Wichita Lineman-Story

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

The Wichita Lineman On a summer day in 1968, songwriter Jimmy Webb was driving on a road in Oklahoma. There were no houses along the road, and no trees—just grass in every direction. Next to the road, there were telephone poles. The poles were in a straight line that went all the way to the horizon. In the distance Jimmy saw a man on a ladder near the top of a telephone pole. He was a lineman. His job was to check the telephone lines to make sure they were OK. At that time, private companies did not own the telephone lines; county governments owned them. So the man was an employee of a county in Oklahoma—he was “a lineman for the county." As he got closer, Jimmy could see that the man had a phone in his hand, and he was talking to someone. What was the man saying? Perhaps he was reporting that there was a problem on the line. Or perhaps he was reporting that the line was OK. After he drove past the lineman, Jimmy couldn't stop thinking about the work he did. It was a lonely job, Jimmy thought. What did the lineman think about all day? Maybe he thought about someone he loved. Maybe he thought about the weather. Maybe he worried that next winter a snowstorm could take down some wires. Or maybe he hoped for rain so that he could take a small vacation. Jimmy wrote a song about the the lineman. Although he had seen him in Oklahoma, Jimmy imagined that the lineman lived in Kansas, near the city of Wichita. He called the song "Wichita Lineman.” The song became famous. It was a big hit for singer Glen Campbell. Later Jimmy said, "This song is not just about a lineman. It is about anyone who can think about other things while they work—a truck driver, for example, or a farmworker. It is a song about an ordinary person who has extraordinary thoughts.” Story: Copyright © 2020 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. Photo of road: Copyright © Peter Schoeman | Dreamstime.com. Reprinted with permission. Photo of lineman: Copyright © Andrei Shupilo | Dreamstime.com. Reprinted with permission..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Press Contacts
Press Contacts: Madelyn Gardner, (413) 448-8084 x15 [email protected] www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org Rebecca Brighenti, (413) 448-8084 x11 [email protected] www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org Berkshire Theatre Group Presents Grammy Award-Winner Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years Highlighting some of the 100-plus recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook Pittsfield, MA– Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents Grammy Award-winner Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years, highlighting some of the 100-plus recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook at The Colonial Theatre on Saturday, March 18 at 8pm. Tickets to Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years are $25, $35 and $45. Contact the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield by calling 413-997-4444, or online at www.berkshiretheatregroup.org. Ticket Offices are open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain. Songwriter Jimmy Webb has had chart-topping hits in a unique range of genres over the last 50 years, from country to pop to disco, with songs including “Worst That Could Happen,” “The Highway Man,” “Up, Up and Away” and “MacArthur Park.” But, perhaps the most enduring partnership out of all those memorable songs, is his musical brotherhood with Glen Campbell. Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years highlights some of the 100-plus recordings from the Webb/Campbell songbook, pulling the audience in with hits such as “Honey Come Back,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and more! Jimmy Webb, who has shared the stage with legends such as Billy Joel, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, was the youngest man ever inducted into the National Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, and is the current Chairman.
[Show full text]
Alshire Records Discography
Alshire Discography by David Edwards, Mike Callahan & Patrice Eyries © 2018 by Mike Callahan Alshire International Records Discography Alshire was located at P.O. Box 7107, Burbank, CA 91505 (Street address: 2818 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90006). Founded by Al Sherman in 1964, who bought the Somerset catalog from Dick L. Miller. Arlen, Grit and Oscar were subsidiaries. Alshire was a grocery store rack budget label whose main staple was the “101 Strings Orchestra,” which was several different orchestras over the years, more of a franchise than a single organization. Alshire M/S 3000 Series: M/S 3001 –“Oh Yeah!” A Polka Party – Coal Diggers with Happy Tony [1967] Reissue of Somerset SF 30100. Oh Yeah!/Don't Throw Beer Bottles At The Band/Yak To Na Wojence (Fortunes Of War)/Piwo Polka (Beer Polka)/Wanda And Stash/Moja Marish (My Mary)/Zosia (Sophie)/Ragman Polka/From Ungvara/Disc Jocky Polka/Nie Puki Jashiu (Don't Knock Johnny) Alshire M/ST 5000 Series M/ST 5000 - Stephen Foster - 101 Strings [1964] Beautiful Dreamer/Camptown Races/Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair/Oh Susanna/Old Folks At Home/Steamboat 'Round The Bend/My Old Kentucky Home/Ring Ring De Bango/Come, Where My Love Lies Dreaming/Tribute To Foster Medley/Old Black Joe M/ST 5001 - Victor Herbert - 101 Strings [1964] Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life/Kiss Me Again/March Of The Toys, Toyland/Indian Summer/Gypsy Love Song/Red Mill Overture/Because You're You/Moonbeams/Every Day Is Ladies' Day To Me/In Old New York/Isle Of Our Dreams M/S 5002 - John Philip Sousa, George M.
