Pinecastle Records has released a new single for Richard Bennett, currently on guitar with Flashback, featuring his arrangement of the Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb classic, Wichita Lineman.
Richard is following in the footsteps of many other artists, reacting to the passing of Campbell earlier this year. Glen’s 1968 recording of this song had dominated the pop and country charts all over the world that year, and served as a follow-up to his previous chart topper, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, also written by Webb, in ’65.
The song is among the most covered in the pop catalog, being redone in just about every imaginable style by artists as diverse as Ray Charles and Axl Rose. And new versions are still popping up, as evidenced by this new acoustic treatment from Bennett, lending his much deeper voice and skillful guitar to the song.
For Richard, it was a chance to pay homage to Campbell, and sing a number that had long been a favorite.
“I have always admired Jimmy Webb’s song writing. The melody of Wichita Lineman is one of the most distinctive in my musical memories. I am and have always been a huge fan of Glen Campbell’s talent. After his passing I wanted to do a tribute in honor of Glen, and this is the song I chose with an acoustic approach.”
Bennett’s arrangement is reminiscent of his excellent 2014 album, In The Wind Somewhere, with sparse accompaniment provided by Ron Stewart on fiddle, Mark Johnson on banjo, and Todd Phillips on bass. He discusses the track while it plays in the background in this teaser video from Pinecastle.
The single, his first for the label, is available for download purchase now, and to radio programmers from AirPlay Direct.
