Jack Johnson

Biography

Jack Hody Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. He plays a variety of styles including pop, rock, acoustic, folk, and surf rock.
Johnson's musicianship has earned him multiple spots on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching number one on the chart with his albums Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George×Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George6 February 2006 · Album · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Upside Down3:292Broken3:563People Watching3:194Wrong Turn2:535Talk of the Town3:226Jungle Gym2:247We’re Going to Be Friends2:198The Sharing Song2:459The 3 R’s2:5510Lullaby2:4911With My Own Two Hands3:0012Questions4:1013Supposed to Be2:55 in 2006, Sleep Through the Static in 2008, To the Sea in 2010 and From Here to Now to You in 2013. His album In Between Dreams×In Between Dreams28 February 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Better Together3:282Never Know3:333Banana Pancakes3:124Good People3:295No Other Way3:106Sitting, Waiting, Wishing3:047Staple It Together3:168Situations1:179Crying Shame3:0610If I Could2:2511Breakdown3:3312Belle1:4313Do You Remember2:2514Constellations3:22 peaked at number two on the chart in 2005 and again in 2013. His later studio album All the Light Above It Too×All the Light Above It Too8 September 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Subplots4:292You Can’t Control It4:093Sunsets for Somebody Else3:304My Mind Is for Sale4:005Daybreaks4:016Big Sur2:537Love Song #163:028Is One Moon Enough?4:119Gather4:1510Fragments3:41 released in 2017 debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, marking it his seventh top five album.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Johnson is active in environmentalism and sustainability, often with a focus on the world's oceans. Johnson and his wife Kim created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation and the Kōkua Hawaii Foundation. In 2008, Johnson adopted the concept of greening (reduce and reuse), and donated 100% of the proceeds of the Sleep Through the Static tour to the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation. Similarly, the proceeds from the 2010 To the Sea album tour went to All at Once, a Johnson-backed collaboration of greening charities promoting fan involvement.

Early life and education

Johnson was born on May 18, 1975, in the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The son of surfer Jeff Johnson, Jack began learning to surf at the age of 5. At 17, he became the youngest invitee to make the finals of the Pipeline Masters, one of surfing's most prestigious events. One week later, however, his stint as a professional surfer ended when he suffered a surfing accident at the Pipeline. He had to have more than 100 stitches in his forehead and a few of his teeth were removed; later the incident became the inspiration for his song "Drink the Water". He appeared as a surfer in The Endless Summer II in 1994.
Johnson graduated from Kahuku High School in 1993. He then attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film studies. While Johnson learned the guitar at the age of 8 and started songwriting at the age of 12, his passion for music grew when he played rhythm guitar for the band Soil (not to be confused with a heavy metal band of the same name) in college.
In 1994, Zach Gill's band, Django, released a CD that quickly made Django a favorite band of the Isla Vista, California party scene at UCSB. Django was the rival of Jack Johnson's band Soil, but Gill and Johnson developed a strong friendship, eventually becoming bandmates in later years. While part of Soil at UCSB, Johnson opened for acts such as Sublime and Dave Matthews who were then relatively unknown bands.Johnson credits his songwriting influences as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Otis Redding, G. Love and Special Sauce, Ben Harper, Sublime, the Beatles, Bob Marley, Neil Young, and A Tribe Called Quest. Johnson names Jimi Hendrix as his all-time favorite guitarist.

