The Library of Congress hosts over 160 million books, manuscripts and photographs.
And every year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress selects 25 pieces of sound, from its collection and beyond, that showcase America’s sound-rich heritage. The archive contains iconic clips of music, news, theater and sports.
In this edition of our series, The Sounds Of America, we hear one of this year’s selections: Glen Campbell’s recording of the 1968 single “Wichita Lineman.”
Jimmy Webb wrote the song. Here’s more on its development from InsideHook:
Both Campbell and Webb came from unorthodox backgrounds. While Campbell is best remembered as a singer and guitarist, he also worked as a session musician for years before becoming famous…[f]or his part, Webb also eluded easy categorization: an early stint working as a songwriter for Motown Records never quite clicked, despite it being a formative experience for him.
This series is produced by Ben Manilla and Jennie Cataldo for BMP Audio in association with the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
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