Editing Jimmy Webb (section)

==Early life==
Webb was born on August 15, 1946, in [[Elk City, Oklahoma]], and raised in [[Laverne, Oklahoma]]. He grew up in a religiously conservative family;<ref name="ohs"/> His father, Robert Lee Webb, was a [[Baptist]] minister and veteran of the [[United States Marine Corps]] who presided over rural churches in southwestern Oklahoma and west Texas. With his mother's encouragement, Webb learned piano and organ and by the age of 12 was playing in the choir of his father's churches, accompanied by his father on guitar and his mother on accordion.<ref name="allmusic-bio"/>  His father restricted radio listening to country music and white gospel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bourgoin |first1=Suzanne |title=Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music |date=1994 |publisher=Gale Research, Incorporated |isbn=978-0-8103-8553-5 |page=270 |language=en |quote=My father always controlled the radio very empirically and it was always either country music or white gospel ...}}</ref>

During the late 1950s, Webb began applying his creativity to the music he was playing at his father's church, frequently improvising and rearranging the hymns.<ref name="allmusic-bio"/> He began to write religious songs at this time,<ref name="allmusic-bio"/> but his musical direction was soon influenced by the new music being played on the radio, including the music of [[Elvis Presley]]. In 1961, at the age of 14, he bought his first record, "[[Turn Around, Look at Me]]", by Glen Campbell. Webb said he was drawn to the singer's distinctive voice and they became friends a few years later.<ref name="shane"/>

In 1964, Webb and his family moved to Southern California, where he attended [[San Bernardino Valley College]], studying music. During this time, he lived in [[Colton, California|Colton]], with his family. Following the death of his mother, Sylvia, in 1964, his father made plans to return to Oklahoma. Webb decided to stay in California to continue his music studies and to pursue a career as a songwriter in Los Angeles. He would later recall his father warning him about his musical aspirations, saying that "This songwriting thing is going to break your heart." Seeing that his son was determined, however, he gave him $40, saying "It's not much, but it's all I have."<ref name="shane"/>