[Show full text]
Glen Campbell's Songs Soar As His Mind Fades
DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014 BY SUSANNAH GORA Glen Campbell’s Songs Soar as His Mind Fades As Alzheimer’s disease takes its toll, the famed singer’s spirit stays strong. The music video for "Hey Little One" shows an older man strumming his guitar and singing a low, slow ballad. His voice has weathered with age, but we'd know it anywhere: it's the voice of "Wichita Lineman" and "Rhinestone Cowboy," a voice that has won ﬁve Grammys, sold 45 million records, and blended country music with pop before it was cool. It's the voice of Glen Campbell. Hearing him tell his stories in song has always been a powerful experience—maybe more so now, because Campbell has Alzheimer's disease (AD). NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images In the video (for a track from Campbell's latest album, See You There), we also see Campbell's wife of more than 30 years, Kim. She holds her husband's hand as they look out at the ocean and the horizon together. It's a poignant reminder that AD changes the lives not only of those who have the illness, but also of those who love them. A Widespread Disease Campbell is one of 5 million Americans with AD, deﬁned by the National Institutes of Health as "an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out simple tasks of daily living." (See "Alzheimer's Disease: The Basics" below.) AD begins with memory loss because the disease "starts in brain areas important for memory, such as the hippocampus," explains Janet Jankowiak, M.D., a geriatric neurologist and member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
[Show full text]
“The Stories Behind the Songs”
“The Stories Behind The Songs” John Henderson The Stories Behind The Songs A compilation of “inside stories” behind classic country hits and the artists associated with them John Debbie & John By John Henderson (Arrangement by Debbie Henderson) A fascinating and entertaining look at the life and recording efforts of some of country music’s most talented singers and songwriters 1 Author’s Note My background in country music started before I even reached grade school. I was four years old when my uncle, Jack Henderson, the program director of 50,000 watt KCUL-AM in Fort Worth/Dallas, came to visit my family in 1959. He brought me around one hundred and fifty 45 RPM records from his station (duplicate copies that they no longer needed) and a small record player that played only 45s (not albums). I played those records day and night, completely wore them out. From that point, I wanted to be a disc jockey. But instead of going for the usual “comedic” approach most DJs took, I tried to be more informative by dropping in tidbits of a song’s background, something that always fascinated me. Originally with my “Classic Country Music Stories” site on Facebook (which is still going strong), and now with this book, I can tell the whole story, something that time restraints on radio wouldn’t allow. I began deejaying as a career at the age of sixteen in 1971, most notably at Nashville’s WENO-AM and WKDA- AM, Lakeland, Florida’s WPCV-FM (past winner of the “Radio Station of the Year” award from the Country Music Association), and Springfield, Missouri’s KTTS AM & FM and KWTO-AM, but with syndication and automation which overwhelmed radio some twenty-five years ago, my final DJ position ended in 1992.
