Jackson Browne

The enigmatic Jackson Browne almost defined the West Coast sound of the 1970s with the song Take It Easy - a major hit for The Eagles - and many other beguiling songs created during his long and celebrated career. The son of an American serviceman stationed in Germany at the time of his death, Browne was mostly raised in LA and started as a folk singer in local clubs. He briefly joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and, after moving to New York where he played in Tim Buckley's band, his songs were covered by The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Joan Baez and Tom Rush. Browne released his self-titled debut album in 1972 - producing the hit single Doctor My Eyes - followed by For Everyman (1973) and Late For The Sky (1974); which included two of his best songs For A Dancer and Before The Deluge, and the title track featured in the movie Taxi Driver. However, the suicide of his first wife led to the introduction of deeper influences on his The Pretender album, but his biggest success was 1977's Running On Empty and his songs became more political with Lawyers In Love (1983) and Lives In The Balance (1986) - a thinly disguised attack on US President Ronald Reagan. Browne continued to be a popular songwriter, live performer, recording artist and political activist through the 1990s and 2000s.