Jack Johnson
Background information
Birth name	Jack Johnson
Born	(1975-05-18) May 18, 1975 (age 37)
Origin	North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii United States
Genres	Folk rock, soft rock, surf music
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, record label owner, pro surfer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, ukulele, piano, drums
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Everloving, Brushfire, Universal
Website	jackjohnsonmusic.com

Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga at Surfrider's John Kelly Awards, Waimea, Oahu

Jack Johnson is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a number of EPs and surfing movies/soundtracks. He is also known for organizing an annual event, the Kōkua Festival. Notable songs from Johnson's repertoire include "Upside Down"; "Flake"; "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"; "If I Had Eyes"; "You and Your Heart"; "Taylor"; "Banana Pancakes" and the widely-popular fan favorite, "Better Together".

Early life[link]

Jack Johnson was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.^[1] The son of well-known surfer Jeff Johnson, he took an interest in the sport. He began to learn how to surf at the age of 5. At 17, he became the youngest invitee to make the surfing finals at the Pipeline Masters on Oahu's north shore. One week later, however, his stint as a professional surfer ended when he suffered a surfing accident at the Pipeline that put more than 150 stitches in his forehead and removed a few of his teeth.^{[2][dead link][3][dead link]}

Jack Johnson graduated from Kahuku High School on the North Shore of Oahu. He would later attend the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduate with a degree in film. While Johnson learned the guitar at the age of 14 and started songwriting at the age of 16 ^[4], his passion for music grew when he played rhythm guitar for the band Soil (not to be confused with the heavy metal band of the same name) in college.^{[2][dead link]} 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.^[5]

Career[link]

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'. The song would later become the first single off the album.

In addition to his later success as a musician, Johnson is also an accomplished filmmaker. Johnson directed the surf films Thicker Than Water (2000) and The September Sessions (2002), in which he also starred. Both movie soundtracks were also products of Johnson. Johnson also starred in the 2004 surf film A Brokedown Melody.

Johnson released a four track demo that caught the attention of Ben Harper's producer, J. P. Plunier, who worked with Johnson on his debut album Brushfire Fairytales in early 2001 with Harper and his Weissenborn lap steel guitar making a guest appearance. Brushfire Fairytales was released on February 1, 2001.

Johnson went back into the studio with Adam Topol (drums, percussion) and Merlo Podlewski (bass), who played on Brushfire Fairytales, and Mario Caldato Jr on production duties, to record his second full-length album On and On. It was the first album to be recorded at Johnson's Mango Tree Studio in Johnson's home town of North Shore, Oahu, and the first to be released through The Moonshine Conspiracy Records. On and On was released on May 6, 2003.

Johnson performing at the Austin City Limits Festival 2004.

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, to record 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 Adam Topol, Ben Harper, G. Love, Kawika Kahiapo, Matt Costa, Merlo Podlewski and Zach Gill. It was the first soundtrack to make it to number 1 since the Bad Boys II soundtrack in August 2003 and 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. 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 and was followed by a world tour.

A live album and DVD of Johnson's 2008 world tour, entitled En Concert, was released on October 27, 2009.^[6] The DVD was directed by Emmett Malloy.

Johnson spearheaded the Kokua Festivals (2004-2008 & 2010). Often occurring around Earth Day, these six years of festivals provided support for the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which is a charitable organisation that supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii. Kokua Festival 2004/2005 was a DVD released by Jack Johnson Music that showcased the early Kokua Festivals. He also participated, with Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder and others, in the documentary Kokua 2008: 5 Years of Change (2009),^[7] produced by Brushfire and Three Foot Giant Productions and shown on Sundance Channel.^[8] On April 17, 2012, preceding his 2012 Hawaiian Islands tour, he released the live Kokua Festival compilation Best of Kokua Festival. ^[9][10][11]

Johnson produced Animal Liberation Orchestra's fifth studio album, Man of the World, which was released February 9, 2010. The album also features vocals from Johnson.

