He spoke about his friendship with the ‘mercurial’ Richard Harris for many years. They collaborated on two albums, 1968's A Tramp Shining and 1969's The Yard Went on Forever.
“He was the big brother that I never had. He filled this void in my life. My father, the Baptist preacher had a lot of rules and regulations that to live by.
“Over on left was Richard, leaning up against the lamppost, smoking a cigarette and saying, ‘Yes but there’s another side to life, you know.’”
Jimmy describes songwriting as Swiss watch making: choosing the exact words, precisely: "Melody is the flower on the shrubbery that catches the eye of the pretty girl walking by.
"If it arouses enough interest, it’ll be easier to digest the rest. The melody has to be catchy."
He also spoke at his surprise at modern artists such as Kanye West and Rihanna recording his songs.
They come along, they come from unexpected sources sometimes and I just never saw myself as a writer of songs
