Jackson Browne

• Born: October 9, 1948
• Place of Birth: Heidelberg, West Germany

AMERICAN ROCK SINGER, SONGWRITER, GUITARIST, PIANIST, AND KEYBOARD PLAYER

A literate, poetic songwriter, Browne has exhibited versatility in writing love ballads, protest songs, cynical self-explorations, and tunes that incorporate a multitude of world-beat styles. An evocative vocalist and a superb musician on guitar and piano, Browne has turned out a string of hits that illustrate his ability to blend significant lyrics with memorable music.

The Life

The son of an American father stationed in Germany and his American wife, Clyde Jackson Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany. The family returned to the United States in 1951, settling in Los Angeles, where Browne learned to play keyboards and guitar. After graduating from high school, Jackson joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Under contract, he also wrote and published songs for Nina Music. Following a short stint with Tim Buckley’s band in Greenwich Village, New York, in 1972 Browne released the first of more than a dozen well-received albums.

Initially known primarily for poignant lyrics and sensitive songs of personal angst, Browne later became a social activist. He cofounded the antinuclear organization Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) in 1979 and later helped establish Nukefree.org. He has performed at benefits supporting Farm Aid, Amnesty International, the Children’s Defense Fund, and other causes, especially Democratic political candidates. He also later became a noted environmental activist, campaigning against the use of disposable plastic drinking bottles and for other causes, and cofounding the Ocean Elders organization.

In 1975, Browne married actress and model Phyllis Major, two years after the birth of their son, Ethan Zane. Phyllis committed suicide in 1976 at the age of thirty. Browne married again in 1981, to Australian model Lynne Sweeney, and their son Ryan Daniel was born in 1982. The couple divorced in 1983, following Browne’s highly publicized affair with actress Daryl Hannah. Browne began a relationship with artist Dianna Cohen in the mid-1990s.

The Music

Browne’s musical career can generally be divided into three phases. From the beginning to the middle of the 1970s, he was an introspective, truth-seeking confessional artist. His tuneful, folk-rock songs, delivered in a plaintive tenor, focused on romance and the meaning of life, incorporating heartfelt, literary lyrics. From the middle to the late 1970s, Browne produced more uptempo, mainstream material that brought him a broader audience. During the late 1970s to the early 1990s, he was actively committed to a variety of political and social causes. From the 1990s—a decade in which he released only two new albums, plus several compilations—Browne’s output began to blend elements from all three phases and new themes, including celebrations of world diversity and homage to Southern California. Regardless of the period, several characteristics are common to Browne’s work: clear vocals, accessible melodies, strong production values, and virtuosity on guitar and keyboard.

Jackson Browne. Also known as Saturate Before Using, this album established Browne as a thoughtful, versatile force to be reckoned with. Ably assisted by singer David Crosby, bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Russ Kunkel, and others, the singer-songwriter produced the bouncy "Doctor My Eyes," a Top 10 single, and hard-driving tunes such as "Rock Me on the Water" and "Jamaica Say You Will" that received considerable airplay.

Late for the Sky. This solidified Browne’s reputation as a powerful music maker, capable of bending allegory to his will. Here, he focused on the search for love in a troubled world through such classics as the title tune and in the apocalyptic "Before the Deluge." Late for the Sky charted in the Top 20 among pop albums.

The Pretender. Browne’s first album after the suicide of his wife, unsurprisingly, deals with the subject of death. One track, "Here Come Those Tears Again," was co-written with Nancy Farnsworth, his late wife’s mother. Though dark in tone—especially in "Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate"—the album features a broad mix of styles, from flamenco ("Linda Paloma") to country ("Your Bright Baby Blues"). The cynical title tune helped propel The Pretender to number five on the pop album charts.

Running on Empty. A concept album recorded live, Running on Empty gives behind-the-scenes glimpses of touring and performing. Ten cuts deal with everything from setting up and tearing down gear ("The Load-Out") to the boredom of long bus rides ("Running on Empty") to the drug use endemic to rock and roll ("Cocaine"). The album produced two Top 20 hits and rose to number three on pop album charts.

Lives in the Balance. An overtly political album, Lives in the Balance took direct aim at U.S. foreign policy under President Ronald Reagan. Particular targets were American-sponsored conflicts in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua in such songs as "Soldier of Plenty," "For America," and the title track. Though tempered by such diversions as the reggae-flavored "Till I Go Down" and a love ballad, "In the Shape of a Heart," this angry album sets up Browne’s even more outspoken polemical follow-up, World in Motion.

Musical Legacy

With unflinching honesty, Browne has examined the complexities of relationships, agonized over self-discovery, and searched for truth and justice, not just in himself but also in the world at large. Originally known as a balladeer, Browne over the course of his career expanded his repertoire to encompass diverse traditions across the musical spectrum. He has produced a body of work that ranges from soft folk to bitter protest songs, including more than twenty hit singles that continue to receive frequent radio airplay. Browne received many honors for both artistic and social work throughout his decades of activity. For his compositional skills, Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2007. For his environmental and social contributions, he received the John Steinbeck Award in 2002.

Browne performed alongside the Eagles in 2016 at the 58th annual Grammy Awards. He then released his fifteenth studio album, Downhill from Everywhere, in July 2021. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2022.

Principal Recordings

ALBUMS: Jackson Browne, 1972; For Everyman, 1973; Late for the Sky, 1974; The Pretender, 1976; Running on Empty, 1977; Hold Out, 1980; Lawyers in Love, 1983; Lives in the Balance, 1986; World in Motion, 1989; I’m Alive, 1993; Looking East, 1996; The Naked Ride Home, 2002; Solo, Acoustic, Vol. 1, 2005; Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2, 2008; Time the Conqueror, 2008; Standing in the Breach, 2014; Downhill from Everwhere, 2021.

SINGLES: "Running on Empty," 1978; "Doctor My Eyes," 1991; "Sky Blue and Black," 1994; "About My Imagination," 2003.

Bibliography

Bego, Mark. Jackson Browne: His Life and Music. Citadel, 2005.

"Biography." Jackson Browne, 2017, www.jacksonbrowne.com/biography/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Hoskyns, Barney. Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends. Wiley, 2007.

Marcus, Greil, ed. Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island. 2d ed. Da Capo Press, 2007.

Petridis, Alexis. "Jackson Browne: Downhill from Everywhere Review: Voice of the Boomers Faces His Mortality." The Guardian, 15 July 2021, www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/15/jackson-browne-downhill-from-everywhere-review. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Waterman, J. Douglas, ed. Song: The World’s Best Songwriters on Creating the Music That Moves Us. Writer’s Digest Books, 2007.

Wiseman, Rich. Jackson Browne: The Story of a Hold Out. Doubleday, 1982.