On 1 February 2010, Johnson's official website announced that his fifth studio album, To the Sea, was in the recording process at the Mango Tree Studio, with a planned worldwide release during the first week of June 2010.^[12][13] The website also announced an accompanying European, Australian and New Zealand tour to coincide with the album's release on midnight 31 May.^[12]

The first single from his To the Sea album is "You and Your Heart", released on April 6, 2010.^[14]

While speaking with New Zealand radio station ZM, Johnson said he is 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 and things like that."^[15]

At the Stan Sheriff Center on April 14, 2012, during the Pillars of Peace Hawai'i: Building Peace on a Foundation of Aloha, Johnson performed introductory music before Nobel Peace Laureate Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, gave the speech "Educating the Heart". Better Together was one of several songs Jack performed.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]}

2010 world tour[link]

Jack Johnson embarked on a world tour in 2010 with Paula Fuga, a Hawaiian vocalist, playing at a range of venues across the world including Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA and Japan. One hundred percent of the tour's profit has been donated to charity.

2012 Hawaiian Islands tour[link]

On February 22, 2012, Jack with John Cruz and Paula Fuga announced a 7-show acoustic tour of the Hawaiian Islands during April with one show (19) on Kauai at Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center, Lihue, two shows (21 & 22) on Oahu at Hawaii Theater, Honolulu, two shows (25 & 26) on Maui at Castle Theater, Kahului, and two shows (28 & 29) on The Big Island at Kahilu Theater, Waimea.^[22][23]

Personal life[link]

On July 22, 2000, Johnson married his college sweetheart Kim.^[24] They have three children, two boys and a girl. Johnson lives on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In an interview with Johnson, Ann Donahue from Billboard described Johnson's 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.”^[25] Both Johnson and his wife refuse to talk about or release any intimate information concerning their children.^[26]

Charity[link]

Johnson and his wife created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation after his third album to benefit the children of Hawaii and promote environment awareness. Johnson and his family work hard every year at festivals and concerts alike, to raise money for causes they feel are most important. 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. In talking about Johnson and his career choices, 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 organization that “focuses on environmental, arts and music education,” it has raised more than $750,000 from 2009 to 2010 to give away.^[27] 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 having to postpone the rest of his tour, he donated $50,000 to GlobalGiving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

Band members[link]

Johnson's band is composed of:

• Jack Johnson – Vocals, guitar
• Adam Topol – Drums, percussion
• Merlo Podlewski – Bass
• Zach Gill – Piano, percussion, background vocals

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Brushfire Fairytales (2001)
• On and On (2003)
• In Between Dreams (2005)
• Sleep Through the Static (2008)
• To the Sea (2010)

Songbooks and sheet music[link]

• Brushfire Fairytales: Guitar/Vocal
• On and On: Guitar/Vocal
• In Between Dreams: Guitar/Vocal
• Sleep Through the Static: Guitar/Vocal
• Sleep Through the Static: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
• To the Sea: Guitar/Vocal
• To the Sea: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
• Jack Johnson Strum & Sing: Easy Guitar
• Jack Johnson Anthology: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
• Jack Johnson Anthology: Easy Piano^[28]

List of awards and nominations received by Jack Johnson[link]

See also[link]

• List of singer-songwriters

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jack Johnson

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jack Johnson

• Official website
• Live recordings by Jack Johnson at the Internet Archive

Jack Johnson may refer to (ordered by date of birth):

• Jack Johnson (posseman) (c. 1852–c. 1887), one of Wyatt Earp's possemen during his "vendetta ride"
• Jack Johnson (boxer) (1878–1946), first African-American heavyweight boxing world champion
  • Jack Johnson (film), a 1970 documentary about the boxer
• Jack Johnson (American football) (1909–1978), tackle for the Detroit Lions
• Jack Johnson (footballer) (1919–1975)
• Jack Johnson (Canadian politician) (born 1930)
• Albert Ariel Bedwin Johnson (1930s) aka "Jack" Johnson, tennis player
• Big Jack Johnson (1940-2011), blues musician
• Jack B. Johnson (born 1949), executive for Prince George's County, Maryland
• Jack Johnson (politician) (born 1968), American politician
• Jack Johnson (musician) (born 1975), American singer-songwriter, director, and surfer
• Jack Johnson (actor) (born 1987), American actor
• Jack Johnson (ice hockey) (born 1987), American professional ice hockey defenseman
• Jack Johnson (code word)

See also[link]

• A Tribute to Jack Johnson, a 1971 Miles Davis album
• John Johnson (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Elizabeth H. "Liz" Shuler
Liz Shuler, newly elected Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, speaking at the AFL-CIO Quadrennial Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 16, 2009. (Photo: Bill Burke/Page One)
Born	1970[1][2] Gladstone, Oregon, U.S.[2]
Nationality	American
Occupation	Union organizer, Labor activist
Known for	Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO

