Johnson is active in environmentalism and sustainability, often with a focus on the world's oceans. Johnson and his wife Kim created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation and the Kōkua Hawaii Foundation.[5] In 2008, Johnson adopted the concept of greening (reduce and reuse), and donated 100% of the proceeds of the Sleep Through the Static tour to the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation. Similarly, the proceeds from 2010 To the Sea album tour went to All at Once, a Johnson-backed collaboration of greening charities promoting fan involvement.[6][7][8]
Early life
The son of surfer Jeff Johnson,[9] Jack was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.[10] He began to learn how to surf at the age of 5. At 17, he became the youngest invitee to make the finals of the Pipeline Masters, one of surfing's most prestigious events, on Oahu's North Shore. One week later, however, his stint as a professional surfer ended when he suffered a surfing accident at the Pipeline that put more than 100 stitches in his forehead and removed a few of his teeth; this later became the inspiration for the song "Drink the Water".[11][12] He appeared as a surfer in The Endless Summer II in 1994.[13]
Jack Johnson graduated from Kahuku High School on the island of Oahu. He later attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, and graduated in 1997[14] with a B.A. in film studies.[15] While Johnson learned the guitar at the age of 8 and started songwriting at the age of 12, his passion for music grew when he played rhythm guitar for the band Soil (not to be confused with the heavy metalband of the same name) in college.[11] In 1994, Zach Gill's band, Django Reinhardt, released a CD that quickly made Django a favorite band of the Isla Vista party scene at UCSB. Django was the rival of Jack Johnson's band Soil, but Gill and Johnson developed a strong friendship, eventually becoming bandmates in later years.[11][16][17] While with Soil at UCSB, Johnson opened for acts such as Sublime and Dave Matthews who were then relatively unknown bands.[11]
Jack Johnson's big break was writing and contributing vocals for the song "Rodeo Clowns" which was featured on G. Love's 1999 album Philadelphonic. Johnson was introduced to G. Love by a mutual friend of Johnson who was shooting surf films with him at the time. After hearing "Rodeo Clowns", G. Love saw Johnson's potential and effortless style and invited him to record with him. That led to the now-famous "Rodeo Clowns" recording, launching Johnson's career.[20]
In addition to his later success as a musician, Johnson is also an accomplished filmmaker. Johnson directed the surf films Thicker Than Water (2000) and The September Sessions (2002), in which he also starred. Both movie soundtracks were also products of Johnson. Johnson also starred in the 2004 surf film A Brokedown Melody.
Suela released a four-track demo that caught the attention of Ben Harper's producer, J. P. Plunier, who worked with Johnson to produce his debut album Brushfire Fairytales during December 2000 with Harper and his Weissenborn lap steel guitar making a guest appearance.[11][21]Brushfire Fairytales was released on February 1, 2001, and led to Johnson becoming the opening act in late February 2001 for the last twenty-three cities of Ben Harpers' "Innocent Criminals" tour of the United States.[11]
Johnson went back into the studio with Adam Topol (drums, percussion) and Merlo Podlewski (bass), who played on Brushfire Fairytales, and Mario Caldato Jr on production duties, to record his second full-length album On and On. It was the first album to be recorded at Johnson's Mango Tree Studio in Johnson's home town of North Shore, Oahu, and the first to be released through The Moonshine Conspiracy Records. On and On was released on May 6, 2003.
The Moonshine Conspiracy Records was later changed to Brushfire Records; Johnson turned the offices and studios of his Los-Angeles based record company into a model of eco-friendliness, with solar power, recyclable CD packaging, and power-saving air conditioners.[22]
2004–2009: In Between Dreams, Curious George, and Sleep Through the Static
Johnson performing at the Austin City Limits Festival 2004.
In October 2004, Johnson returned to the Mango Tree Studio with Topol and Podlewski along with Zach Gill (of Animal Liberation Orchestra) playing accordion, melodica and piano, to record his follow-up to 2003's On and On. In Between Dreams was released on March 1, 2005.
