- Acoustic rock singer, songwriter and guitarist born in 1975 from Oahu Hawaii.
- Johnson grew up in a surfer family, and at 17 years old, he was the youngest participant to make the finals of Pipeline Masters tournament. A surfing accident ended his professional surfing career, and he turned to music, playing rhythm guitar for a band named Soil at college. They were an opening act at concerts for up and coming artists in the mid-90s, including Sublime and Dave Matthews.
- His break came when he was introduced by a surf film maker to alt hip-hop artist G. Love. Johnson had written a song, Rodeo Clowns, that G. Love wanted to record. Love invited Johnson to the recording session, and Johnson handled the vocals and rhythm guitar for the song. Love released it on an album in 1999, and the song charted on the Alternative Songs chart.
- A 4 track demo found its way to a record producer, and Johnson was signed to an indie label. His debut album, Brushfire Fairytales, was released in 2001. The songs consisted of laid-back, stripped down acoustic instrumentation with Johnson’s vocals. It was a surprise hit on alternative radio, with the song Flake topping the Adult Alternative Songs chart, and Bubbletoes peaking at #6 on the same chart. A year after its release, the album was certified platinum, selling more than 1 million copies.
- He followed in 2003 with his second album – On and On. By now, he had developed a following among alternative rock fans who loved his easy-going songs, and the album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Three more songs were top 10 on the Adult Alternative chart, with The Horizon Has Been Defeated topping the chart. His best selling album, In Between Dreams, was released in 2005. Worldwide sales of the album topped 16 million, and it was certified 2x platinum in the U.S. Two more #1 songs were on the album – Sitting, Waiting, Wishing and Good People.
- In 2006, Johnson wrote most of the songs to the soundtrack for the film Curious George. The soundtrack album, titled Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George, is credited to “Jack Johnson and Friends.” It topped the Billboard 200 chart, the first soundtrack album to achieve that status in 2½ years. The song Upside Down became his fifth song to top the Adult Alternative chart, remaining at #1 for 13 weeks.
- Three albums released between 2008 and 2013 each topped the Billboard 200. Songs from these albums produced 6 more top 10 hits, and he had his highest charting song on the Hot 100 chart, with You and Your Heart peaking at #20 in 2010. His most recent album, All the Light Above It Too, was released in 2017.
- In addition to his music, Johnson has directed 3 documentary surfing films. You can watch him surf in each of them.
- Jack Johnson appeals to music fans that want to listen to songs that are easy-going and fun. He’s a great artist to enjoy on the beach or in the background when sipping cocktails with friends. For an artist who isn’t going for big publicity or showy shows, he’s done well – his 9 songs that have topped the Adult Alternative chart trails only 3 other artists, and you have heard of those other artists – U2, Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band. Watch his video for his biggest hit, Upside Down, from Curious George. Ahh…the life in Hawaii!
My favorite Jack Johnson CD is the Best of the Kokua Festival. He covers a lot of good songs and is accompanied by some pretty good guests.