Jackson Browne

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{{Infobox musical artist |Background = salmon |Border = olive |Name = Jackson Browne |Img = jackson.browne.jpg |Img_capt = Jackson Browne |URL = jacksonbrowne.com |Formed = |First = Jackson Browne aka Saturate Before Using |FirstYear = 1972 |Disbanded = |Latest = Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 |LatestYear = 2005 |Genre = Rock |Label = Elektra |OGenres = |OLabels = Asylum, Inside Recordings |Similar = |Projects = |Albums = Running on Empty
The Pretender
Late For The Sky
Lives in the Balance
|Songs = |Reviews = }}

Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist, whose introspective lyrics made him the long-haired, Southern Californian poster child of the confessional singer-songwriter movement.

1 Biography
2 Discography
- 2.1 Albums
3 Singles
- 3.1 Compilations
4 External links

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Biography

Though he was born in Heidelberg (his father was an American serviceman stationed in occupied Germany), Browne moved to the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, California at an early age and began singing folk music locally. In 1966, his career began by joining the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

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

After moving to Greenwich Village, New York, Browne worked, for a brief period, 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 major hit that made the top ten of the U.S. pop singles chart. "Rock Me on the Water" from the same album also gained considerable FM radio airplay, while "Jamaica Say You Will" and "Song For Adam" helped established Browne's downbeat-yet-romantic character.

He didn't sustain pop success, though, and his next album, For Everyman (1973), while considered of high quality, was a commercial failure. "Take It Easy", co-written with the Eagles' Glenn Frey, had already been a big hit for that group, "These Days" captured the essense of Browne's youthful moroseness, and the title track was the first of Browne's studies of personal misery set within societal doom.

Late for the Sky (1974) consolidated Browne's following. Highlights include the searching title song, the elegiac "For a Dancer" and apocalyptic "Before the Deluge", the pure arrangements featuring David Lindley's evocative violin and guitar playing, and the Magritte-inspired cover. The title track was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver.

Browne's disaffected character struck out even more starkly in The Pretender in 1976, released soon after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. The album features livelier production by Jon Landau and a mixture of styles, ranging from the peppiness of "Linda Paloma" to the near-hopelessness of "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate". Title track "The Pretender" is Browne's magnum opus, presenting a vivid account of romanticism in a possibly losing battle with the realities of day-to-day life, and the main-set closing song in most of his concerts.

By now, Browne's work had gained an appreciation 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, it was truly made on the road, including tracks recorded on buses and in hotel rooms, with none of the songs having appeared on any of his prior albums. Running on Empty contains many renowned songs, such as the propulsive title track (Browne's biggest hit single), "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 — and the hit single "Somebody's Baby" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack and 1983's Lawyers in Love followed.

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-Samosa Nicaragua and the Christic Institute. He also sang a duet with Jann Arden, Unloved on her 1995 album Living Under June.

After four years of silence and a break-up with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, Browne returned with I'm Alive, a critically acclaimed album with a more personal perspective that had no hits but still sold respectably. 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 with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote for John Kerry in that year's Presidential campaign. Browne's appearances were joint performances with Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo', and later with Bruce Springsteen.

Browne's most recent album, Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 was released in 2005 on Inside Recordings. The album consists of live recordings of eleven previously released tracks and "The Birds of St. Marks", a song that does not appear on any of Browne's studio albums.

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