Like most people of my generation The Beatles changed my musical life and my life! Then Bob Dylan heralded the singer-songwriters who created songs with personal lyrical content that we all related to.
Jackson Browne’s debut album was “Saturate Before Using.” Jackson’s songs were like a Woody Allen film: the relationships, emotions and the people described in the lyrics were nuanced just like life itself. I purchased “Late for the Sky” (his best album in my opinion) on the same day my college alumni newsletter arrived. On the cover was a photograph of my college girlfriend with a wistful smile: “Fountain of Sorrow.” “Late for the Sky” chronicled the painful breakup. And that is one of two songs I play on in our show. Talk about karma!
In 1977 the live “Running on Empty” album was released: In 65 I was 17.”
Yep, that was me.
Over the years my musical life has brought me together with Jeff Pevar and Danny (Kootch) Kortschmar both of whom have played, recorded, or toured with Jackson. Kootch actually wrote a song for JB that we play: “Shaky Town.” It was only natural when I thought about putting a band together it would celebrate the music of Jackson Browne.
—Jonathan Schneider