2000–2003: Brushfire Fairytales and On and On

Jack Johnson's big break was writing and contributing vocals for the song "Rodeo Clowns" which was featured on G. Love's 1999 album Philadelphonic. Johnson was introduced to G. Love by a mutual friend who was shooting surf films with him then. After hearing "Rodeo Clowns", G. Love saw Johnson's potential and effortless style and invited him to record with him. That led to the now-famous "Rodeo Clowns" recording, launching Johnson's career.
In addition to his later success as a musician, Johnson is an accomplished filmmaker. He directed the surf films Thicker Than Water (2000) and The September Sessions (2002), in which he also starred. He recorded both movie soundtracks and starred in the 2004 surf film A Brokedown Melody.
Suela released a four-track demo that caught the attention of Ben Harper's producer, J. P. Plunier, who worked with Johnson to produce his debut album Brushfire Fairytales×Brushfire Fairytales6 February 2000 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Inaudible Melodies3:352Middle Man3:153Posters3:144Sexy Plexi2:085Flake4:416Bubble Toes3:577Fortunate Fool3:498The News2:269Drink the Water3:2210Mudfootball (For Moe Lerner)3:0411F‐Stop Blues3:1012Losing Hope3:5313It’s All Understood5:28 during December 2000 with Harper and his Weissenborn lap steel guitar making a guest appearance. Brushfire Fairytales was released on February 1, 2001, and led to Johnson becoming the opening act in late February 2001 for the last twenty-three cities of Harper's "Innocent Criminals" tour of the United States.
Johnson as well as Adam Topol (drums, percussion) and Merlo Podlewski (bass), who played on Brushfire Fairytales to record his second full-length album On and On×On and On6 May 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Times Like These2:222The Horizon Has Been Defeated2:343Traffic in the Sky2:514Taylor3:595Gone2:106Cupid1:067Wasting Time3:508Holes to Heaven2:559Dreams Be Dreams2:1310Tomorrow Morning2:5111Fall Line1:3612Cookie Jar2:5713Rodeo Clowns2:3814Cocoon4:1115Mediocre Bad Guys3:0016Symbol in My Driveway2:51; Mario Caldato Jr. was the producer. It was the first album to be recorded at Johnson's Mango Tree Studio in his hometown of North Shore, Oahu as well as the first to be released through The Moonshine Conspiracy Records. On and On was released on May 6, 2003. The Moonshine Conspiracy Records became Brushfire Records; Johnson turned the offices and studios of his Los Angeles based record company into a model of eco-friendliness, with solar power, recyclable CD packaging, and power-saving air conditioners.

2004–2009: In Between Dreams, Curious George, and Sleep Through the Static

On April 3, 2004, Johnson and Ben Harper performed with Toots and the Maytals on Saturday Night Live (season 29, episode 16).
In October 2004, Johnson returned to the Mango Tree Studio with Topol and Podlewski along with Zach Gill (of Animal Liberation Orchestra) playing accordion, melodica, and piano recording his follow-up to 2003's On and On. In Between Dreams was released on March 1, 2005. Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George is a soundtrack album by Johnson, released on February 7, 2006. The album also features Harper, G. Love, Merlo Podlewski and Zach Gill. It was the first soundtrack to be number 1 on the chart since the Bad Boys II soundtrack in August 2003; it was the first soundtrack for an animated film to top the Billboard 200 since the Pocahontas soundtrack in July 1995. Johnson enlisted J.P. Plunier to produce his fourth full-length studio album, Sleep Through the Static×Sleep Through the Static1 February 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1All at Once3:382Sleep Through the Static3:433Hope3:434Angel2:035Enemy3:496If I Had Eyes3:597Same Girl2:128What You Thought You Need5:279Adrift3:5610Go On4:3511They Do, They Don’t4:1112While We Wait1:2613Monsoon4:1714Losing Keys4:28. It was recorded using 100% solar energy at the Solar-Powered Plastic Plant studio in Los Angeles. The album featured Gill (keys), Podlewski (bass), and Topol (drums, percussion). Sleep Through the Static was released on February 1, 2008, followed by a world tour. A live album and DVD of Johnson's 2008 world tour titled En Concert×En Concert26 October 2009 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 40 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Belle / Banana Pancakes6:192If I Had Eyes4:113Do You Remember / Remember3:464Sleep Through the Static4:195Flake5:276Bubble Toes / Express Yourself4:187Wasting Time5:018What You Thought You Need3:579Country Road2:5810Staple It Together4:0211Sitting, Waiting, Wishing3:2512Constellations3:3113The Horizon Has Been Defeated / Mother & Child Reunion4:2314Good People3:3615All at Once3:4516Gone2:0817Home3:1718Times Like These2:2019Angel / Better Together6:13Disc 21Hit the Stage and Sleep Through the Static2Credits... Belle / Banana Pancakes3Home Is Where the Love Is4River Surfing5Storm Rolls in on the Good People of Munich6Staple It Back Together7Backstage in Amsterdam Into Flake8Adam, Merlo and Zach9Mason Sings... The Band Go On10The Road to Newquay11Rainbows Over the Airwaves Into Small Surf12Drawing Our Own Constellations13Constellations14Sunshine Hits London15Hope in Hyde Park16Merlo Wasting Time17It's High Tide or Low Tide18If I Had Eyes From London to Paris19All at Once20Angel / Better Together21Fin, was released on October 27, 2009. The DVD was directed by Emmett Malloy. Johnson was the headliner for the Friday night of the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Johnson spearheaded the Kōkua Festivals (2004–2008 and 2010). Often occurring around Earth Day, the six years of festivals supported the Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation, a charitable organization supporting environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii. Kōkua Festival 2004/2005 was a DVD released by Jack Johnson Music showcasing the early Kōkua Festivals. He participated along with Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder, and others in the documentary Kōkua 2008: 5 Years of Change (2009). It was produced by Brushfire and Three Foot Giant Productions and shown on Sundance Channel. On April 17, 2012, preceding his 2012 Hawaiian Islands tour, he released the live Kōkua Festival compilation Best of Kōkua Festival. He produced Animal Liberation Orchestra's fifth studio album, Man of the World, which was released on February 9, 2010. The album also features vocals from Johnson.

