Jack Johnson

Before Jack Johnson became the 21st century kingpin of beachside pop/rock, he was a champion surfer on the professional route. The sport was second nature to the Hawaiian native, who began chasing waves as a toddler and, by the age of 17, had become an outstanding athlete on the Banzai Pipeline. However, Johnson was also testing other creative outlets -- specifically film and music -- and a serious surfing accident convinced him to devote more time to those landlocked hobbies. After studying cinematography in college, he turned his full attention to music, writing breezy pop songs punctuated by an unassuming voice and mellow, beach-bum demeanor. The combination proved to be particularly commercial, as Johnson's first five major-label albums all climbed to platinum status. While studying film at the University of California in Santa Barbara, Johnson partnered with friends Chris Malloy and Emmett Malloy to produced a surfing documentary entitled Thicker Than Water. Although the project spotlighted Johnson's talent as a director, it also showcased his flair for songwriting, and the accompanying soundtrack featured several of his own tunes. Thicker Than Water was deemed 2000's Video of the Year by Surfer magazine and paved the way for a second surf flick, The September Sessions. Meanwhile, Johnson began receiving similar notice for his songs, one of which was covered by G. Love & Special Sauce on the band's 1999 album, Philadelphonic. Shortly thereafter, Johnson's demo material piqued the interest of J.P. Plunier, a French producer who had helped launch Ben Harper's career several years prior. With Plunier's help, Johnson recorded and released Brushfire Fairytales in 2001. The debut album featured a cameo by Ben Harper, thus sparking a friendship between the two...