Jackson Browne

Few performers epitomized the 1970s singer-songwriter ideal better than Grammy nominee Jackson Browne, who explored issues of lost innocence, interpersonal turmoil and the fall of Woodstock Nation principles in such popular songs as "Doctor My Eyes," "These Days," "Running On Empty" and "Somebody's Baby." A teenaged wunderkind who began writing songs professionally before his 18th birthday, Browne's folk-inflected songs became favorites of such artists as The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rondstat and others before he began his own recording career in 1973. He enjoyed cult status before breaking into the mainstream with 1976's The Pretender.

Browne used his newfound fame to highlight political causes he favored, which in turned colored his work in the 1980s. Browne continued to work throughout the early 1990s and new millennium on music that blended his passion for the personal and the political. His induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 solidified the notion that Browne was one of the late 20th century's most talented and observant songwriters.