Jimmy Webb's "THE CAKE AND THE RAIN"

Jimmy Webb’s name is synonymous with American songwriting. He has written numerous multi-platinum selling songs including “Up, Up, and Away,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “MacArthur Park.” His hits span genres from country to pop to disco to hip-hop. Webb holds a rare position in the world of popular music – both composer and lyricist for all of his works, he is the only artist to have won Grammy Awards in music, lyrics, and orchestration and the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Webb’s musical collaborations are as varied as his songs and include Glen Campbell, Frank Sinatra, Art Garfunkel, The 5th Dimension, Linda Ronstadt, Barbra Streisand, Nina Simone and Kanye West. In his memoir, THE CAKE AND THE RAIN (St. Martin’s Press: On sale: April 18, 2017) Webb delivers a snapshot of his early life, catapulting from Oklahoma farm boy to Hollywood cover boy. With lyrical and intimate prose, Webb reveals his deep and abiding storytelling ability on every page about the lifestyle he shared with many bold-faced names – in some cases offering insight into the moments that inspired his biggest selling songs. THE CAKE AND THE RAIN is hailed by Kirkus as “An insider’s view of the star-maker machinery and a treat for Webb’s many fans.” On May 3rd, there will be a tribute concert celebrating Webb and his music at Carnegie Hall with an impressive lineup of friends and musicians. Full details below.

THE CAKE AND THE RAIN is an immersive and fascinating memoir full of stories about larger than life characters. From a chance encounter with Louis Armstrong to being recognized from the stage by Sinatra, to making an album with Art Garfunkel to run-ins with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon, Webb has lived a rarefied life in the musical world.

Born in Oklahoma in 1946, Webb dutifully learned how to play piano at his mother’s insistence and developed a talent for improvisation while playing music in his father’s church services. Jimmy found himself on his own when he was only 17 and knew he had to make his way in the music industry to survive and fulfill his destiny. Success came quickly—“Up, Up, and Away” won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1967. A solid musical identity and sense of direction proved to be more elusive. An early experimenter incorporating technology and music, and using classical arrangements in pop songs, Webb’s songs for Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, and Frank Sinatra brought both fame and money, but placed him distinctly musically apart from the artists he admired like Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and Harry Nilsson. In THE CAKE AND THE RAIN Webb describes, in his emotion-packed lyrical style, the road traveled to find himself as an artist all the while giving readers an experiential ride of the hedonistic 60s and early 70s: backstage with Elvis in Las Vegas; at his outdoor naked chamber music concert; in the room where the first Monterey Pop Festival was born; cavorting in Venice; in the recording studio with the Beatles in London; driving outrageously tricked out sports cars and flying a motor-less airplane—Webb was living fast and furious, until the demon of drug addiction took away almost everything—including the music.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JIMMY WEBB, “America’s Songwriter,” is the author of the musician’s “bible,” Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting. Webb’s songs with their complex chord structure have been recorded or performed by artists from Frank Sinatra to Carly Simon, to R.E.M. He tours extensively performing his music and telling his stories in the United States and around the world. He was the youngest man ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2016 was named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the top fifty songwriters of all time. A father of six and grandfather of one, Webb lives with his wife, Laura Savini, in New York.