Elizabeth H. "Liz" Shuler is an American labor activist and, since September 16, 2009, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO.^[1][3] She is the first woman and (as of 2009) the youngest person to hold the position of Secretary-Treasurer.^[1][2][4] She is the highest-ranking woman in the labor federation's history.^[5][6] Her election also marks the first time that two of the three officer positions in the AFL-CIO were held by women.^[1]

Early life and IBEW career[link]

Liz Shuler was born to Lance and Joyce Shuler in 1970.^[2] Her father was an electrical lineman for Portland General Electric (PGE), and her mother worked there as a secretary.^[2][5] Although her father was a union member, clerical workers at PG&E were not unionized.^[2] Shuler was raised in the town of Gladstone, Oregon, and attended public school in the city.^[2] She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon in 1992.^[2][5] While in college, she worked summers at PGE^[2][5] and was active in the state Democratic Party.^[5]

Shuler first became active in union work after college. Her first job was as a union organizer for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 125, working on a campaign to organizer clerical workers at PGE.^[2][5][7] She became a lobbyist for the IBEW in 1997, representing the union before the Oregon Legislature.^[2][5] One of her chief accomplishments for the union was the defeat of a bill (promoted by the Enron Corp.) to deregulate Oregon's electricity market.^[2][5] She also taught in the union's Construction Organizing Membership Education and Training (COMET) and Membership Education and Mobilization for Organizing (MEMO) union organizing programs.^[5] Shuler also served on the State of Oregon Management-Labor Advisory Committee on Workers' Compensation, and was appointed an IBEW delegate to the Northwest Oregon Central Labor Council.^[5] In 1998, she led the AFL-CIO's successful effort to defeat California Proposition 226, which would have denied dues check-off to public employees belonging to unions and required all union members in the state to annually give their assent before any portion of their dues could be used for political purposes.^[2][5][8][9]

After the California effort, Shuler was appointed an IBEW international representative and moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in the IBEW's Political/Legislative Affairs Department.^[2][5] She was appointed executive assistant to IBEW President Edwin Hill in June 2004, making her the highest-ranking woman in the union's history.^[6][5][3][7] Shuler supervised and coordinated 11 of the IBEW's departments, including its education, research, political/legislative affairs, public relations, and workplace safety divisions.^[5]

AFL-CIO career[link]

On July 7, 2009, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, then seeking election to the labor federation's presidency, chose Shuler as his running mate for Secretary-Treasurer.^[6][5][7] Gregory Junemann, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, also ran for the position.^[6][5][7] Shuler defeated Junemann for the position on September 16, 2009.^[10]

Shuler said she intends to spend much of her term reaching out to workers under the age of 35^[3][7][4] and using new media to reach out to workers, their families, and union supporters.^[7][4] She also said she would work with the AFL-CIO's affiliates to balance the federation's budget,^[7] which was running a deficit and whose liabilities exceeded its assets by $2.3 million in 2008.^[11]

Trumka appointed Shuler head of the AFL-CIO's youth outreach efforts.^[4]

Other activities[link]

Shuler is active in the Women's Campaign Fund, a political action committee which supports pro-choice women running for election to political office, and a supporter of the International Women's Democracy Center.^[2][5] She has also been active in the Oregon and Washington chapters of Women in the Trades, organizations which promote opportunities for women in the blue-collar skilled trades.^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Liz Shuler, speaking at the AFL-CIO state and local affiliates' conference, September 12, 2009
• Shuler, Elizabeth H. "A New Generation of Opportunity." Salem Statesman-Journal. September 7, 2009.
• Oregon Tradeswomen
• Washington Women in the Trades
• Women's Campaign Fund

Ben Harper
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Chase Harper
Born	(1969-10-28) October 28, 1969 (age 42) Claremont, California United States
Genres	Folk rock, blues rock, alternative rock, soul, funk rock, gospel, reggae, jam rock, neofolk
Occupations	Musician, Singer-songwriter, Humanitarian
Instruments	Vocals, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, bass guitar, drums, percussion, vibes
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Virgin, EMI Records
Associated acts	Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama Relentless7 Vanessa da Mata Ringo Starr Fistful of Mercy
Website	www.benharper.com
Notable instruments
Weissenborn lap steel guitar

Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music^[1] and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism.^[2] Harper's fan base spans several continents.^[3] His albums have been commercially successful in North America, Europe and Oceania. Harper is a two-time Grammy Award winner as well, winning awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, in 2005.

