But Webb's also chafed for years at not being able to stand alone as a performer, an interpreter of his own songs. Despite the release of solo albums sporadically since 1970 and live shows every now and then, his gangly, aw-shucks persona has never translated successfully into widespread commercial acceptance.
Webb has continued to write very beautiful material over the years - songs like "Adios," done memorably by Linda Ronstadt with vocal backings by Brian Wilson, "Lightning in a Bottle," a little-known release by Campbell in 1988, and "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress," covered by Joe Cocker, Michael Feinstein and others. Like many who came of age in the mid- to late 1960s, however, he is forever branded by his earliest material. Undoubtedly, his bank account is quite satisfying, but his artistic side has gone begging.
Which brings us to last night and a small theater out in the middle of nowhere in southern New Jersey where Webb and a beat-up old grand piano captivated a couple hundred people for nearly two hours. Sitting in rows of equally old, beat-up church pews, no less. At 25 bucks a ticket. Now Jimmy Webb is 63-years old, wearing a nicely tailored double-breasted suit with an eye-catching Art Deco tie. Tall and slightly pudgy, like many of us, he's clearly comfortable in his skin, determined to show himself as the keeper of the flame of the Great American Songbook. No band, no back-up singers, just the boy from Oklahoma, the son of a Baptist minister, who is following in the footsteps of Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers, Arlen and Kern. And you know, he's got something there.
Webb's voice, at times over the years a strangled, off-key vehicle at best, has weathered nicely, and the man has lived quite a life. He spun delightful tales of his collaborators like Waylon Jennings, Frank Sinatra, Ronstadt, Harris, Campbell and others, along with a devastating putdown of what the Grammys have become (he's won, so he's entitled). Each story elicted a laugh before he began performing the song most closely identified with that artist. The exception was Ronstadt, whom he explained he had recently recorded a duet of "All I Know" with, noting that she had just announced her retirement for unexplained medical reasons. An obviously very-moved Webb said, "I'll try to get through this," and then sang and played it beautifully. The song will be on an album coming out soon, he said.
It was the kind of intimate evening that fans live for. Telling us that against his better judgment he'd let his doctor talk him into getting a flu shot, Webb complained that now he was sick for the first time in a couple years and begged forgivness for his vocal limitations. But he seemed in fine form all evening, and the upshot is we all had to kick in to hit the vocal highs of the chorus of "Up, Up and Away." It wasn't a hard sell: We all bellowed along enthusiastically. Webb stuck to the classics for most of the show, but kicking off with a story about how he and drummer Russ Kunkel basically grossed out the prissy, proper Ronstadt, he did a wonderfully funny obscurity from his enormous catalog entitled, "What Does A Woman See In A Man." Indeed.
In recent years, Webb has been honing his live act in England where he has an enthusiastic following. (Why do the British always have more sophisticated musical tastes than we do?) To get a flavor of the show we saw, I highly recommend "Live and At Large," a CD of Webb performing in the UK. He has a deep catalog of stories as well since only one on the CD was repeated at Saturday night's show. "Ten Easy Pieces" is the CD for those who want to hear Webb sing and play his classics in a studio setting.
Someone who's written what Webb's written isn't doing gigs for money. He even mentioned at one point that he had driven to the show through the snowstorm just like we did and didn't seem to have any handlers with him. Although clearly tired from his performance, he was very generous with his time afterwards, staying around to sign things and just talk with the fans. A class act all the way. Although last night's show is only one of three he has scheduled so far this year, I suspect this may be a warm-up for a larger tour in conjunction with "Just Across The River," the new album that will include the Ronstadt duet.
For those who treasure watching the creative spark right from the source, go see Jimmy Webb if he comes to town. The stories are great, the singer reaches down deep, and the songs are timeless. Oh, and did I mention? He's a helluva piano player.
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