Acclaimed singer, songwriter and composer Jimmy Webb was born on August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma. His father was a Baptist minister. An avid lover of music since he was a little boy, Webb made his first public appearance as a performer playing the organ at his father's church. He also improvised, rearranged and re-harmonized hymns. Jimmy began his composing career with religious songs and fronted his own rock'n'roll band. The Webb family moved to Los Angeles in 1964. Jimmy attended San Bernardino Valley College and studied music. Webb's first job in the music industry was transcribing other people's songs. The first song Webb wrote that was recorded was "My Christmas Tree" for the 1965 album, "Merry Christmas, the Supremes". In 1967, Jimmy really hit his stride as a songwriter; he penned the hit songs, "Up, Up and Away" for The 5th Dimension , and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" for Glen Campbell (this particular song had previously been recorded by Johnny Rivers on his 1966 album, "Changes"). Webb went on to write several more hit songs for Campbell: "Galveston", "Wichita Lineman" and "Where's the Playground, Susie". Other songs Jimmy has written are "MacArthur Park" for Richard Harris (Webb collaborated with Harris on the albums, "A Tramp Shining" and "The Yard Went on Forever"), "The Worst Thing That Could Happen" by Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge , "All I Know" for Art Garfunkel , "Adios" and "Easy for You to Say" for Linda Ronstadt , and "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress" for Joe Cocker . In addition, the ballad "The Highwayman" was a big smash country success when it was covered by Johnny Cash , Waylon Jennings , Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson in the late 80s. In 1969, Webb wrote and arranged Thelma Houston 's album, "Sunshower". Jimmy's songs have been either recorded or performed by such diverse artists as Frank Sinatra , Joan Baez , Judy Collins , Rosemary Clooney , Reba McEntire , R.E.M. , Elvis Presley , Bob Dylan , Tanya Tucker , Arlo Guthrie and Tony Bennett . Webb's solo albums, "Words and Music", "And So: On", "Letters", "Land's End", "El Mirage", "Angel Heart", "Suspending Disbelief", "Twilight of the Renegades" and "Live and At Large", were all praised by critics. In 1983, Jimmy wrote the cantata, "The Animals' Christmas". He composed the scores for the films, Doc (1971), The Naked Ape (1973), Voices (1985), Das letzte Einhorn (1982), The Hanoi Hilton (1987) and Clean and Narrow (1999). Moreover, Webb has scored episodes of the TV shows, Unglaubliche Geschichten (1985), Grosse Märchen mit grossen Stars (1982) and Geschichten aus der Gruft (1989). Jimmy's songs are featured on the soundtracks for a bunch of movies that include Der türkisfarbene Bikini (1968), American Pop (1981), Die fabelhaften Baker Boys (1989), FernGully - Christa und Zaks Abenteuer im Regenwald (1992), Santa Clause - Eine schöne Bescherung (1994), Schnappt Shorty (1995), Heat (1995), The Kid - Image ist alles (2000), Bridget Jones - Schokolade zum Frühstück (2001), Flight Girls (2003) and Himmel und Huhn (2005). He is a member of both the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriter's Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Jimmy Webb was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1999 and subsequently inducted onto the Board of Directors for the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in early 2000. - IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986. Received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters in 1993. Counts Johnny Mercer and Oscar Hammerstein II among his greatest inspirations as a songwriter. Chairman of the Board of Directors, "Songwriters Hall of Fame" [2013].
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The turbulent life of soul and blues singer, the late Joe Cocker. A former gas fitter from Sheffield , catapulted to world stardom in 1969 at Woodstock with his legendary performance of the Beatles song,"A Little Help from My Friends". But in the early 1970s, Joe Cocker's inner demons nearly killed him. Overcoming his struggles with alcohol and drugs, he rebuilt his reputation as "one of the great primal rock and roll vocalists of all time" (Billy Joel's description). The film mixes Joe Cocker's own words, with rare archive. His family, friends and the legendary songwriters and musicians he collaborated with, tell Joe Cocker's story. The film has raw, electric performance footage throughout.