[Show full text]
112 It's Over Now 112 Only You 311 All Mixed up 311 Down
112 It's Over Now 112 Only You 311 All Mixed Up 311 Down 702 Where My Girls At 911 How Do You Want Me To Love You 911 Little Bit More, A 911 More Than A Woman 911 Party People (Friday Night) 911 Private Number 10,000 Maniacs More Than This 10,000 Maniacs These Are The Days 10CC Donna 10CC Dreadlock Holiday 10CC I'm Mandy 10CC I'm Not In Love 10CC Rubber Bullets 10CC Things We Do For Love, The 10CC Wall Street Shuffle 112 & Ludacris Hot & Wet 1910 Fruitgum Co. Simon Says 2 Evisa Oh La La La 2 Pac California Love 2 Pac Thugz Mansion 2 Unlimited No Limits 20 Fingers Short Dick Man 21st Century Girls 21st Century Girls 3 Doors Down Duck & Run 3 Doors Down Here Without You 3 Doors Down Its not my time 3 Doors Down Kryptonite 3 Doors Down Loser 3 Doors Down Road I'm On, The 3 Doors Down When I'm Gone 38 Special If I'd Been The One 38 Special Second Chance 3LW I Do (Wanna Get Close To You) 3LW No More 3LW No More (Baby I'm A Do Right) 3LW Playas Gon' Play 3rd Strike Redemption 3SL Take It Easy 3T Anything 3T Tease Me 3T & Michael Jackson Why 4 Non Blondes What's Up 5 Stairsteps Ooh Child 50 Cent Disco Inferno 50 Cent If I Can't 50 Cent In Da Club 50 Cent In Da Club 50 Cent P.I.M.P. (Radio Version) 50 Cent Wanksta 50 Cent & Eminem Patiently Waiting 50 Cent & Nate Dogg 21 Questions 5th Dimension Aquarius_Let the sunshine inB 5th Dimension One less Bell to answer 5th Dimension Stoned Soul Picnic 5th Dimension Up Up & Away 5th Dimension Wedding Blue Bells 5th Dimension, The Last Night I Didn't Get To Sleep At All 69 Boys Tootsie Roll 8 Stops 7 Question
[Show full text]
Glen Campbell... I'll Be Me
Helping America’s most vulnerable™ Summer 2015 Welcome Glen Campbell... Home I’ll Be Me In 2011, when Glen Campbell was over to the pop charts, opening a new diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, realm of opportunity for generations of FEATURES he joined forces with his family to fight country musicians. the biggest battle of his life. Glen and RHINESTONE COWBOY his wife Kim made history by going This epic human drama about the public with the diagnosis — the first undying bond between Glen and Kim BOOKS ARE COOL time a major American and their unwavering CALENDAR OF EVENTS celebrity would share caring for each other this experience with the chronicles a story of world. love, resilience and the power of song. Glen The Campbell family Campbell…I’ll Be Me then embarked on is the true tale of how what was to be a short America’s greatest “Goodbye Tour.” But the country star would not three-week engagement give up his music or his turned into an emotional family, against all odds. and triumphant 151- show nationwide tour The film features those de force. who know and love Glen, including Bruce Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Springsteen, Me is a powerful portrait of the life and Bill Clinton, The Edge, Paul McCartney, career of great American music icon Jay Leno, Vince Gill, Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell. The film opens to the Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, Keith viewer the world of the singular talent Urban, Brad Paisley, Steve Martin, who created hits like Rhinestone Chad Smith and Taylor Swift, among Cowboy, Wichita Lineman and Gentle many others.
[Show full text]
GLEN CAMPBELL DEBBY CAMPBELL by Tamela Meredith Partridge “Herald & Review” Newspaper Decatur, IL
GLEN CAMPBELL DEBBY CAMPBELL by Tamela Meredith Partridge “Herald & Review” newspaper Decatur, IL. © 2008 Even after 50 years in the mu- sic business, Glen Campbell is still considered a triple threat -- ace guitarist, singer, and humorist. "As the late, great, Roger Miller used to say, 'I don't think I'm half as good as I really am,'" Campbell says with a laugh. "All kidding aside, I just hope that the audience leaves the show with a smile and are thoroughly entertained.” Campbell will perform at The Rosebud Theatre in Effingham on Sunday. "I've been fortunate to maintain a great band with long-term members," Campbell says. "I've also been blessed to have my daughter Debby as a vocalist in my shows since 1987. Debby has a wonderful voice and joins me on duets I recorded with such artists as Bobbie Gentry ("Less Of Me," "Let It Be Me," "All I Have To Do Is Dream") and Anne Murray ("I Say A Little Prayer")." Glen Travis Campbell, 71, was born the seventh son in a sharecropper's family of twelve children in rural Billstown, Arkansas. A child of the Depression Era, Campbell overcame difficult times through music. “I can’t ever remember a time in my life when I wasn’t playing the guitar,” Campbell says. At 16, Campbell pursued music full-time by playing guitar in his uncle's western swing band and other local groups. Moving to Los Angeles in his early twenties, Campbell became a top session player on recordings by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, Jan & Dean, and the Righteous Brothers.