2010–2011: To the Sea

On February 1, 2010, Johnson's official website announced that his fifth studio album, To the Sea×To the Sea26 May 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1You and Your Heart3:132To the Sea3:303No Good With Faces3:314At or With Me3:585When I Look Up0:586From the Clouds3:067My Little Girl2:218Turn Your Love3:139The Upsetter3:5010Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology4:0311Pictures of People Taking Pictures3:2012Anything but the Truth2:5413Only the Ocean3:40, was in the recording process at the Mango Tree×The Mango Tree2007 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 25 tracks1IBD (medley)1:362Rodeo Clown2:563Breakdown4:054Home3:325I Shall Be Released4:116Badfish/Boss DJ3:007Moonshine2:008Rainbow3:149Let It Be Sung4:0810Gone Going3:1311Imagine3:4012Free2:3013Give It to You3:2414The Cove1:5215Country Road2:3416Better Together (Hawaiian version)3:4417Girl I Wanna Lay You Down3:3218Orange Whip Groove3:0919Holes to Heaven (acoustic)2:4920A Brokedown Melody3:3321The Horizon Has Been Defeated (acoustic)3:0222Crying Shame (Culver City dub remix)4:1523Pirate Looks at 402:2424Butter Nut3:1725Constellations3:44 Studio, with a planned worldwide release during the first week of June 2010. The website also announced an accompanying European, Australian and New Zealand tour to coincide with the album's release on midnight May 31. The first single from To the Sea was "You and Your Heart×You and Your Heart6 April 2010 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1You and Your Heart3:16", released on April 6, 2010.
While speaking with the New Zealand radio station ZM, Johnson said that he constantly aiming to build relationships with local pro-environment, non-profit groups. "We try to raise money for a lot of these groups who are doing positive things in the community. We try to focus mostly on environmental education, just trying to get kids out into nature, supporting local farms... " He embarked on a world tour in 2010 with Paula Fuga, a Hawaiian vocalist and ukulele player, performing at a range of venues across the world including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S., and Japan. On November 1, 2011, Johnson released a stand-alone single called "In The Morning×In the Morning1 November 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1In the Morning3:13" featuring Paula Fuga and John Cruz.

2012: Hawaiian Islands tour

On February 22, 2012, Johnson with John Cruz and Paula Fuga announced a 7-show acoustic tour of the Hawaiian islands during April. At the Stan Sheriff Center on April 14, 2012, during the Pillars of Peace Hawai'i: Building Peace on a Foundation of Aloha, he performed introductory music before Nobel Peace Laureate Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, gave the speech "Educating the Heart". Better Together was one of several songs Johnson performed.

2013–2018: Bonnaroo, From Here to Now to You, and All the Light Above It Too

Johnson released From Here to Now to You with his band on September 17, 2013. On June 15, 2013, they performed as headliners at the 2013 Bonnaroo in Tennessee, stepping in last-minute after a medical emergency caused Mumford & Sons to pull out. He played two acoustic concerts, one at London's Tabernacle in Notting Hill and the other at New York City's Allen Room at Lincoln Center overlooking Central Park, featuring songs from his upcoming album. The From Here to Now to You Tour ran from March through September 2014.
In February 2017, Johnson announced a U.S. tour beginning in Chicago at the Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island on June 1 and ending with two Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation benefit concerts at the Waikiki Shell on August 4 & 5. He revealed plans to release an album in the summer of 2017. Later, he added a September 10 concert for the 2017 Ohana Fest at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. On September 8, 2017, he released his seventh studio album All the Light Above It Too×All the Light Above It Too8 September 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Subplots4:292You Can’t Control It4:093Sunsets for Somebody Else3:304My Mind Is for Sale4:005Daybreaks4:016Big Sur2:537Love Song #163:028Is One Moon Enough?4:119Gather4:1510Fragments3:41, which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard chart's "Artist 100." In July 2018, Johnson released his greatest hits album "Jack Johnson: The Essentials" only in Japan.