Johnson enlisted J.P. Plunier to produce his fourth full-length studio album, Sleep Through the Static. It was recorded using 100% solar energy at the Solar-Powered Plastic Plant studio in Los Angeles. The album featured Gill (keys), Podlewski (bass) and Topol (drums, percussion). Sleep Through the Static was released on February 1, 2008, and was followed by a world tour.
A live album and DVD of Johnson's 2008 world tour, entitled En Concert, was released on October 27, 2009.[25] The DVD was directed by Emmett Malloy.
Johnson was the headliner for the Friday night of the 2008 Cochella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[26]
Johnson spearheaded the Kōkua Festivals (2004–2008 and 2010). Often occurring around Earth Day, these six years of festivals provided support for the Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation, which is a charitable organization that supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii. Kōkua Festival 2004/2005 was a DVD released by Jack Johnson Music that showcased the early Kōkua Festivals. He also participated, with Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder and others, in the documentary Kōkua 2008: 5 Years of Change (2009),[27] produced by Brushfire and Three Foot Giant Productions and shown on Sundance Channel.[28] On April 17, 2012, preceding his 2012 Hawaiian Islands tour, he released the live Kōkua Festival compilation Best of Kōkua Festival.[29][30][31]
Johnson produced Animal Liberation Orchestra's fifth studio album, Man of the World, which was released on February 9, 2010. The album also features vocals from Johnson.
2010–2011: To the Sea
On February 1, 2010, Johnson's official website announced that his fifth studio album, To the Sea, was in the recording process at the Mango Tree Studio, with a planned worldwide release during the first week of June 2010.[32][33] The website also announced an accompanying European, Australian and New Zealand tour to coincide with the album's release on midnight May 31.[32]
The first single from To the Sea was "You and Your Heart", released on April 6, 2010.[34]
While speaking with New Zealand radio station ZM, Johnson said he is constantly aiming to build relationships with local pro-environment, non-profit groups. "We try to raise money for a lot of these groups who are doing positive things in the community. We try to focus mostly on environmental education, just trying to get kids out into nature, supporting local farms and things like that."[35]
Johnson embarked on a world tour in 2010 with Paula Fuga, a Hawaiian vocalist and ukulele player, performing at a range of venues across the world including Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the U.S., and Japan.
On November 1, 2011, Johnson released a stand-alone single called "In The Morning" featuring Paula Fuga and John Cruz.
2012: Hawaiian Islands tour
Johnson performing as a headliner at Bonnaroo on June 15, 2013
On February 22, 2012, Jack with John Cruz and Paula Fuga announced a 7-show acoustic tour of the Hawaiian Islands during April.[36][37][38]
2019–present: This Warm December, Global Citizen and Meet the Moonlight
In late 2019, Johnson released a single "New Axe", which was featured on the This Warm December Vol. 3 album.[56] He then did a "Together at Home" Instagram Live stream concert on March 28, 2020. His concert was the third most watched on the Global Citizen YouTube.[57] He then also performed at the "One World: Together at Home" special, and a live version of "Better Together" was featured on the One World: Together at Home album.[58] On May 1, 2020, he was featured on Milky Chance's new single "Don't Let Me Down".[59] On September 26, 2020, Johnson performed the opening set at Farm Aid: On the Road.
On December 4, 2020, Johnson released a new single titled "The Captain Is Drunk".[60] On April 16, 2021, Johnson released a song titled "If Ever" with Paula Fuga and Ben Harper.[61] The song appeared on Fuga's new album Rain on Sunday, which will be featured on Johnson's record label.
