Jackson Browne Biography

Jackson Browne built a steady fan base and notable recognition with his first four albums. With his defining album, The Pretender, in 1976, Jackson Browne’s sound became iconic for the music emerging from California in the 1970’s.

Jackson Brown, released in 1972, launched “Doctor My Eyes” as Brown’s first Top Ten hit. That same year, the single “Take it Easy,” co-written with Glenn Frey, became the Eagle’s breakthrough hit.

A series of successful albums for Jackson Browne followed throughout the 1970’s, including For Everyman in 1973, Late for the Sky in 1974, and Running on Empty, which launched the title hit single and also “Stay/The Load-Out.”  But it was 1980’s Hold Out which would become Jackson Browne’s only number one album upon its release.

“Somebody’s Baby” appeared in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and the single eventually became Jackson Browne’s biggest hit.

Jackson Browne’s next album, Lawyers in Love, gave audiences “Tender is the Night,” “For a Rocker,” and “Lawyer’s in Love,” and 1986’s Lives in the Balance went gold after spending six months on the charts.

After a hiatus, Jackson Browne returned in the mid 1990’s with I’m Alive, and after it went gold, he released Looking East. 2002 brought The Naked Ride Home, and in 2004, Jackson Browne released The Very Best of Jackson Browne.

Jackson Browne performed in May of 2008 at the Artist for the Arts Foundation benefit in Santa Monica, California. Alongside Heart, Venice, and seventy members of the Santa Monica High School Orchestra and Girls Choir, Browne helped raise funds to finance music education in public schools. A few years later, in 2011, he contributed a cover of “True Love Ways” for the tribute album, Listen To Me: Buddy Holly.

In addition to his impressive music career, Jackson Browne is also a voice committed to environmental activism and regularly performs at benefits for a variety of different charities. Browne was recognized with the John Steinbeck Award in 2002; the award honors artists who are committed to the same social and environmental values the American author believed in.

On March 14, 2004, Jackson Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and on June 7, 2007 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.