Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and rock musician from Heidelberg, United States, born in 1948. He also works as a political activist. His music sits within folk, rock and singer-songwriter traditions, and he is associated with labels including Swallow Turn Music.

Early career

Browne emerges as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, first finding success by writing songs for other artists. He builds a career from that work before beginning his own recording career.

Albums and singles

His self-titled debut album, Jackson Browne, appears in 1972 and includes the Top 40 singles “Doctor, My Eyes” and “Rock Me on the Water”. For Everyman follows in 1973, and Late for the Sky appears in 1974 and becomes his most successful release to that point, reaching number 14 on the Billboard 200.

The Pretender is released in 1976 and reaches number 5 on the album chart. It includes “Here Come Those Tears Again” and “The Pretender”. Running on Empty, released in 1977, is widely regarded as his signature work. It reaches number 3, remains on the chart for more than a year, and functions as both a live album and a concept album about life as a touring musician. It produces the Top 40 singles “Running on Empty” and “The Load-Out”/“Stay”, while other tracks gain radio play on album-oriented rock stations.

He continues to release successful albums through the 1980s, including Hold Out (1980), his only number 1 album, and Lawyers in Love (1983), which includes “Tender Is the Night”. The non-album single “Somebody’s Baby” is used in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Later releases and recognition

Later studio albums include Lives in the Balance (1986), World in Motion (1989), I’m Alive (1993), Looking East (1996), The Naked Ride Home (2002), Time the Conqueror (2008), Standing in the Breach (2014) and Downhill from Everywhere (2021). Downhill from Everywhere includes the first fully realised version of “The Birds of St. Marks”, a song he writes when he is 18.

He also releases the compilation albums The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne and The Very Best of Jackson Browne, the latter appearing alongside his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. In 2015, Rolling Stone places him 37th on its list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

Collaborations and memberships

He is associated with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Gentlemen Boys, We Are Family Collective and Various Artists for Children’s Promise.

He sells more than 30 million albums in the United States.