On June 24, 2022, Johnson released his eighth studio album, Meet the Moonlight, his first full-length record in five years. It was produced by Blake Mills, engineered by Joseph Lorge, and recorded both in Los Angeles (at Sound City Studios and EastWest Studios) and at The Mango Tree (Johnson's home studio) in Hawaii. The album's lead single is titled "One Step Ahead".[62]
To coincide with his new album release, Johnson embarked on the Meet the Moonlight Tour with 35 stops at major venues across the United States (including Hawaii) and Canada. He was accompanied by various artists including Grammy Award winner (and personal friend) Ziggy Marley.[63] In November, Johnson will tour the album in Australia and New Zealand, his first overseas concerts since 2019.[64]
Personal life
Johnson married his college girlfriend, Kim Baker on July 22, 2000,[17][65][66] and they have two sons and a daughter. Johnson lives on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In an interview with Johnson, Ann Donahue from Billboard described Johnson's family life by saying "There is often trouble in balancing the life of an artist, environmentalist, and family man, but Johnson seems to have the niche for such a challenge. This time around, he's found a pace that agrees with him...bringing his family along so he can spend mornings with them sightseeing."[67] Both Johnson and his wife declined to talk about or release any intimate information concerning their children.[68]
Charity
In 2008, Johnson and his wife Kim created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, a non-profit public charity supporting environmental, art, and music education worldwide. Jack and Kim Johnson also founded the Kokua Hawaii Foundation in 2003. Johnson and his family work hard every year at festivals and concerts alike, to raise money for causes they feel are most important. Johnson recorded a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" for the 2007 benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur, which was also included on the 2009 benefit album Rhythms del Mundo Classics. In talking about Johnson and his career choices, Rolling Stone wrote: "It is a typically generous move from Johnson, who has used his multi-platinum success to support causes he cares about." Although the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation is a non-profit organization that "focuses on environmental, arts and music education", it has raised more than $750,000 from 2009 to 2010 to give away.[69] Johnson was in Osaka, Japan on his To the Sea 2010 World Tour at the time of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan. He was in a hotel with his family when it struck. After having to postpone the rest of his tour, he donated $50,000 to GlobalGiving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.
Johnson's Ohana Charitable Foundation has also supported Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. He also decorated a guitar for Little Kids Rock to auction to raise funds for its program.[70]
On September 22, 2012, he donated his time to play a few songs at Farm Aid 2012 in Hershey, PA. Later in 2012, Jack donated $50,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief and added links on his website for others to donate:
After years of touring and surfing along the East Coast, I have made so many great friends. It is heartbreaking to see the images and hear their stories. I just made donations to help recover and relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy. Below is a list of groups you can support. If you can't donate money, you can donate food, supplies or your time. Our East Coast family, friends and neighbors need our help. Aloha –Jack[71]
In Between Dreams is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, released by Brushfire Records in the United States on March 1, 2005. The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. However, the album achieved considerable commercial success.
Matthew Albert Costa is an American singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California, United States. He has 13 independent releases: 7 self-recorded EPs, 6 complete LPs, 4 of which are released via Brushfire Records. His first album in five years, Santa Rosa Fangs, was released on May 18, 2018, on Dangerbird Records.
Brushfire Records is a record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. Formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, the label was founded to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a company owned by Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and Chris Malloy to produce the surfing documentary Thicker than Water.
Animal Liberation Orchestra is a California rock band currently signed to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released four full-length albums for Brushfire, as well as a number of prior independent releases including a film soundtrack. ALO consists of Zach Gill (Keys/Vocals), Steve Adams (Bass/Vocals), Dan "Lebo" Lebowitz (Guitar/Vocals) and Ezra Lipp (Drums/Vocals).
"Good People" is a protest song written and performed by Jack Johnson. It is the fourth track on the album In Between Dreams and was released as a single on May 9, 2005. Though the song has a positive and relaxing sound, it is a critic of contemporary television, especially with regard to frequent violence, and its effect on society. The song is similar to the song "Cookie Jar" from Johnson's previous album On and On, which also draws attention to the issue, but with a more explicit protest and melancholic sound.
En Concert is a live album by American singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, released in late 2009. All songs on the album were recorded live during the "Sleep Through the Static World Tour" in 2008 where 100% of the tour profits and profits from this release will be going to fund the Kokua Hawaii Foundation and the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation to support environmental art, and music education around the world. It was released as an iTunes LP on the iTunes Store in late 2009.
