On This Day in 1967, Glen Campbell Released the Jimmy Webb-Penned Hit That Helped Make Him a Country Music Superstar

Glen Campbell released “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” on 23 October 1967, beginning a successful partnership with songwriter Jimmy Webb. The song became Campbell’s first country top 10 and his first pop top 40 hit, helping establish him as a major country star.

The track peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart in January 1968 and reached No. 26 on the Hot 100. It was the first Webb-penned single Campbell released; Webb later wrote hits including “Galveston” and “Wichita Lineman”. Johnny Rivers had recorded the song in 1966, and Campbell created a new arrangement after hearing that version. The song won two Grammy awards, and its album received Album of the Year the following year.