Early life[link]

Harper was born in Claremont, in California's Inland Empire. His father, Leonard, was of African-American and Cherokee ancestry, and his mother, Ellen Chase-Verdries, is Jewish. His maternal great-grandmother was a Russian-Lithuanian Jew.^[4][5][6] His parents divorced when he was age five, and he grew up with his mother's family. Harper has two brothers, Joel and Peter.

Harper began playing guitar as a child.^[7][8] His maternal grandparents' music store The Folk Music Center and Museum laid a foundation of folk and blues for the artist, complemented by regular patrons Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal and David Lindley and quotes of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost made often by his grandfather.^[9] At the age of 12, Harper played his first gig.^[10] During the '80s, in his teen years, Harper began to play the slide guitar, mimicking the style of Robert Johnson. Next, Harper refined his style, taking up the Weissenborn slide guitar.^[11] Harper broke out of the Inland Empire after being offered an invitation by Taj Mahal to tour with the artist. They recorded Taj Mahal's album Follow the Drinking Gourd, released in November 1990, and toured Hawaii.^[12]

Career[link]

Harper's trademark curtain call; 2003

In 1992 Harper recorded the LP Pleasure and Pain with Folk multi-instrumentalist Tom Freund. After this limited edition record, Harper secured a record deal with Virgin Records, which released his debut album, Welcome to the Cruel World in 1994. This was followed by Fight For Your Mind in 1995, with Juan Nelson on bass, which became a college radio favorite and included several songs that Harper still plays live regularly. .^[13]

In 1999 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Harper met Jack Johnson, who was unknown at the time and had not recorded. Harper obtained a demo tape of twelve of Johnson's songs that he forwarded to his producer, J.P. Plunier, with whom Johnson recorded his first album.^[14]

Harper playing the weissenborn at Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario.

Early in Harper's career, his music received more attention in Europe and was widely played in Australia (first on Triple J radio). Harper has made comments on a number of occasions that his career was kicked off in Australia. While he was a well-known and respected figure in the United States, he was a star in countries like Australia, New Zealand, France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, receiving a great deal of airplay and critical acclaim. His popularity in Europe is such that he was French Rolling Stone magazine's Artist of the Year (Artiste De L'Année) in 2003,^[15] and his Australian tour that year for Diamonds on the Inside was highly successful.

In 2002, Harper was one of the featured singers covering Motown hits by Marvin Gaye in the documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown (a history of The Funk Brothers). In October 2004, Harper participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organized to benefit Moveon.org and encourage people in the swing states to vote during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. In the same month, Harper contributed a live recording of the song "Oppression" to For The Lady, a benefit album for jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2006, Harper released the double album Both Sides of the Gun which debuted at #7 on the Billboard charts. Though uncredited, he appears briefly in the 2006 David Lynch film Inland Empire, alongside his wife Laura Dern.

Harper is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".^[16][17] Harper's collaboration "Boa Sorte/Good Luck" with Brazilian singer Vanessa da Mata peaked at #1 in Brazil and Portugal. In Brazil it also won a highly coveted Prêmio Multishow for "Best Song" in 2008. Also in 2008, Harper participated in the benefit album Songs for Tibet.

On August 27, 2010, it was reported that Ben Harper had formed a band called Fistful of Mercy with Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur.^[18] Fistful of Mercy released their debut record, As I Call You Down, on October 5, 2010.^[19]

On May 17, 2011, Ben Harper's official site posted that his next album was released, entitled Give Till It's Gone. The album is a continuation of recording with Relentless7.^[20]

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Harper with now estranged wife, Laura Dern in December 2009

In 1996, Harper married his first wife, Joanna. They had two children, a son and daughter, Charles Joseph and Harris.^[21]

On December 23, 2005, Harper married his girlfriend of five years, actress Laura Dern. They have two children together, son Ellery Walker Harper (b. August 21, 2001) and daughter Jaya (b. November 24, 2004).

