This Friday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m., a tribute concert to Jackson Browne, focusing on his unparalleled legacy as a singer, songwriter and American rock musician, is being held at the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.

Browne’s iconic hits like “Somebody’s Baby,” “Tender is the Night,” “Running On Empty,” “Doctor, My Eyes,” “Rock Me On The Water,”  and countless others have excited audiences for decades.

Running On Jackson captures Browne’s sound and the look and feel of his concerts.

As a teenager in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, Browne had his first successes writing songs for others. As a 16-year-old, he wrote “These Days” which became a minor hit for German singer Nico in 1967. 

Following graduation from high school in 1966, Browne joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as a founding member and after a few months moved to Greenwich Village, New York and took a job.

Later the Dirt Band recorded a number of Browne’s first songs, such as “These Days”, “Holding”, and “Shadow Dream Song” as did Tom Rush, Nico, Steve Noonan, Gregg Allman, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds, Iain Matthews, and others. Browne did not release his own versions of these early songs until years later.  

In 1972, Browne and The Eagles’ lead vocalist Glenn Frey co-wrote “Take It Easy.” It was The Eagles first Billboard Top 40 hit. 

“Late for the Sky” (1974) consolidated Browne’s fan base. The album peaked at No. 14, the 84th-best-selling album of 1974. The title song, “For a Dancer”, was featured in Martin Scorsese’s film “Taxi Driver.”

His fifth album, “Running on Empty,” released in 1977, is Browne’s signature work. Recorded entirely while he was on tour, it became his biggest commercial success, rising to number 3 on the album chart and remaining there for over a year. His songs explore themes of life as a touring musician. The album produced two Top 40 singles, “Running on Empty” and “The Load Out/Stay.” Many of the other tracks became popular radio hits. 

Browne had successful albums through the ‘80s, including his only number 1 album “Hold Out” in 1980. His highest-charting single, 1982’s “Somebody’s Baby”, was used in the film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” It was followed by 1983’s “Lawyers in Love”, which included his hit single “Tender Is the Night.” 

Rolling Stone named Browne’s “Lives In The Balance” released in 1986, one of the “Greatest Albums of the 1980s.”

On March 14, 2004, Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. By then, he had written quite a few hit songs recorded by many artists. On June 7, 2007, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in celebration of his songwriting and for championing contemporary causes.

Browne was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including for “Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1” (2005), “Love Is Strange: En Vivo Con Tino” (2010) and for his most recent album “Downhill From Everywhere” (2021). 

In 2015, “Rolling Stone” ranked Browne as 37th in its list of the “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.”

Experience the amazing music created by this iconic performer. On stage will be Matt Cimini, lead vocalist; Joe Torra, keyboards and vocalist; Jay Fruet, guitar and vocalist; Vinnie Brandi, bass and vocalist; Glen Boden, drums and vocalist; and Vicki Alibozek, percussion, keyboard and vocalist.

The concert is BYOB with audience members encouraged to bring their favorite snacks and beverages and sit at a table with family and friends.

For tickets and to reserve a table, call the Deane Center at 570-724-6220 or visit deanecenter.com. Arrive at 7 p.m. this Friday to purchase tickets, if available, in the Deane Center lobby. Admission is $30.