
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Webb is the only artist ever to have received Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and
orchestration. In 2016 Rolling Stone magazine listed Webb as one of the top 50 songwriters of
all time. He was the youngest member ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and
served as its Chairman. He has also served proudly as the Vice Chair of ASCAP. As an ASCAP
board member, Webb continues to fight and pave the way for songwriters in an ever-changing
media landscape, spearheading the ongoing effort to preserve the rights of songwriters and
their intellectual property in the digital age.
In addition to being an international touring artist, Webb is also an author: His memoir The Cake
and the Rain (2017) brings to life a 15-year span in Webb’s singular career, written with the
same sense of poetry and story as his many hits. Webb’s first book Tunesmith: Inside the Art of
Songwriting (1998), is considered a “bible” among musicians. Webb continues to write and
record. He has released ten solo albums while also writing for other artists. In 2019, Webb
released SlipCover, his piano interpretations of contemporary composers including friends Billy
Joel and Randy Newman. Webb wrote the score and composed the songs for the animated cult
feature, “das Letzte Einhorn (The Last Unicorn”).
Webb is happily married to Laura Savini, a producer and host for PBS. He has five sons, a
daughter, and six gorgeous grandchildren. When he isn’t touring, Webb pursues his interests in
maritime history and model building.
AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
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1967 Grammy Award for Song of the Year ("Up, Up and Away")
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1969 Oklahoma Baptist University Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia honorary membership, Pi Tau Chapter
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1986 Grammy Award for Best Country Song ("Highwayman")
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1986 National Academy of Popular Music Songwriter's Hall of Fame inductee
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1990 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee
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1993 National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award
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1999 Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee
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1999 ASCAP Board of Directors member, current Vice Chair.
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2000 Songwriters Hall of Fame Board of Directors member
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2003 Songwriters Hall of Fame Johnny Mercer Award
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2006 ASCAP "Voice of Music" Award
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2011 Chairman, Songwriters Hall of Fame
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Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame
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2012 Ivor Novello Special International Award
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Great American Songbook Hall of Fame 2013 Songbook Award