Jackson Browne Biography

Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist, whose introspective lyrics made him one of the most influential musicians of the confessional Southern Californian singer-songwriter movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Browne was born in Heidelberg Germany, where his father, an American serviceman, was stationed. Jackson's mother, Beatrice Amanda Dahl, was a Minnesota native of Norwegian ancestry. [1]

Browne moved to the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, California at an early age and began singing folk music locally. In 1966, he joined Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

A precociously gifted songwriter, Browne signed a publishing contract with Nina Music, and his songs were performed by Joan Baez, Tom Rush, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds and Steve Noonan, among others.

After moving to Greenwich Village, New York, Browne worked briefly in Tim Buckley's back-up band and on Nico's Chelsea Girl. After leaving New York City, Browne formed a folk band with Ned Doheney and Jack Wilce.

In 1971, Browne signed with Asylum Records and released Jackson Browne (1972), which included the piano-driven "Doctor My Eyes", a Top 10 hit in the US singles chart. "Rock Me On The Water", from the same album, also gained considerable radio airplay, while "Jamaica Say You Will" and "Song For Adam" helped establish Browne's reputation as a versatile and original writer with a deep thinking, sometimes downbeat, but always romantic flair.

His next album, For Everyman (1973) - while considered of high quality - was a commercial failure. The upbeat "Take It Easy," co-written with The Eagles' Glenn Frey, had already been a big hit for that group, while "These Days" captured the essence of Browne's youthful, morose angst, and the title track was the first of Browne's studies of personal exploration, soul-searching, and despair set against the backdrop of a decaying society.

Late for the Sky (1974) consolidated Browne's following, with some fans drawn in purely by the record's intriguing, Magritte-inspired cover. Highlights included the searching, heartbreaking title song, the elegiac "For a Dancer" and apocalyptic "Before the Deluge". The arrangements featured the evocative violin and guitar of David Lindley, Jai Winding's outstanding piano, and the stellar harmonies of Doug Haywood. The title track was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver.

Browne's disaffected, wondering character struck out even more starkly in his next album, The Pretender, which is arguably his darkest. It was released in 1976, after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. The album features stronger production by Jon Landau and a mixture of styles, ranging from the Mariachi-inspired peppiness of "Linda Paloma" to the country-driven "Your Bright Baby Blues" to the near-hopeless sadness and surrender of "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate". Title track "The Pretender" is Browne's magnum opus, a vivid account of romanticism losing the battle with the realities of day-to-day life.

By now, Browne's work had gained a reputation for its compelling melodies, clear, honest, and insightful lyrics, and a flair for composition rarely seen in the world of rock and roll. He was often referred to as "a thinking man's rock star." Also during this time, Browne produced and played on his good friend Warren Zevon's first two Asylum albums.

Browne began recording his next LP while on tour, and Running on Empty (1977) became his biggest commercial success. Breaking the usual conventions for a live album, Browne used all new material and combined live concert performances with recordings made on buses, in hotel rooms, and back stage. Running on Empty contains many renowned songs, such as the propulsive title track, "The Road", "Rosie", and "The Load-Out/Stay" (Browne's affectionate and knowing send-off to his concert audiences).

In 1979, Browne was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy.

His next album Hold Out (1980) was commercially successful — his only number 1 record on the U.S. pop albums chart. The following year he released the single "Somebody's Baby" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack, which became his biggest hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 1983 Lawyers in Love followed, signaling a discernable change from the personal to the political in his lyrics.

Political protest came out full force in Lives in the Balance (1986), an overt condemnation of Reaganism and American policy in Central America. Flavored with new instrumental textures, it was a huge success with Browne fans, though not with mainstream audiences. World in Motion (1989) was even more politically-oriented and polarizing. Browne frequently played benefit concerts for causes he believed in, including Amnesty International (making several appearances on the 1986 A Conspiracy of Hope Tour), Farm Aid, post-Somoza Nicaragua and the Christic Institute. He also sang a duet with Jann Arden, Unloved on her 1995 album Living Under June.

During this period, Browne's romantic relationship with the actress Daryl Hannah ended amidst accusations, later retracted, that he had physically assaulted her. Such claims surfaced in the made-for-television movie America's Prince: JFK, Jr. The latter was edited in the wake of legal proceedings by Browne, who denied the allegations, and said that an investigation by the Santa Monica Police Department confirmed his denial.

Four years after his last record, Browne returned with I'm Alive, a critically acclaimed album with a more personal perspective that had no hits but still sold respectably - indeed, the ninth track from the album, Sky Blue and Black, was used during the pilot episode of the televisual phenomenon that was Friends. Looking East (1996) was released soon after, but was not as successful commercially. The Naked Ride Home was released in 2002.

Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. In his induction speech, Bruce Springsteen noted that while the Eagles got to the Hall first, "You [Browne] wrote the songs they wished they had written". The previous year, three of Browne's albums — For Everyman, Late for the Sky, and The Pretender — had been selected by Rolling Stone magazine as among its choices for the 500 best albums of all time.

Browne participated in the Vote for Change tour in October 2004, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. These concerts were organized by MoveOn.org to mobilize people to vote for John Kerry in the Presidential campaign. Browne appeared with Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo', and once with Bruce Springsteen. In late 2006, Browne performed with Michael Stanley and J.D. Souther at a fundraiser for Democratic candidates in Ohio.