[Show full text]
Press and Sustain Identity, to Transmit Lessons Across Generations and to Bridge Cultural Divides and Connect Us All on a Universal Level
International Film Circuit presents a film by Katahdin Productions and More Horses Productions The song you thought you knew. The story you won’t believe. Distribution contact: Publicity contact: Wendy Lidell Sasha Berman International Film Circuit Shotwell Media 212-777-5690 310-450-5571 [email protected] [email protected] US • 2012 • 73 minutes • 16:9 • 5.1 Stereo • NR • English THE FILMMAKERS Directed and Produced by...........................................................................ROBERTA GROSSMAN Written and Produced by......................................................................................SOPHIE SARTAIN Produced by...........................................................................................................MARTA KAUFFMAN Executive Produced by..................................................................................................LISA THOMAS Cinematography by..............................................................DYANNA TAYLOR AND MIKE CHIN Edited by.....................................................................................................................CHRIS CALLISTER INTERVIEWS (in order of appearance) Johnny Yune Josh Kun Henry Sapoznik James Loeffler Chazzan Danny Maseng Rabbi Yisrael Friedman Rabbi Lawrence Kushner Dr. Gila Flam Edwin Seroussi Sheryl Shakinovsky, Devorah Lees and Naomi Kaplan Jay Starr, Deena Starr and Rachel Nathanson Ayala Goren Dani Dassa Leonard Nimoy Pete Sokolow Irving Fields Lila Corwin Berman Harry Belafonte Connie Francis
[Show full text]
A 3Rd Strike No Light a Few Good Men Have I Never a Girl Called Jane
A 3rd Strike No Light A Few Good Men Have I Never A Girl Called Jane He'S Alive A Little Night Music Send In The Clowns A Perfect Circle Imagine A Teens Bouncing Off The Ceiling A Teens Can't Help Falling In Love With You A Teens Floor Filler A Teens Halfway Around The World A1 Caught In The Middle A1 Ready Or Not A1 Summertime Of Our Lives A1 Take On Me A3 Woke Up This Morning Aaliyah Are You That Somebody Aaliyah At Your Best (You Are Love) Aaliyah Come Over Aaliyah Hot Like Fire Aaliyah If Your Girl Only Knew Aaliyah Journey To The Past Aaliyah Miss You Aaliyah More Than A Woman Aaliyah One I Gave My Heart To Aaliyah Rock The Boat Aaliyah Try Again Aaliyah We Need A Resolution Aaliyah & Tank Come Over Abandoned Pools Remedy ABBA Angel Eyes ABBA As Good As New ABBA Chiquita ABBA Dancing Queen ABBA Day Before You Came ABBA Does Your Mother Know ABBA Fernando ABBA Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie ABBA Happy New Year ABBA Hasta Manana ABBA Head Over Heels ABBA Honey Honey ABBA I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do ABBA I Have A Dream ABBA Knowing Me, Knowing You ABBA Lay All Your Love On Me ABBA Mama Mia ABBA Money Money Money ABBA Name Of The Game ABBA One Of Us ABBA Ring Ring ABBA Rock Me ABBA So Long ABBA SOS ABBA Summer Night City ABBA Super Trouper ABBA Take A Chance On Me ABBA Thank You For The Music ABBA Voulezvous ABBA Waterloo ABBA Winner Takes All Abbott, Gregory Shake You Down Abbott, Russ Atmosphere ABC Be Near Me ABC Look Of Love ABC Poison Arrow ABC When Smokey Sings Abdul, Paula Blowing Kisses In The Wind Abdul, Paula Cold Hearted Abdul, Paula Knocked
[Show full text]
Wichita Lineman to Find a Melody by Ear
and e-mail him the file.) He can work on a super-easy song like Little Birdie, and you can get someone to sing that at the jam, so he has at least one victory. If there’s anyone else like him in the class, see if you can find them a big-print (bigger the better) songbook and the list of 2-chord songs, and have them go off in a separate room and see what they can do with G and D7. That might take the pressure off, and seem well worth their time. In other words, keep lowering the bar, but the immutable “best place to start” is learning to change chords and keep rhythm on 1-5 songs. Let me know how it goes! Pete ______________________ Tough love has a mixed reputation of course. Considerate people feel bad about dispensing disappointing information. This turns out to be a big part of what I have to do with students. Tough love for novice jammers means “no book.” Banjo players at my Basic Camp only get to read small amounts of tab. We work on a lot of “ear” stuff, and learning how to watch and listen, as that is the foundation to put in place before digging into rote note-for- LET’S ROLL note lead playing. All in due time, but start with the foundation, no matter how impatient the student is to learn a lot of Tough Love for a Struggling Picker; leads. Learn chords and rhythm, and how Playing the Words of Wichita Lineman to find a melody by ear.
