Illustration: God

Jimmy Webb is the composer of some of the most well-known pop songs of all time, including, "Up, Up, and Away," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Galveston," "MacArthur Park" and "Wichita Lineman." Jimmy is the son of a Baptist minister. His family lived in southern California. After his mother's death, Jimmy's father decided to move, but Jimmy wanted to stay and write songs for a living. Reluctantly, his father gave him all the money in his wallet—$40.00—to get started. Jimmy still composes and sings in concerts. In the past few years, he has reconnected with his faith, writing a Christmas cantata and several Christian-oriented songs. In an interview with the Salvation Army newspaper, Webb said: "I couldn't write a song without God. Sure, I could hack out hackneyed phrases and clichés, but to write anything meaningful I have to be in tune with God. He is the great source, my inspiration, the current that I have to connect to. Sadly I've not always used the gift He's given me—the answered prayer—as best as I could or should have. I've made mistakes. I've done things I wish I hadn't done.