Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He was honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2007.

Jackson's career began in the mid-60s in Los Angeles and Orange County folk clubs. Except for a brief period in NYC in the late 1960s, he has always lived in Southern California. His debut album came out on David Geffen's Asylum Records in 1972. Since then, He has released thirteen studio albums and three collections of live performances; his most recent, Love Is Strange features David Lindley.

Beyond his music, Browne is known for his advocacy on behalf of the environment, human rights, and arts education. He's a co-founder of the groups Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), Nukefree.org, and the Success Through the Arts Foundation, which provides education opportunities for students in South Los Angeles.

In 2002, he was the fourth recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, given to artists whose works exemplify the environmental and social values that were essential to the great California-born author. He has received Duke University’s LEAF award for Lifetime Environmental Achievement in the Fine Arts, and both the Chapin-World Hunger Year and NARM Harry Chapin Humanitarian Awards. In 2004, Jackson was given an honorary Doctorate of Music by Occidental College in Los Angeles, for "a remarkable musical career that has successfully combined an intensely personal artistry with a broader vision of social justice."

In January 2011, Browne won the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Best Live Performance Album category for Love is Strange, performed by himself and David Lindley.

Did You Know? In early 1966 Jackson Browne joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for a brief time, performing at The Golden Bear where they opened for The Lovin' Spoonful. The band later recorded a number of Jackson's songs including "These Days," "Melissa," "Holding," and "Shadow Dream Song". Among his early songs, "These Days" and "Shadow Dream Song" were the strongest showcases that Jackson was musically gifted far beyond his years. "Shadow Dream Song" was recorded by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tom Rush, Nico, Steve Noonan, and Gregg Allman. Ironically, Jackson never released a version of it himself.