[Show full text]
Program Notes Juke
PROGRAM NOTES JUKE BOX Jeans ‘n Classics Wednesday, November 19 @ 8PM Thursday, November 20 @ 8PM Centre In The Square, Kitchener Subject to additional terms and conditions found at saveonenergy.ca. *Incentives are available for installation of eligible equipment completed between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2014, and must be submitted no later than Feb. 1, 2015. Equipment must be purchased from and installed by a participating contractor. †Replacement furnaces must be high-efciency models with an electronically commutated motor (ECM). ††Annual electricity cost savings are estimated based on past program experience. Funded by the Ontario Power Authority and offered by Kitchener- Wilmot Hydro Inc. A mark of the Province of Ontario protected under Canadian trade-mark law. Used under sublicence. Official Mark of the Ontario Power Authority. Used under licence. REPERTOIRE Valleri ....................................................................... The Monkees Sail On Sailor .......................................................The Beach Boys Be My Baby ..............................................................The Ronettes Wichita Lineman ................................................. Glen Campbell On Broadway ....................................................... George Benson One Less Bell To Answer ......................... The Fifth Dimension My Girl ............................................................... The Temptations Darlin’ ...................................................................The Beach Boys INTERMISSION
[Show full text]
The Ultimate Playlist This List Comprises More Than 3000 Songs (Song Titles), Which Have Been Released Between 1931 and 2018, Ei
The Ultimate Playlist This list comprises more than 3000 songs (song titles), which have been released between 1931 and 2021, either as a single or as a track of an album. However, one has to keep in mind that more than 300000 songs have been listed in music charts worldwide since the beginning of the 20th century [web: http://tsort.info/music/charts.htm]. Therefore, the present selection of songs is obviously solely a small and subjective cross-section of the most successful songs in the history of modern music. Band / Musician Song Title Released A Flock of Seagulls I ran 1982 Wishing 1983 Aaliyah Are you that somebody 1998 Back and forth 1994 More than a woman 2001 One in a million 1996 Rock the boat 2001 Try again 2000 ABBA Chiquitita 1979 Dancing queen 1976 Does your mother know? 1979 Eagle 1978 Fernando 1976 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! 1979 Honey, honey 1974 Knowing me knowing you 1977 Lay all your love on me 1980 Mamma mia 1975 Money, money, money 1976 People need love 1973 Ring ring 1973 S.O.S. 1975 Super trouper 1980 Take a chance on me 1977 Thank you for the music 1983 The winner takes it all 1980 Voulez-Vous 1979 Waterloo 1974 ABC The look of love 1980 AC/DC Baby please don’t go 1975 Back in black 1980 Down payment blues 1978 Hells bells 1980 Highway to hell 1979 It’s a long way to the top 1975 Jail break 1976 Let me put my love into you 1980 Let there be rock 1977 Live wire 1975 Love hungry man 1979 Night prowler 1979 Ride on 1976 Rock’n roll damnation 1978 Author: Thomas Jüstel -1- Rock’n roll train 2008 Rock or bust 2014 Sin city 1978 Soul stripper 1974 Squealer 1976 T.N.T.
[Show full text]