Jack Johnson
Surfing has always been a youthful sport with an almost immediate connection to some type of music. In its early days, the danceable beats of the Beach Boys set the mood for many couples on the beaches during the sixties, as did bands like The Surfaris and Dick Dale and his Del-Tones with songs like "Wipe Out" and "Pipeline". In the eighties and nineties, hardcore and punk rock had their moment with the heavy and fast sound of bands like NOFX and Pennywise. And in the 2000s, Jack Johnson provides the soundtrack for wave lovers heading to the coast.
A true Hawaiian, born in the coastal city of Oahu in 1975, Jack Johnson, as one might expect, showed an early aptitude for surfing. As a teenager, he even competed in some championships, but a serious accident in one of them forced Jack to put away his boards and pursue his talent on other beaches. During his recovery, he developed an interest in film and music.
As he grew older, Jack went on to study film at the University of California. During this time, he was already composing songs on the guitar in the rustic and natural style that would come to characterize all his work. His first film, the 1999 documentary Thicker Than Water, couldn't have had any other theme: surfing. The soundtrack, as one might expect, was composed and performed by Jack himself. His next work, The September Sessions, from 2000, followed the same line, again featuring his own music.
Although well-received by critics, his film work wouldn't be the path to international recognition for Jack Johnson. He put his promising film career on hold when friends from a band invited him to make a guest appearance on the album they were recording at the time. The group, G. Love & Special Sauce, played a mix of rap and acoustic rock, and their 1999 album, Philadelphonic, featured a song by Jack called Rodeo Clowns.
Jack's work caught the attention of producer J.P. Plunier, who was working with singer Ben Harper at the time, and who ended up producing Jack's first album, Brushfire Fairytales, in 2001. The album was exactly what he was already doing: rhythmic and pleasant pop melodies on guitar with a touch of folk, wrapped in the unmistakable traditional beat of Hawaiian music. Ben Harper himself would even contribute to the track "Flake" and help the up-and-coming Jack by inviting him to open his shows. The popularity achieved with the performances would be confirmed in his second album, On and On, from 2003, which, including the hit "Times Like These," reached third place on the Billboard charts. From that album onwards, all his work would be released by his own label, The Moonshine Conspiracy, which would later be renamed Brushfire Records.
Jack Jack's third album, In Between Dreams, released two years later, went on to sell over two million copies and earned him two Brit Awards – Best International Male Solo Artist and International Breakthrough Act. Among the songs on the CD is the hit "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing". In 2006, Jack was also responsible for the soundtrack of the animated film Curious George, on the album Sing-A-Longs And Lullabies For The Film Curious George, which reached number one on the Billboard charts. That same year he made his first visit to Brazil, performing shows in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In 2008 he released his next album, Sleep Through the Static, which again topped the American charts.
Other works by the singer include the soundtrack for the film I'm Not There, about the life of Bob Dylan, where Jack plays versions of "Mama You've Been On My Mind" and "Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie"; and a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" for the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Dafur, both released in 2007.
In June 2010, the album "To The Sea" was officially released and reached number one on the charts in the United States and several other countries. The first single from the album To the Sea is the song "You and Your Heart".
Jack Johnson toured Brazil in 2011. The shows took place between May and June, with eight performances. The cities he visited were São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Recife, and Florianópolis. The event featured some of the singer's greatest hits, such as the song "To The Sea," which received the highest applause from the audience.
His music is influenced by artists such as Nick Drake, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Jimi Hendrix, Tribe Called Quest, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Radiohead, G. Love and Special Sauce, Otis Redding, Neil Young, Bob Marley, Tom Curren, Kurosawa, Sublime, and others.
Possessing a unique style with his simplistic yet captivating melodies, Jack Johnson has proven himself to be a competent and multi-talented artist. Whether on a surfboard, behind the camera, or wielding his guitar, he is living proof that it's possible to succeed doing what you love. Perhaps that's why the aura of freedom and unpretentiousness, which sounds so sincere in his music, is appreciated by so many people.
JACK JOHNSON - FUTPEDIAMUSIC SELECTION
Jack Johnson
Futpediamusic Selection
14 Songs To Download
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