Jackson Browne

  • Los Angeles, CA
    hometown
  • Blues/Folk
    genre
  • 1966
    started
  • Bio
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About Jackson Browne

Official Site: http://jacksonbrowne.com


In many ways, Jackson Browne was the quintessential sensitive Californian singer/songwriter of the early '70s. Only Joni Mitchell and James Taylor ranked alongside him in terms of influence, but neither artist tapped into the post-'60s Zeitgeist like Browne. While the majority of his classic '70s work was unflinchingly personal, it nevertheless provided a touchstone for a generation of maturing baby boomers coming to terms with adulthood. Not only did his introspective, literate lyrics strike a nerve, but his laid-back folk-rock set the template for much of the music to come out of California during the '70s. With his first four albums, Browne built a loyal following that helped him break into the mainstream with 1976's The Pretender. During the late '70s and early '80s, he was at the height of his popularity, as each of his albums charted in the Top Ten. Midway through the '80s, Browne made a series of political protest records that caused his audience to gradually shrink, but when he returned to introspective songwriting with 1993's I'm Alive, he made a modest comeback.

Born in Heidelberg, West Germany, Jackson Browne and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was three years old, and by the time he was a teenager, Browne had developed an interest in folk music. He began playing guitar and writing songs, which he sang at local folk clubs. Early in 1966, he was invited to join the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whom he had met through the L.A. folk circuit. While he was only with the band for a few months, the group recorded a handful of his songs on its first two records. By the beginning of 1967, he had signed a publishing deal with Nina Music, a division of Elektra Records; Nina helped Browne secure songs on albums by Tom Rush and Steve Noonan in 1968. During 1967 and 1968, he lived in New York's Greenwich Village, where he played in Tim Buckley's backing band. Browne also began working with Nico, who recorded three of his songs on her Chelsea Girl album. When their relationship disintegrated in 1968, he returned to Los Angeles, where he unsuccessfully tried to record a solo album and form a folk group with Ned Doheney and Jack Wilce. Browne continued to play local clubs and his reputation as a songwriter continued to grow, with Linda Ronstadt and the Byrds recording his songs. By the end of 1971, he had signed with David Geffen's fledgling Asylum Records on the strength of his widely circulated demo tape.

Jackson Browne was released in the spring of 1972, spawning the Top Ten hit single "Doctor My Eyes." Shortly after "Doctor My Eyes" reached its peak position, "Take It Easy," a song Browne co-wrote with Glenn Frey, became the Eagles' breakthrough hit. Many songs from his debut, including "Rock Me on the Water" and "Jamaica Say You Will," became singer/songwriter standards, but the album itself didn't establish Browne as a pop star, despite its hit single. On his second album, 1973's For Everyman, he began a long-term collaboration with instrumentalist David Lindley. For Everyman was a commercial disappointment, yet it consolidated his cult following.

Released in the fall of 1974, Late for the Sky expanded Browne's audience significantly, peaking at number 14 on the charts and going gold by the beginning of the following year. Browne's first wife, Phyllis, committed suicide in the spring of 1976, but in the wake of the tragedy he recorded his commercial breakthrough album, The Pretender. The record climbed into the Top Ten upon its fall 1976 release, going platinum in the spring of 1977. In the summer, Browne launched an extensive tour, recording a new album while he was on the road. The resulting record, Running on Empty (1977), was a bigger success than its predecessor, peaking at number three and launching the hit singles "Running on Empty" and "Stay/The Load-Out." With his career riding high, Browne began to pursue political and social causes, most notably protesting the use of nuclear energy.

The success of Hold Out, the 1980 follow-up to Running on Empty, was evidence of Jackson Browne's popularity. Though the album wasn't as well crafted as its predecessors, it became his only number one album upon its summer release. In the summer of 1982, "Somebody's Baby," from the soundtrack of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, became Browne's biggest hit, climbing to number seven on the U.S. charts. Divided between love songs and political protests, Lawyers in Love was another hit due to success of the hit singles "Lawyers in Love," "Tender Is the Night," and "For a Rocker." Nevertheless, the album also showcased a newly found social consciousness, which dominated 1986's Lives in the Balance. The album lacked any hit singles, yet its fiery condemnation of the Reagan era won an audience -- the album stayed on the charts for over six months and went gold.

Jackson Browne continued to write primarily political songs on 1989's World in Motion, but the record became his first album to not go gold. Browne was quiet for the next four years, working on a variety of social causes and suffering a painful public breakup with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah. He finally returned with a comeback effort in the fall of 1993 entitled I'm Alive. Comprised of personal songs, I'm Alive received his best reviews since the late '70s and the record went gold without producing any major hits. In the spring of 1996, Browne released Looking East, which failed to gain the same attention as I'm Alive. In 2002, he released The Naked Ride Home. Two years later the two-disc The Very Best of Jackson Browne hit the shelves as Browne was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by fellow Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen. Around this time Browne took to the road and played intimate acoustic shows around the globe. The 2005 release Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 was compiled from these concerts and appeared on Inside Recordings, an independent label founded by Browne. Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 appeared in 2008, while an album of new material, Time the Conqueror, followed later in the year. Spring 2010 saw the release of Love Is Strange. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Photos

