Jack Johnson Biography

Summary

"Jack Hody Johnson" (born May 18, 1975) is a Hawaii-born musician, filmmaker,surfer, and player who has achieved commercial success and a dedicated following from the release of his debut album, "Brushfire Fairytales" in 2001 all the way up to his latest album; "Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George" which was released in 2006. His music genre is best described as acoustic/soft rock/adult alternative and he is well noted for his singing.

Introduction to music

Jack Johnson learned how to surf and skate from his father's best friend Alex Conell. Alex also taught Jack to play the guitar at age 14. Jack was a professional surfer until an accident at Pipeline in which his front teeth were knocked out and he received more than 150 stitches to his mouth. While he was recovering in bed, he spent his time writing songs and playing guitar. But Jack didn't seriously pursue a career in the arts until his college years, after a frat party, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While in school, he met his wife Kim, a Carlsbad, CA, native who double-majored in Math and Fine Art. They welcomed a son, Moe, in 2004. Jack Johnson also played rhythm guitar for the party band 'Soil,' and graduated with a degree in film. In his time off after graduating, he traveled.

Discography

Albums

"Brushfire Fairytales" (2001)

"On and On" (2003)

"In Between Dreams" (2005)

"Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George" (2006)

"Sleeping Through the Static" (Early 2008)

Soundtracks and EPs

2000 "Thicker than Water"

2001 "Out Cold"

2002 "September Sessions"

2005 "Some Live Songs EP"

2005 "Sprout"

2006 "A Brokedown Melody"

Virtual albums & EPs

2004 "iTunes Originals - Jack Johnson"

2005 "Sessions@AOL - EP"

Unofficial bootlegs

"B.O.A.T."

"Lullabies (Jack Johnson)"

"J.O.A.T."

"J.I.T.B."

"T.R.I.P.1"

"T.R.I.P.2"

"J.O.T.C."

"Live On 94/7 FM - Portland"

Concert DVDs (also on iTunes)

2005" Jack Johnson: Live in Japan"

2005" Jack Johnson: A Weekend at the Greek"

Chart performance

Singles

'Sitting, Waiting, Wishing' re-issue

The single, 'Sitting, Waiting, Wishing' only became a chart hit in the United Kingdom, after the re-release climbed into the Top 10 following Jack Johnson's exposure on the 2006 BRIT Awards on ITV1. The single climbed to hit status a week before the release of 'Better Together'. Both the original release and indeed the re-issue had failed to chart until this point.

Johnson: 'A friend of mine(Torre Davis) was trying to get this girl, and I tried to write a song that would help him have a laugh at himself because he was spending so much time trying to get her and it obviously wasn't leading anywhere. That was one just to cheer up a friend.' (thanks, Jerry R - da 561, FL)

Surfing

Jack Johnson loves surfing. He was a professional surfer and even surfed with young and uprising surfer Torre Davis.

Compilations

1999 G. Love & Special Sauce's "Philadelphonic" - 'Rodeo Clowns'

2004 G. Love & Special Sauce's "The Hustle" - 'Give it to you'

2004 Donavon Frankenreiter's self titled album - 'Free'

2005 "Look at All the Love We Found" - 'Badfish'/'Boss D.J.'

2005 The Black Eyed Peas' "Monkey Business" - 'Gone Going'

2005 Animal Liberation Orchestra's "Fly Between Falls" - 'Girl I Wanna Lay You Down'

2006 G. Love & Special Sauce's "Lemonade" - 'Rainbow'

2006 Buena Vista Social Club's "Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba" - 'Better Together'

2007 "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" - John Lennon's 'Imagine'

Other projects

Jack Johnson also owns Brushfire Records which released the soundtracks for the aforementioned films. Other artists on that label include Matt Costa, Animal Liberation Orchestra, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Rogue Wave.

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.

In 2000, Johnson directed a surf film entitled Thicker than Water with his film school buddy Chris Malloy. The film features breaks from Indonesia, Tahiti, India, Ireland, France, OZ, and Hawaii, and Jack provides various rhythms for the soundtrack, with some appearances being performed by G. Love & Special Sauce.