Jack Johnson
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Jack Johnson is a Hawaii-born singer/songwriter, filmaker and surfer who's songs were inspired after his surfing accident . He is an alternative artist who wrote songs like Flake and Upside Down for the Curious George soundtrack.
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About
Born on May 18, 1975 at North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, United States. He is a professional surfer and learned to skateboard when his father's bestfriend, Alex Conwell taught him. Conwell also taught Jack to play the guitar and flute, Johnson was 14 when he knew how to play the guitar, but didn't take it seriously until his college years. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a degree in film. There, he played rhythm guitar in a hippie rock group called Soil. He travelled after graduation and even co-directed and shot a purist surf film entitled, Thicker Than Water.
While surfing, Jack Johnson had an accident that left his wrist broken, his front teeth knocked out and leaving more than 150 stitches to his mouth and forehead. While recovering, he spent it writing songs and playing the guitar.
After his wounds have healed, Johnson befriended Garrett Dutton of G. Love & Special Sauce. He recorded Rodeo Clowns in their 1999 album, Philadelphonic. Johnson was taken also under the wing of Ben Harper after hearing his music. Johnson's music career was finally launched and it led to the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales in 2001, also included in the "Thicker Than Water' soundtrack.
After two years of touring, Johnson released his sophomore album entitled, On And On. The album received favorable reviews in late 2003. Many of the songs included in this album were previously unreleased tracks and bootlegs such as J.O.A.T. and B.O.A.T..
On March 1, 2005, Johnson released his third album, In Between Dreams. The album stayed in the hit charts for over a year, where it ranked #3 by March 21st 2006. He also released the album Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George in 2006. In May 2006, In Between Dreams surpassed one million sales in the UK. Johnson also appeared on the Sublime tribute album, Look At All The Love We Found, as well as on Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People, released in 2004. In 2005, Johnson guested on the Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business in the track Gone Going.
Jack Johnson's interest in surfing led to a number of productions and musical scoring for him like in September Session and Thicker Than Water. The soundtracks were released on the CD/DVD between Brushfire Fairytales and On And On. He also appeared in the surf film Shelter, created by his manager Emmett Malloy, and also in Sprout, where he was cast as the Sprout House Band.
In February 2006, he won a Brit Award for Best International Newcomer, beating The Pussycat Dolls, John Legend, The Arcade Fire and Daniel Powter.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Brit Awards |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Won: Best International Newcomer |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Flake | 73 | 22 | - | Brushfire Fairytales |
| Bubble Toes | - | 39 | - | Brushfire Fairytales | |
| 2003 | The Horizon Has Been Defeated | - | 31 | - | On And On |
| 2004 | Taylor | - | - | - | On And On |
| Wasting Time | - | - | - | On And On | |
| 2005 | Sitting, Waiting, Wishing | 66 | 25 | - | In Between Dreams |
| Good People | - | 29 | 50 | In Between Dreams | |
| Breakdown | - | 40 | 73 | In Between Dreams | |
| 2006 | Better Together | - | - | 24 | In Between Dreams |
| Upside Down | 38 | 25 | 30 | Sing-A-Longs And Lullabies For The Film Curious George / Soundtrack of the Curious George movie |
News
Tours & Concerts
Announcements
Discography
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Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- In the music video for Sitting, Waiting, Wishing, everything happens in reverse. Johnson is pelted with various objects and liquids are dumped over his head, but everything appears to fly away from him as the video plays backward from the way it was filmed. In order to achieve this, Johnson learned to mouth all of the lyrics to the song backwards.
- The music video for his song Taylor features a guest appearance from actor Ben Stiller.
- Jack Johnson has also helped create several movies over the years through the company Moonshine Conspiracy Films, of which his label, Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was an offshoot. This company has since been renamed WoodShed Films.
- In 2004, Johnson co-founded the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii. The Kokua Festival is the Kokua Hawaii Foundation's annual benefit event that brings together environmental organizations, eco-friendly businesses, musicians, artists, teachers, and community leaders to promote environmental awareness in Hawaii.