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  • Singer Jackson Browne performs at the 4th Annual ''Event To Prevent'' dinner and auction for The Candie's Foundation held at Cipriani's 42nd Street, May10, 2007 in New York City.
    Jackson Browne
    Singer Jackson Browne performs at the 4th Annual ''Event To Prevent'' dinner and auction for The Candie's Foundation held at Cipriani's 42nd Street, May10, 2007 in New York City.
    Evan Agostini/Getty Images
  • Jackson Browne
    Nels Israelson
  • Inductee Jackson Browne.
    Jackson Browne
    Inductee Jackson Browne.
    Evan Agostini/Getty Images
  • Jackson Browne.
    Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne.
    Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images
  • Kid Rock and Jackson Browne perform.
    Jackson Browne
    Kid Rock and Jackson Browne perform.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Jackson Browne speaks
    Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne speaks
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne.
    Jackson Browne
    Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Inductee Jackson Browne performs.
    Jackson Browne
    Inductee Jackson Browne performs.
    Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
  • Jackson Browne inducted 2004
    Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne inducted 2004
  • Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne
    Nels Israelson

News

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  • Jackson Browne
    McCain still caught up in fight with Jackson Browne
    prefixmag.com
    John McCain may have been thwarted by Barack Obama, and his muse Sarah Palin may have returned to the land of snow machines, but he's still caught up ...
    Read More
  • Jackson Browne
    McCain Fights Back Against Jackson Browne
    www.billboard.com
    ); the amount and substantiality of the use of the song (McCain only used the title phrase, and cites a recent judgment against Yoko Ono, who had soug...
    Read More
  • Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Others Celebrate Lennon
    www.rollingstone.com
    "I feel like I just went to Beatles camp," Jackson Browne, who had just finished performing at the Theater Within 30th Annual John Lennon tribute conc...
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  • Jackson Browne
    The Flaming Lips Cover Woody Guthrie With Jackson Browne, iPads
    stereogum.com
    Last weekend, the Flaming Lips played at a Woody Guthrie tribute concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And in true random-ass Flaming Lips fashion, they turned ...
    Read More
  • Jackson Browne
    Deer Tick Bringing Jackson Browne & More to Newport Afterparties | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    a weekend of intimate afterparties for the Newport Folk Festival. The three-night charity event will be held at the 300-capacity Newport Blues Cafe, w...
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  • Jackson Browne
    Newport Folk Festival (Jackson Browne, My Morning Jacket, Iron & W | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Photo gallery of My Morning Jacket, Iron & Wine, Jackson Browne, Johnny Corndawg, Deer Tick, Alabama Shakes, Sharon Van Etten, Dawes, Charles B...
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  • Jackson Browne
    Live Review: Jackson Browne & Sara Watkins in Wilkes-Barre, PA
    American Songwriter
    For a guy with the reputation as a sensitive singer-songwriter, it was the feisty side of Jackson Browne that made the difference in a stellar show on...
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  • Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne and Common Unite to Bring Leonard Peltier Home
    www.rollingstone.com
    before attacking it with lightning-fast picking through Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." Fellow First Nations musicians, including Jennifer Kre...
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  • Jackson Browne
    Behind The Song: Jackson Browne, "Running On Empty"
    American Songwriter
    The best songwriters can create genius from even the most routine situations. It seems that Jackson Browne didn't have far to go from his residence to...
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  • Jackson Browne
    Jackson Browne, Bob Weir Top All-Star 'Jam-a-Thon' Benefit in L.A.
    www.rollingstone.com
    Jackson Browne called Jonathan Wilson "the jam king," and last night Browne was one of several major artists to join the Los Angeles folk-rocker at th...
    Read More

Tour Dates

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  • Jun 13 Thursday
    Sturgeon Bay, WI, US Holiday Music Motel
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 14 Friday
    Sturgeon Bay, WI, US Holiday Music Motel
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  • Jun 15 Saturday
    Sturgeon Bay, WI, US Holiday Music Motel
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 16 Sunday
    Sturgeon Bay, WI, US Holiday Music Motel
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  • Jun 19 Wednesday
    Salt Lake City, UT, US Red Butte Garden
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 21 Friday
    Aspen, CO, US Jazz Aspen
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 25 Tuesday
    Des Moines, IA, US Des Moines Civic Center
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  • Jun 26 Wednesday
    Highland Park, IL, US Ravinia Festival
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  • Jun 26 Wednesday
    Highland Park, IL, US Ravinia Festival
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 28 Friday
    Columbus, OH, US Palace Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 29 Saturday
    Niagara Falls, NY, US Seneca Niagara Events Center, Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 1 Monday
    Lancaster, PA, US American Music Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 2 Tuesday
    New Brunswick, NJ, US State Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 4 Thursday
    Lenox, MA, US Tanglewood
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 5 Friday
    Atlantic City, NJ, US Borgata Event Center
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 6 Saturday
    Atlantic City, NJ, US Borgata Event Center
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 9 Tuesday
    Wallingford, CT, US Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 20 Saturday
    Detroit, MI, US Comerica Park
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  • Aug 24 Saturday
    East Troy, WI, US Alpine Valley Music Theatre
    Buy Ticket

Discography

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  • Where the Shadows Fall (2013)
    Jackson Browne
    Where the Shadows Fall (2013)
    All Access
  • Love Is Strange: En Vivo Con Tino (2010)
    Jackson Browne
    Love Is Strange: En Vivo Con Tino (2010)
    Inside Recordings
  • Time the Conqueror (2008)
    Jackson Browne
    Time the Conqueror (2008)
    Inside Recordings
  • Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 (2008)
    Jackson Browne
    Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 (2008)
    Sony Music Distribution
  • Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 (2005)
    Jackson Browne
    Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 (2005)
    Inside Recordings
  • The Naked Ride Home (2002)
    Jackson Browne
    The Naked Ride Home (2002)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • Looking East (1996)
    Jackson Browne
    Looking East (1996)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • Everywhere I Go (1994)
    Jackson Browne
    Everywhere I Go (1994)
    European Import
  • I'm Alive (1993)
    Jackson Browne
    I'm Alive (1993)
    Elektra Entertainment
  • World in Motion (1989)
    Jackson Browne
    World in Motion (1989)
    Elektra Entertainment
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