Jack Johnson (musician)
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Jack Johnson (born May 18, 1975) a Hawaii-born singer/songwriter, has achieved moderate fame since the release of his 2001 debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. His newest album, In Between Dreams, has caught much public attention for its relaxing, but upbeat, music.
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Biography
Johnson had been a professional surfer until an accident forced him to take some time off. He learned to play guitar at age 14, but did not seriously pursue a career in the arts until his college years at University of California at Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a degree in film. His music caught the ear of Ben Harper's producer/manager J.P. Plunier. Plunier pushed Johnson to record formal demos, eventually leading to the release of Brushfire Fairytales in 2001.
After touring for almost two years, Johnson released his second album, On and On to generally favorable reviews in late 2003. Many of the songs on On and On had previously been released on bootlegs, such as J.O.A.T. and B.O.A.T., but received the accompaniment of a full band on the new album, which included Adam Topol on drums and Merlo Podlewski on bass guitar (both these musicians form Johnson's backup on all his releases).
Johnson's interest in surfing also led him to produce and score multiple surfing films; among these September Sessions and Thicker Than Water were released on CD/DVD between the release of Brushfire Fairytales and On and On. Johnson has also appeared in the surf film Shelter, made by his manager, Emmett Malloy. The music video for his song "Taylor" also features Ben Stiller in it.
His third studio album, titled In Between Dreams, was released on March 1, 2005. Though shunned by the likes of "Rolling Stone" Magazine, Johnson's latest album continues his tradition of upbeat acoustic rock that has been a welcome contrast to much of the angst-ridden hardcore rock that became popular around the same time as his ascent to notoriety. In recent times, In Between Dreams has become a big success.
Discography
Albums
- Brushfire Fairytales (2001) #13 Australia
- On and On (2003) #3 US, #2 Australia
- iTunes Originals, Exclusive (2004)
- In Between Dreams (2005) #2 US, #3 Canada, #24 UK, #1 Australia
EPs and Videos
- September Sessions
- Thicker Than Water
- Taylor EP
- Some Live Songs EP #31 Australia
Hit singles (in chronological order)
- "Flake" (2002) #73 US
- "Bubble Toes" (2002)
- "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" (2003) #51 Australia
- "Taylor" (2004) #27 Australia
- "Wasting Time" (2004)
- "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" (2005) #66 US, #24 Australia
- "Good People" (2005) #50 UK
- "Gone Going" (Guest appearance on Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business, June 2005)