Hawaii-born musician Jack Johnson has released eight studio albums, one soundtrack album, one remix album, two live albums, two extended plays (EPs), twenty-one singles and four video albums.
To the Sea is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, released on May 26, 2010, in Japan, May 31, 2010 in the United Kingdom and June 1, 2010, in the United States, through Universal Republic Records and Brushfire Music Group. The album debuted at number 1 in the United States, selling 243,000 copies in its first week.
Afie Jurvanen, known by his stage name Bahamas, is a Canadian musician.
Garrett Dutton, better known as G. Love, is an American singer, rapper and musician best known as the frontman for the band G. Love & Special Sauce.
Benjamin John Howard is an English singer songwriter, musician and composer. His self-released debut EP Games in the Dark (2008) was followed by two more EPs, These Waters (2009) and Old Pine (2010). Signed to Island Records, his debut studio album came in 2011 titled Every Kingdom. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Howard later released two more EPs, Ben Howard Live (2011) and The Burgh Island E.P. (2012).
Jack Johnson and Friends – Best of Kokua Festival is a live album by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson released in Germany on April 13, 2012, and worldwide on April 17, 2012. All songs on the album were recorded live during the six years of Kōkua Festivals. 100% of the profits from this release will be going to fund the Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation which supports environmental, art, and music education around the world. The download of the album includes the bonus track "The 3 R's".
A Brokedown Melody is a 2004 documentary surf film from Woodshed Films directed by singer/songwriter Jack Johnson and his film school friend Chris Malloy. Presented as a special screening to benefit the Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation at the Hawaii Theatre in Honolulu on August 11, 2004, the film had premieres during the fall of 2004 at the Malibu International Film Festival (MIFF) on September 16, 2004, at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts during the 2nd annual Moonshine Festival on October 9, 2004, at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara in October, 2004, and at the Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) in Honolulu in October, 2004. It is the fourth of The Moonshine Conspiracy films.
All the Light Above It Too is the seventh studio album by American musician Jack Johnson. The album was released on September 8, 2017. The album's lead single, titled "My Mind Is for Sale", was released on July 14, 2017. It is the first release by Johnson since the 2013 album From Here to Now to You.
"Big Sur" is the fourth single by American musician Jack Johnson, and is featured on his 2017 studio album All the Light Above It Too. It was released as a single on September 18, 2017.
From Here to Now to You Live is an EP by American musician Jack Johnson. The EP was released on April 22, 2014 in celebration of Earth Day.
"Willie Got Me Stoned" is a song by American musician Jack Johnson from the deluxe edition of the 2017 album All the Light Above It Too. The song was released on April 20, 2018, and was the fifth single from the album.
Paula Hiltrudis Fuga is a Hawaiian singer-songwriter who was born in Waimānalo, Hawaii. She has worked and performed with many artists on projects such as Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, and Damian Marley.
"If Ever" is a song by Hawaiian singer-songwriters Paula Fuga and Jack Johnson featuring Ben Harper. The song was released on April 16, 2021, and is the lead single from Fuga's studio album Rain on Sunday, to be released via Brushfire Records. Fuga and Johnson also performed the song for Earth Day Live 2021. The song was released to Triple-A radio on April 19 in the United States.
Meet the Moonlight is the eighth studio album by American musician Jack Johnson. The album was released on June 24, 2022, and marks Johnson's first release in five years. Johnson worked with producer Blake Mills on the album, and released the lead single "One Step Ahead" on April 8, 2022.
↑ "All at Once". AllAtOnce.org. 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
↑ KETTMANN, MATT (February 5, 2008). "Talking with Jack Johnson". Santa Barbara Independent. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2015. Yea, all the buses are on biodiesel. We're doing this new community – I don't know what you'd call it. It's connected to our website and called "All At Once," which is a song on the album. At every show on this tour, we'll have a collection of booths called The Village Green. The idea is really from Zach Gill's wife and my wife, they're really working on it. They're reaching out to nonprofits in every town, and we're having them at our shows
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