Jackson Browne- Revisiting An Old Friend
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the music of Jackson Browne. I think the first album of his that I bought was 1974’s “Late for the Sky” and it still remains one of my all-time favorites. … If I had to put together a list of my 10 favorite all-time artists, Jackson Browne would definitely hold one of the spots. He’s been on that list since music started playing a major role in my life. I think 1974’s “Late for the Sky” was one of the first albums I went out and bought with my own money. And now, if you ask my 6 year old daughter her favorite, Jackson Browne would be one of the first names she’d mention as well.
I was probably 13 years old when my love affair with Jackson Browne began. I’ve seen him in concert probably more than any other artist (with Bruce Springsteen running a close second…), and even had the pleasure of seeing them perform together when Bruce joined Jackson onstage at a show at NY’s Madison Square Garden, sometime around 1984.
It was Bruce who inducted Jackson Browne into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame last year… after over 30 years of making music— ranging from some of the most emotionally moving to politically provocative ever made.
It was my love of music that propelled me into radio, and Jackson Browne was among a handful of artists that I’d always dreamed of interviewing.
I got to meet him a number of times before he joined me on the air one morning… The first was after a benefit concert at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theater, when my date said to him, “You made her cry!” To his quizzical look I explained that “Late for the Sky” always makes me cry… and then sheepishly walked away. In fact, his rendition that night did move me to tears. I’ve always said that a truly great song can elicit a physical response, whether it be goose bumps or tears. Jackson Browne’s music does that for me.
A couple of years later, I hosted a national broadcast of the “Columbia Records Radio Hour” with Jackson Browne performing live in front of a very lucky audience, at which time he told me that he was a fan of the radio station and listened often. You can imagine how that made my day!
Finally, on September 13, 1996, Jackson Browne joined me on the air at KSCA in Los Angeles. We had a little room in which artists came and performed… it was actually a hallway between our main air studio and the production room. We affectionately dubbed it the KSCA Music Hall. Perhaps his performance that morning inspired his recent solo acoustic tour, which spawned his wonderful new album, “Jackson Browne, Solo Acoustic Vol.1”… though since this interview happened 9 years ago, I’d say that’s unlikely…
But one of my radio dreams was fulfilled that morning and now, 9 years later, through the magic of podcasting, I’m able to re-live it and share it with Jackson Browne fans worldwide.