Jack Johnson Biography

Jack Johnson wasn’t always a musician. The Hawaiian-born performer originally found his muse in the ocean waves. By the age of seventeen, Jack Johnson was a professional surfer, complete with corporate sponsorships and competitive awards. But while studying film at the University of California Santa Barbara, Jack Johnson began to experiment with his songwriting talents. In an interesting twist of fate, it was a surfing film shot and produced by Jack Jackson and his friends that would end up showcasing not only his skills with a camera, but also his skills as a songwriter and performer.

Jack’s first endeavor, Thicker than Water, resulted in critical recognition, and Johnson followed up with The September Sessions, earning him an Adobe Highlight Award at the ESPN Film Festival. But it wasn’t until G. Love & Special Sauce happened upon Jack Johnson’s work that the artist found his big breakthrough. Impressed by his musical talents, G. Love invited Jack Johnson to join them for “Radio Clowns,” which appears on Philadelphonic (1999.) In the meantime, Jack Johnson also prepared a demo reel which garnered the attention of J.P. Plunier, Ben Harper’s producer.

Jack Johnson’s debut full-length album, Brushfire Fairytales, was released in 2001 to critical acclaim. A headlining tour followed, and then came Jack Johnson’s second album, On and On, in 2003. In Between Dreams followed in 2005, and Jack Johnson earned a series of awards, including Brit Awards for International Breakthrough act and International Male Solo Artist. Jack Johnson’s Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George was released in 2006, and went on to become the first soundtrack album to reach number one since Bad Boys II (in 2003.) Since that time, Jack Johnson has released the additional albums Sleep Through the Static (2008), From Here to Now To You (2013), and most recently, All the Light Above It Too (2017.)

Jack Johnson is known not only for his talents in the areas of music and film, but also for his commitment to charitable endeavors, particularly those with interests in environmental and social consciousness. He has spearheaded the Kokua Festival three times in the last decade, providing support for a charitable organization which focuses on education in the communities of Hawaii. Johnson also produced Man of the World, the Animal Liberation Orchestra’s studio album, in 2010. He also performed during the Pillars of Peace Hawaii event, with the honor of introducing His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. He continues to write, perform, and contribute to causes which are near to his heart.