Pop Archives

King Harvest (Australia) - Wichita Lineman (with By The Time I Get To Phoenix) (1971)

(Jimmy Webb)
Australia Australia
#12 Melbourne #7 Adelaide #21 Brisbane

The label shows WICHITA LINEMAN (Introducing “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”).


Medley with By The Time I Get To Phoenix, another Jimmy Webb song (see below).

Single on RCA Victor by Melbourne band active in the early 70s, featuring the fine soulful vocals of New Zealander Leo De Castro. See the Leo De Castro page at Bruce Sergent’s NZ Music site.


This is the Australian band King Harvest, not to be confused with the New York band called King Harvest that had a hit with Dancing In The Moonlight (#13 USA, 1973).


Suggestion and clarification from Mike Robbins.


Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman (1968)

(Jimmy Webb)
USA USA
Original version
#3 USA #7 UK #26 Sydney #33 Melbourne #3 Brisbane #13 Adelaide #14 Perth #10 NZ

Song by Jimmy Webb, prolific writer and performer of numerous classics, including Up-Up And Away, MacArthur Park, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Do What You Gotta Do. For the full extent of Jimmy Webb's repertoire, see the Jimmy Webb Song List at Magic Town or his song catalog at Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Webb recorded Wichita Lineman himself: it's on his 1996 album Ten Easy Pieces (1996) (Thanks to Weber Alves & Brent Cash.)

Hiroto Yanagida lists over 30 versions of Wichita Lineman at his Magic Town website.


Johnny Rivers - By The Time I Get To Phoenix (1966)

(Jimmy Webb)
USA USA
Original version

On the 1966 album Changes.

Popular versions of By The Time I Get To Phoenix were recorded by Glen Campbell (1967, #29 USA, #44 Perth) and Isaac Hayes
(1969, #37 USA).

See the song history at The Originals website, and Hiroto Yanagida’s list of about 50 versions of By The Time I Get To Phoenix at his Magic Town website.

Jimmy Webb himself recorded By The Time I Get To Phoenix for his 1996 album Ten Easy Pieces.