On October 8, 2010, Harper, having been married for five years, filed for divorce from Dern, citing irreconcilable differences. He is seeking joint custody of their two children, as well as asking for a denial of spousal support for Dern.^[22]

On February 7, 2012, after being spotted at the Golden Globes, it was reported that Harper and Dern had reconciled. Divorce papers have not been formally withdrawn yet.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations[link]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live albums[link]

Other albums[link]

Virtual albums[link]

• iTunes Originals - Ben Harper
• iTunes Must Haves - Ben Harper

Singles[link]

• "Like A King / Whipping Boy" (1994)
• "Ground on Down" (1995)
• "Excuse Me Mr." (1996)
• "Gold to Me" (1996)
• "Faded" (1997) #54 UK^[62]
• "Jah Work" (1997)
• "Glory & Consequence" (1997)
• "Please Bleed" (1999)
• "Burn to Shine" (1999)
• "Forgiven" (2000)
• "Steal My Kisses" (2000) #15 U.S. Adult Top 40
• "With My Own Two Hands" (2003)
• "Diamonds On the Inside" (2003) #31 U.S. Adult Top 40
• "Brown Eyed Blues" (2004)
• "Wicked Man" (2004)
• "There Will Be a Light" (2004)
• "Better Way" (2006)
• "Both Sides Of The Gun" (2006)
• "Morning Yearning" (2006)^[63]
• "Fight Outta You" (2007) #61 Hot Canadian Digital Charts
• "Boa Sorte/Good Luck" (2007) (with Vanessa da Mata) #1 Portugal; #1 Brazil
• "In The Colors" (2008)
• "Fool For A Lonesome Train" (2008)
• "Shimmer & Shine" (2009)
• "Fly One Time" (2009)
• "Lay There & Hate Me" (2010)
• "Skin Thin" (2010)
• "The Word Suicide" (2010)
• "Never Tear Us Apart" (with INXS) (2010)
• "Rock N' Roll Is Free" (2011)
• "Don't Give Up on Me Now (2011, Italy only)
• "Walk Away" ("")

Special appearances[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2011)

Harper played a slide guitar version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 3 of the 2007 NBA Finals on June 12 in Cleveland. Harper performed alongside Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and John Paul Jones at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007. He also appears on the 2003 Pearl Jam DVD Live at the Garden where Harper plays alongside friends Pearl Jam for the songs "Daughter" & "Indifference".

Harper performed at several "Vote Obama" rallies and on the Willie Nelson show Outlaws & Angels. Harper teamed with the Skatalites to perform Fats Domino's "Be My Guest" on Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. Harper was featured, alongside Jack Johnson, playing slide guitar with Toots and the Maytals, performing their 1970s reggae hit "Pressure Drop" on Saturday Night Live.

In January 2010, Harper and his band Relentless7 performed at the Grammy Museum with Ringo Starr in support of The Beatles drummer's self-produced album, Y Not.^[64] In early 2010, Harper also performed "Ohio" at the MusiCares tribute to Neil Young.^[65]

Filmography[link]

• 1998-2001: Daria (TV) – Camp Fear ("Born to Shine"/"Faded")
• 2001: I am Sam ("Strawberry Fields Forever")
• 2002: Standing in the Shadows of Motown ("Ain't Too Proud To Beg"/"I Heard It Through the Grapevine")
• 2003: One Tree Hill (TV) – Crash Into You
• 2004: Sleepover ("Way Away")
• 2005: Trust the Man ("Everything")
• 2006: Akeelah and the Bee ("Everything")
• 2006: Newport Beach (TV) – The Dawn Patrol ("Waiting For You")
• 2006: CSI: NY (TV) – And Here's to You, Mrs. Azrael ("Walk Away")
• 2008: Daylight Robbery ("Diamonds On The Inside")
• 2009: State of Play ("Please Don't Talk About Murder While I'm Eating")
• 2009: Dr House (TV) – Brave Heart ("Faithfully Remain")
• 2010: Conan (TV) – Dead Men Don't Wear Spanx ("Father's Son")
• 2010: Les Petits Mouchoirs (French Movie) - Ludo's death ("Amen Omen")
• 2010: Vampire Diaries (TV) – Katerina ("Amen Omen")
• 2010: The Fighter ("Glory & Consequence")

DVDs[link]

• Pleasure and Pain (2002)
• Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2003)
• Live at the Apollo (2005)

References[link]

Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (April 2010)

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ben Harper

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ben Harper

• Official website
• Official Ben Harper Shop
• Ben Harper Live for Earth Day on National Geographic
• Ben Harper at RollingStone.com
• Ben Harper on Twitter

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010)

G. Love & Special Sauce
Garrett Dutton in Pittsburgh, 2007.
Background information
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Alternative hip-hop Blues rock Alternative rock
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Brushfire Records 550 Music
Members
Garrett Dutton Jeffrey Clemens Mark Boyce Timo Shanko
Past members
Jimi Prescott

G. Love & Special Sauce is an alternative hip-hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are known for their unique, "sloppy", and "laid back" blues sound that encompasses classic R&B. The band features Garrett Dutton, better known as G. Love, Jeffrey Clemens on drums, Mark Boyce on keyboards, and Timo Shanko on bass.

