Jimmy Webb: The Cake and the Rain

By Jimmy Webb

'Jim, if you don't help us out John's going to get sent back to Britain. The feds have a hard-on for him.' Harry Nilsson

'Going back to Britain isn't like going to the electric chair, Harry. They have women there and daffodils and cozy little pubs.' Jimmy Webb

In 1969, Webb was a 'heavy pot smoker, sexual adventurer, and hopelessly liberal Democrat who hated the war in Vietnam'; writing songs for Glenn Campbell, Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli. He lived in a 'Valleywood' mansion with two grand pianos and stained glass windows commemorating his musical inspirations: Joni Mitchell, Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan; George Harrison, John Lennon and Elvis Presley. Vegas came calling, offering him $40k to play 'MacArthur Park' on the piano once a night for eight weeks.

Four years later, he was living in his gated mansion, lying for John Lennon and stashing hundred dollar bills and cocaine in his house-safe. In 1973, the man who brought to the world songs including 'Up, Up And Away', 'By The Time I Get To Phoenix', 'MacArthur Park', 'Galveston' and 'Wichita Lineman' accidentally over-dosed on what proved to be street-level PCP. When he awoke from his coma, he didn't recognise a piano.

The Cake And The Rain sees Webb whirl between the early 70s and across the whole of the preceding three decades that led to him weeping over the piano keys as his fingers finally remembered what they'd been born to do. Because there almost wasn't, Jimmy Webb still plays and records like there's no tomorrow. This is the memoir of one of the greatest songwriters of all time: a man with unfathomable talent - and luck.

"The Cake and the Rain is novelistic, perfectly plotted and quite possibly the best pop-star autobiography yet written." - The Wall Street Journal

"I am devouring Jimmy Webb’s autobiography right now. The Cake and the Rain takes me inside the life of the extraordinary, gifted friend of mine." - Art Garfunkel

“During the late Sixties and early Seventies, Jimmy Webb was arguably the most successful mainstream songwriter alive...At the heart [of The Cake and The Rain] is his struggle to carve out his own identity as he lived a double life as a Middle American fixture with countercultural artistic ambitions.” ―Rolling Stone

“For those who want a good―and at times incredible―story of muses, merriment, melancholy, melodrama, along with touches of ordinary life and multiple near-death experiences, this is your book … Fans who have attended his concerts through the years know full well that Jimmy Webb always has some fascinating tales that stand on their own, without the aid of some of the greatest melodies the human ear has been fortunate to catch. Here he gets to fill in the details of interactions with Elvis, Sinatra, the Beatles (and their individual members), Joni Mitchell, Richard Harris, a totally out-of-control Harry Nilsson, and even the Devil himself” ―Elmore Magazine

“Amazing! One of the best music memoirs I’ve ever read - I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” - Will Friedwald, author of Sinatra! The Song is You

“The Cake and the Rain has an almost cinematic quality, thanks to Webb’s evocative writing, and the book’s structure, which juxtaposes tales of Webb’s adventures in the music business with stories of his family.”- James Watts, Jr., Tulsa World

“Part memoir, part confessional, part musical history, and part cultural studies, The Cake and the Rain chronicles Webb’s fantastical (and at times tortuous) path through the music world of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It’s a must-read for music lovers everywhere.” - Mark Mussari

“Webb writes in a comfortable, conversational way, as though he’s telling a few close friends some stories from his fascinating life, and the book makes a great way for a music fan to pass a few hours.” ―Booklist

“An insider’s view of the star-maker machinery and a treat for Webb’s many fans.” ―Kirkus

Publication Date: 31.08.17
ISBN: 9781785586187
Extent: 320 pages
Format: Hardback

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