Before Jack Johnson perfected his rock star ways, he was a champion surfer. A serious surfing accident convinced him to devote more time to his creative pursuits, fortunately. It was during his college years that Johnson began writing the songs that would later turn him into a chart-topping star. G. Love & Special Sauce quickly took notice of Johnson’s stylings, as one of his songs, “Rodeo Clowns,” found its way onto G. Love’s Philadelphonic in 1999. Johnson’s four-track demo then caught the ears of Ben Harper’s right-hand man, J.P. Plunier, who produced Johnson’s studio debut. Brushfire Fairytales appeared in 2001 and featured a cameo by Ben Harper. Johnson’s sophomore effort, On and On, appeared in 2003. On and On eventually climbed to number three on the charts. In Between Dreams arrived in 2005 and charted even higher, eventually selling over two million copies. Oddly enough, it was Johnson’s next project, the kids-oriented Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George, that sent him to the top of the charts. The soundtrack debuted at number one in February 2006, making Curious George the first animated film since Pocahontas to have a chart-topping soundtrack. 2008’s Sleep Through the Static went platinum within five weeks. The nine-year-spanning compilation, Jack Johnson & Friends: The Best of Kokua Festival, appeared in 2012 and featured performances from Johnson’s benefit concert. From Here to Now to You came out in 2013. Jack Johnson continues to pack ’em in all over the world. Great show!
