In his early teens, Jackson Browne could be found singing folk music in his local Highland Park, California neighborhood.  Then at age 18, he joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for just a few months before moving to New York City to start a solo career.  He performed for a short time in a backup band for Tim Buckley, collaborated with Nico on Chelsea Girl, and wrote the song These Days.   In addition to his guitar playing and singing, Browne was gifted songwriter and had songs performed by Joan Baez, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and others.

After forming his own band, Jackson Browne released his first self-titled album in 1972 with Asylum Records.  This album included Doctor My Eyes, which made the Top 10 on the U.S. singles chart.  While promoting this album release, Browne toured with Linda Ronstadt.  It was during this time as well that Browne was dating actress/model Phyllis Major and the two had a son together in 1973, which was the same time that Jackson Browne’s second album, For Everyman was released.  While For Everyman was not as widely accepted as his debut album, it still sold a million copies.  Brown went on to record his third album in succession, Late for the Sky, in 1974.  The title track was featured in Martin Scorsese’s movie, Taxi Driver, two years later.

The mid 1970’s proved to be a dark time for Jackson Browne – a few months after they married, Phyllis Major committed suicide.  This tragic period was apparent in his album, The Pretender, which included Here Come Those Tears Again, a song co-written with his mother-in-law using lyrics written by Phyllis. 

In 1977, Jackson Browne recorded his most successful album, Running on Empty, live while on tour.  Some performances included new material recorded while on stage.  Other recordings came from buses, back stage and hotel rooms.  Some of his most popular songs came from this album, including the title track, The Road, Rosie and The Load-Out/Stay.

After the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, Browne became an activist and joined several mother musicians to found an anti-nuclear organization called Musicians United for Safe Energy.  In 1980, his album Hold Out released and became his only #1 record on the U.S. pop chart.  In 1981, his single Somebody’s Baby was featured in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High and became his biggest hit single, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1981, Jackson Browne remarried Australian model, Lynne Sweeney, and the two had a son together in 1982.  However, his happiness was short-lived when the couple divorced in 1983.  It was at this time that Browne’s music made a discernable change as well – from personal to political, as depicted in his 1983 album, Lawyers in Love.  Browne’s protests became more pronounced in 1986, with the release of Lives in the Balance, and his appearances became more frequent at benefit concerts, culminating in his 1989 release, World in Motion.  In the early 1990’s, Browne had a highly-publicized romantic relationship and breakup with actress Daryl Hannah.
Browne did not produce another album until 1993, when I’m Alive released to respectable reviews.  However, it seemed to be a statement to his fans more than anything else.  Subsequent albums had lukewarm success as well – 1996’s Looking East and 2002’s The Naked Ride Home.

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named three of Jackson Browne’s albums in their list of the 500 best albums of all time, included were For Everyman, Late for the Sky, and The Pretender.  In 2004, Jackson Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In 2005, Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 was released with eleven live recordings of previous tracks in addition to one new song, The Birds of St. Marks.

Today, Jackson Browne continues to perform and record, but is also a political activist, supporting candidates and speaking out against nuclear power.