Jackson Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany (his father was an American serviceman stationed in Germany), but moved to the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, California at an early age and began singing folk music locally. In 1966, his career began by joining the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. A precociously talented songwriter, Browne signed a publishing contract with Nina Music, and his songs were performed by Tom Rush, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds and Steve Noonan, among others. After moving to Greenwich Village, New York, Browne worked, for a brief period, in Tim Buckley's back-up band and on Nico's Chelsea Girl. After leaving New York City, Browne formed a folk band with Ned Doheney and Jack Wilce. In 1971, Browne signed with Asylum Records and released Jackson Browne (1972), which included "Doctor My Eyes", a major hit. He didn't sustain pop success, though, and his next album, For Everyman (1973), while considered of high quality, was a commercial failure. Late for the Sky (1974) established a significant audience for Browne, and fans and critics often consider this Browne's best album. Highlights include the searching title song, the elegiac "For a Dancer" and apocalyptic "Before the Deluge", the pure arrangements featuring David Lindley's evocative violin and guitar playing, and the Magritte-inspired cover. The title track was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver. Browne released his breakthrough album, The Pretender (1976) soon after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. Featuring livelier production by Jon Landau, the title song is a vividly described account of romanticism in a possibly losing battle with the realities of day-to-day life. During this time, Browne produced and played on Warren Zevon's first two Asylum albums. Browne be
1 | Call it a Loan | Hold Out |
2 | Baby How Long | Looking East |
3 | Cocaine | Running On Empty |
4 | Say It Isn't True | Lawyers In Love |
5 | Shaky Town | Running On Empty |
6 | Lawyers In Love | Lawyers In Love |
7 | Sky Blue And Black | I'm Alive |
8 | Alive in the World | Looking East |
9 | I'm the Cat | Looking East |
10 | That Girl Could Sing | Hold Out |
11 | I'll Do Anything | I'm Alive |
12 | Love Needs A Heart | Running On Empty |
13 | Two Of Me, Two Of You | I'm Alive |
14 | Running On Empty | Running On Empty |
15 | Knock On Any Door | Lawyers In Love |
16 | Nino | Looking East |
17 | I'm Alive | I'm Alive |
18 | Boulevard | Hold Out |
19 | Looking East | Looking East |
20 | The Load-Out / Stay | Running On Empty |