History[link]

The band formed in January 1993 when Dutton was performing at a Boston bar, The Tam O'Shanter. Here he met drummer Jeffrey Clemens. Dutton and Clemens began working as a duo, and were joined a few months later by bassist Jim Prescott and became the house band at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1994, they released their self titled debut album on Okeh Records. On the strength of the single "Cold Beverage", due in part to the song's rotation on MTV, the album nearly went gold. After which, trying to capitalize on the success of the album, the group toured heavily, eventually landing a spot on the H.O.R.D.E. tour.

In 1995, they released their follow-up album Coast to Coast Motel. Although it did not sell as well as the first album, it is considered by many critics as the stronger of the two. On tour following the release of the second album, the group nearly broke up, due to disagreements about the group's finances. Deciding on a hiatus the three members went their separate ways, working on various side projects.

By October 1997 the group had reconciled their differences and released their third album, Yeah, It's That Easy, which along with their own work, showcased their collaboration with several other bands and musicians, including All Fellas Band, Philly Cartel, King's Court, and Dr. John. This soul-influenced album was more similar to their debut album than their previous release.

Soon after G. Love & Special Sauce set out on another world tour, returning to Philadelphia in 1999 for the release of their fourth album, Philadelphonic. Philadelphonic was followed up with Electric Mile in 2001, an album that shows the wide-ranging influences of the trio, incorporating hip-hop, funk, psychedelica, blues, and soul in equal and ambitious measure. Ever the road band, Mile was followed by extensive touring. During this time they performed as the house band for Comedy Central's show Turn Ben Stein On, which ran from 1999-2001.

In summer 2005, the band featured in an advertisement for the launch of Coca-Cola Zero, featuring the group's own unique version of the noted Coca-Cola advertising song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". On June 24, 2008, Superhero Brother was released. On January 15, 2009, G. Love announced on the band's website that bassist Jimi "Jazz" Prescott is no longer a member of the band.^[1]

Solo albums[link]

G. Love has released three solo albums. His first, The Hustle, was the first G. Love release under Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records banner. Johnson had been a guest on the Special Sauce album Philadelphonic. G. Love did a series of shows in 2004 with Jack Johnson and fellow Brushfire Records artist Donavon Frankenreiter, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP. His solo albums include:

• Fixin' to Die
• The Hustle
• Lemonade
• Oh Yeah

Members[link]

Current[link]

• Garrett Dutton as G. Love (vocals, guitar, harmonica)
• Jeffrey Clemens as Houseman (drums, vocals)
• Mark Boyce (keyboards)
• Timo Shanko (string bass)

Former[link]

• Jim Prescott as Jimi Jazz (string bass)

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

The first five albums are demos or early versions of songs released on later albums.^[2]

• In the Kings Court
• Oh Yeah
• Back in the Day (1993)
• G. Love Has Gone Country (1998)
• Front Porch Loungin' (2000)

• G. Love and Special Sauce (Okeh - 1994) #32 Heatseekers
• Coast to Coast Motel (Okeh - 1995) #122 US #3 Heatseekers
• Yeah, It's That Easy (Okeh - 1997) #120 US #3 Heatseekers
• Philadelphonic (550 Music - 1999) #113 US #1 Heatseekers
• Electric Mile (550 Music - 2001) #138 US #4 Heatseekers
• The Best of G. Love and Special Sauce (Sony - 2002)
• The Hustle (Brushfire Records - 2004)
• A Year and a Night with G. Love and Special Sauce CD/DVD (2007)
• Superhero Brother (Brushfire Records - 2008) #63 US
• Long Way Down (Philadelphonic Records) (2009)
• Fixin' to Die (Brushfire Records - 2011)

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Philadelphonic.com
• G. Love & Special Sauce collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive