Jack Johnson

Johnson makes modern surf music. It's acoustic with hints of folk, blues and reggae, but it's all inspired by the ocean. He told Rolling Stone magazine: "Just get me out in the ocean, really. I've become dependent on it. It's hard when you start an addiction at age five."

He majored in film at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jack quit pro surfing because of a nearly fatal accident. Before that, he surfed everyday. He grew up in Hawaii, where his whole family surfed, including his father, famous surfer Jeff Johnson. He started out by making surfing videos and creating his own music to serve as background music. People began bootlegging his stuff, so he took music more seriously.