2019–present: This Warm December, Meet the Moonlight and Surfilmusic

In late 2019, Johnson released a single "New Axe", featured on the This Warm December Vol. 3 album. He did a "Together at Home" Instagram Live stream concert on March 28, 2020. His concert was the third most watched on the Global Citizen YouTube. He also performed on the One World: Together at Home special; a live version of "Better Together×Better Together27 February 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Better Together3:272Better Together (live)4:073Staple It Together (live from The Greek)4:13" was featured on the One World: Together at Home album. On May 1, 2020, he was featured on Milky Chance's new single "Don't Let Me Down". On September 26, 2020, Johnson performed the opening set at Farm Aid: On the Road.
On December 4, 2020, Johnson released a new single titled "The Captain Is Drunk×The Captain is Drunk4 December 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1The Captain is Drunk3:07". On April 16, 2021, he released a song titled "If Ever×If Ever16 April 2021 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1If Ever3:35" with Paula Fuga and Ben Harper. The song appeared on Fuga's new album Rain on Sunday, which is featured on Johnson's record label. On June 24, 2022, Johnson released his eighth studio album, Meet the Moonlight×Meet the Moonlight24 June 2022 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Open Mind3:3423AM Radio3:163Calm Down3:164One Step Ahead3:125Meet the Moonlight5:066Don’t Look Now3:307Costume Party3:308I Tend to Digress2:239Windblown Eyes4:0910Any Wonder3:37, his first full-length record in five years. It was produced by Blake Mills, engineered by Joseph Lorge, and recorded both in Los Angeles (at Sound City Studios and EastWest Studios) and at The Mango Tree (Johnson's home studio) in Hawaii. The album's lead single is titled "One Step Ahead×One Step Ahead8 April 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1One Step Ahead3:12".
Coinciding with his new album release, Johnson embarked on the Meet the Moonlight Tour with 35 stops at major venues across the United States (including Hawaii) and Canada. He was accompanied by various artists including Grammy Award winner (and personal friend) Ziggy Marley. In November 2021, Johnson toured Australia and New Zealand, his first overseas concerts since 2019.
On November 21, 2025, Johnson's Instagram announced a documentary film called Surfilmusic about his life from when he started surfing to becoming a musician. It was released on March 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. Johnson will be touring for the film from June to October 2026.

Personal life

Johnson married his college girlfriend, Kim Baker, on July 22, 2000; they have two sons and a daughter. The couple lives on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In an interview with Johnson, Ann Donahue from Billboard described his family life by saying, "There is often trouble in balancing the life of an artist, environmentalist, and family man, but Johnson seems to have the niche for such a challenge. This time around, he's found a pace that agrees with him... bringing his family along so he can spend mornings with them sightseeing." Johnson and his wife have declined to talk about or release information about their children.

Charity

In 2008, Johnson and his wife created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, a non-profit public charity supporting environmental, art, and music education worldwide. The couple also founded the Kokua Hawaii Foundation in 2003. Family members work hard every year at festivals and concerts to raise money for causes they feel are important.
Jack Johnson recorded a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" for the 2007 benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur, which was also included on the 2009 benefit album Rhythms del Mundo Classics. Rolling Stone wrote: "It is a typically generous move from Johnson, who has used his multi-platinum success to support causes he cares about." Although the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation is a non-profit that "focuses on environmental, arts and music education", it has raised more than $750,000 from 2009 to 2010 to give away. Johnson was in Osaka, Japan, on his To the Sea 2010 World Tour at the time of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan. He was in a hotel with his family when it struck. After postponing the rest of his tour, he donated $50,000 to GlobalGiving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.
Johnson's Ohana Charitable Foundation has supported Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. Johnson decorated a guitar for Little Kids Rock to auction, raising funds for its program. On September 22, 2012, he donated his time to play a few songs at Farm Aid 2012 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Later in 2012, Johnson donated $50,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief and added links on his website for others to donate:

After years of touring and surfing along the East Coast, I have made so many great friends. It is heartbreaking to see the images and hear their stories. I just made donations to help recover and relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy. Below is a list of groups you can support. If you can't donate money, you can donate food, supplies or your time. Our East Coast family, friends and neighbors need our help. Aloha – Jack
In 2018, Johnson became an international ambassador for Plastic Free July, an annual global movement focused on reducing single-use plastic consumption. In 2019, Johnson partnered as an artist ambassador with Green Music Australia and the Sustainable Concerts Working Group to launch the international #BYOBottle campaign.