Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson shifted from a career as a professional surfer into a leading rock performer who gained prominence throughout the 2000s via a relaxed acoustic singer/songwriter approach distinguished by a modest vocal style and an unhurried, surf-oriented presence. This blend generated notable commercial impact, since each of his opening five major-label releases reached platinum certification, with particular recognition accorded to 2005's In Between Dreams. Although output slowed, he sustained momentum through the 2010s via favorably received projects such as From Here to Now to You (2013) and All the Light Above It Too (2017). Even after securing a place within a mellow domain, Johnson embraced greater challenges: his 2022 album Meet the Moonlight involved work with Blake Mills, an indie producer/guitarist who retained the performer's understated quality while fostering artistic growth. That exploratory direction extended to the follow-up, a 2023 set of dub remixes credited to figures including Mad Professor and Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Before attaining stature as the leading exponent of beachside pop/rock in the new century, Jack Johnson had competed as a champion surfer on the pro tour. The activity came naturally to the native Hawaiian, who started riding waves in early childhood and reached elite status on the Banzai Pipeline by age 17. At the same time he explored additional creative avenues, notably film and music, until a severe injury sustained during his debut professional event prompted greater focus on those pursuits. While enrolled in film studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara, Johnson joined forces with Chris Malloy and Emmett Malloy to create the surfing documentary Thicker Than Water. Although the film highlighted his abilities behind the camera, it also revealed his songwriting gifts, as the accompanying soundtrack included several original compositions. Surfer magazine named Thicker Than Water Video of the Year for 2000, which in turn led to a second surf film, The September Sessions. During this period Johnson attracted parallel attention for his music when G. Love & Special Sauce recorded one of his songs on the band's 1999 album Philadelphonic. Not long afterward, his demo recordings drew the interest of French producer J.P. Plunier, who had earlier assisted Ben Harper's rise.

Under Plunier's guidance, Johnson completed and issued Brushfire Fairytales in 2001. The debut included a guest appearance by Ben Harper, initiating an enduring musical friendship. Its unhurried folk compositions reached listeners well beyond the surfing world, resulting in platinum status for Brushfire Fairytales. Following an extensive tour in the first half of 2002, he returned to the studio and delivered On and On the next year. Although musically close to its predecessor, On and On incorporated social commentary, yielding tracks that united observant, worldly lyrics with a bright surf atmosphere.

Johnson maintained a demanding schedule of live performances to support his expanding body of work, while regularly pausing to surf and be with family. When preparing his next studio effort he again partnered with Mario Caldato, Jr., the producer of On and On, and recorded at Mango Trees Studio in Hawaii. Released in 2005, In Between Dreams carried a mango tree image on its cover as a nod to the location and presented the familiar combination of tropical songcraft and reflective themes. The album reached number two on the American charts, Johnson's best position at that point, and surpassed two million copies sold domestically. Surprisingly, his subsequent release, the family-oriented Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George, became his first number one when it debuted atop the chart in February 2006 after moving 149,000 units in its opening week, marking Curious George as the first animated feature since Pocahontas to achieve that distinction with its soundtrack. The album, like the four before it, attained platinum certification.

Continued commercial achievement was interrupted in 2007 by the loss of Johnson's cousin Danny Riley to brain cancer. That event, together with the choice to record away from familiar Hawaiian surroundings, imparted a somber tone to the next album, 2008's Sleep Through the Static. Even so, most of the record preserved a warm, beach-inflected character, and it reached platinum within five weeks. Johnson performed across Europe that summer before larger audiences than ever, with the shows documented on the 2009 concert film and album En Concert. His fifth studio album, To the Sea, appeared in June 2010. Spanning nine years, the Jack Johnson & Friends: The Best of Kokua Festival compilation arrived in 2012 and documented performances from benefit concerts supporting the nonprofit environmental education group the Kokua Hawaii Foundation.

Johnson rejoined Caldato at his Mango Tree studio to produce the sixth studio album, From Here to Now to You. Issued in September 2013, the record was introduced by the single "I Got You." Two live projects followed promptly: the vinyl-only Live at Third Man Records 6-15-2013 in November 2013 and the 2014 EP From Here to Now to You, after which activity paused through 2015 and 2016. Early 2017 brought the single "Fragments," previewing the seventh studio album All the Light Above It Too, released that September. In 2020 he issued the singles "The Captain Is Drunk" and "Don't Let Me Down," the latter a collaboration with German folk duo Milky Chance. The following year Johnson and Ben Harper appeared on "If Ever," a single by Hawaiian artist Paula Fuga, who records for Johnson's Brushfire Records.

Johnson resumed solo work in 2022 with Meet the Moonlight, his eighth solo album, created in partnership with indie rock producer Blake Mills, who guided the singer/songwriter toward fresh musical territory. The two recorded the majority of the project together, alternating between The Mango Tree and Los Angeles studios while employing Johnson's core band for added sonic layers. The next undertaking further extended those boundaries. A longtime admirer of reggae and dub, Johnson enlisted a range of prominent producers to craft experimental dub interpretations of his material. Issued in June 2023, In Between Dub included contributions from Mad Professor, Nightmares on Wax, and pioneering dub icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.