Jack Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is a Hawaii-born singer-songwriter who has achieved commercial success and a dedicated following since the release of his 2001 debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. His newest album is entitled Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George.
Johnson had been a professional surfer until an accident, in which he broke his nose, got his front teeth knocked out and got more than 150 stitches to his mouth and forehead, forced him to take some time off. He learned to play guitar at age 14, but did not seriously pursue a career in the arts until his college years at University of California at Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a degree in film. After graduating, Jack decided to take time out travelling (1997-98) when he co-directed and shot the purist surf film Thicker Than Water to be released later. Making friends with Garrett Dutton aka G.Love of G.Love and Special Sauce, he recorded "Rodeo Clowns" with them to be released on their 1999 album "Philadelphonic". This launched his music career and eventually lead to the release of his first album, Brushfire Fairytales in 2001 to aid in the "Thicker than Water" soundtrack.
After touring for almost two years, Johnson released his second album, On and On to generally favorable reviews in late 2003. Many of the songs on On and On had previously been released on bootlegs, such as J.O.A.T. and B.O.A.T., but received the accompaniment of a full band on the new album.
Johnson's interest in surfing also led him to produce and score several surfing films including September Sessions and Thicker Than Water, which were released on CD/DVD between the release of Brushfire Fairytales and On and On. Johnson has also appeared in the surf film Shelter, which was made by his manager Emmett Malloy and also the film Sprout, which also produced a soundtrack, where he was featured in the Sprout House Band, which consisted of Jack Johnson, Tommy Guerrero, Money Mark and Adam Topol. The music video for his song "Taylor" also features a guest appearance from actor Ben Stiller.
