5 Best Moments From the PBS Special Jimmy Webb: American Songwriter

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Vince Gill tackled songs like “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman” for the PBS special Jimmy Webb: American Songwriter, which premieres Friday (Oct. 30) at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS app.

Gill performed the Jimmy Webb numbers that Glen Campbell turned into crossover pop and country hits, which earned Grammy nominations for record of the year in 1968 and 1969, respectively.

“Glen made such remarkable records with these songs, and they’re untouchable,” Gill stated in an interview segment on the special. “They truly are. Those songs are so timeless. They’re so rich. They’re so rich in history. They’re so rich in story. They’re the American songbook of my lifetime.”

The special reviews highlights of Webb’s career, which took off when The 5th Dimension recorded “Up — Up and Away” and entered the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1967, one month before Webb turned 21. Webb wrote hits such as “MacArthur Park” for Richard Harris and Donna Summer, “Didn’t We” for artists including Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Barbra Streisand, and “All I Know,” which served as Art Garfunkel’s first solo hit.

Great Performances – Jimmy Webb: American Songwriter was produced by John Paulson Productions. John Paulson and Karen Sherry Dolan served as executive producers, while Carol Stein and Philip W. Hack produced the project. Gary Menotti directed the special. Bill Kabel produced for Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell worked as series producer and David Horn served as executive producer.

Here are five highlights of Great Performances – Jimmy Webb: American Songwriter.

The Glen Campbell Segment

Along with Gill’s performances of two Campbell classics, Lyle Lovett delivered a version of Campbell’s 1969 hit “Galveston.”

Lovett described Webb’s talent by noting: “When you hear a song, and you think, ‘Well, that’s like nothing I ever heard before,’ you can pretty well figure that Jimmy Webb must have written it. His chord changes, his melodies, the way he says things, the images he creates are unique to him.”

Lovett also remarked: “Jimmy’s songs deal in sadness and regret, but always you hear hope in the melody. You hear hope in the arrangement, and the chord changes. It’s one of the things that it makes them great.”

Gill stated: “He just paints the most beautiful pictures with his words. That’s what great songs do. They take you to that place that that song sits in.” Regarding “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Gill noted: “I’ve driven that road, and I know how all those cities lay and where they are, and how many miles it is between Phoenix and Albuquerque, and Albuquerque and Amarillo, and Amarillo to Oklahoma City. Jimmy’s use of sense of place is so powerful. You’re on that road.”

Gill, Lovett, Webb and Glen’s daughter Ashley Campbell performed “Highwayman.” Webb introduced the song on a 1977 album, and Campbell recorded the first cover in 1979 before The Highwaymen (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson) released their 1985 version and The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires) adapted it for a 2019 album.
Ashley Campbell Ably Stands in for Her Dad

Ashley Campbell, 39, performed “All I Know,” joined Webb, Lovett and Gill on “Highwayman,” and partnered with Webb on “Adios,” which her father recorded for his final studio album.

“I feel like a poor substitute for my father for sure,” Ashley noted, “but it’s just such an honor that Jimmy seems to care for me so much.”

She added: “Jimmy Webb has been a constant presence in my life. Growing up it was made very clear right off the bat, as soon as I was able to be aware of it, that he was my father’s absolute favorite songwriter, no contest.”
Learning the Backstory of a Classic Song

“The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” has been recorded by artists including Joe Cocker on his 1974 album I Can Stand a Little Rain, Glen Campbell on his 1974 album Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb, and Judy Collins on her 1975 album Judith.

Webb suggested during the special that the music business may have served as the harsh mistress that brought him joy and pain following a multi-year gap without a top 10 Hot 100 hit between his early success and “All I Know” in 1973.

Webb explained before performing “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress”: “All the success I had early in my career led to a kind of emotional exhaustion. One of the biggest mistakes I made was believing I had a magic formula, and any time I wrote a song, it was going to be a hit. But fame, especially in the music industry, can be overwhelming and ephemeral. So, I tried to capture that cold, hard truth.”
Ryan Shaw and Sheléa Can Sing

Webb performed select tracks independently and with collaborators while turning other songs over to vocalists, including Sheléa, a protegee of Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder.

Ryan Shaw sang “The Worst That Could Happen,” which The 5th Dimension recorded for their 1967 album The Magic Garden before Brooklyn Bridge took the track to No. 3 on the Hot 100 in February 1969. Shaw also performed “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” and teamed with Sheléa for “Still Within the Sound of My Voice.”

Sheléa performed “Shattered,” inspired by the murder of John Lennon, and “MacArthur Park.” Donna Summer took “MacArthur Park” to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1978, marking the sole No. 1 hit of Webb’s career.
Those TV Clips

The special features vintage television clips, including The 5th Dimension performing “Up — Up and Away” on variety shows, a TWA commercial featuring the track, a 22-year-old Webb interviewed by Hugh Hefner on Playboy After Dark, segments from The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and footage of Richard Harris and Donna Summer performing “MacArthur Park.”
The Set List

“Up, Up and Away” – Jimmy Webb

“The Worst That Could Happen” – Ryan Shaw

“The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” – Ryan Shaw

“All I Know” – Ashley Campbell

“Shattered” – Sheléa

“Still Within the Sound of My Voice” – Ryan Shaw, Sheléa

“If These Walls Could Speak” – Lyle Lovett (Amy Grant, Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith)

“By the Time I Get to Phoenix” – Vince Gill

“Galveston” – Lyle Lovett

“Wichita Lineman” – Vince Gill

“Highwayman” – Jimmy Webb, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill and Ashley Campbell

“Didn’t We” – Jimmy Webb

“MacArthur Park” – Sheléa

“Adios” – Jimmy Webb and Ashley Campbell