Daniel Johnston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniel Johnston
Johnston performing in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Daniel Dale Johnston
Born	(1961-01-22)January 22, 1961 Sacramento, California, U.S.
Origin	New Cumberland, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	c. September 10, 2019(2019-09-10) (aged 58) Waller, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Outsider lo-fi avant-pop
Occupation(s)	Musician singer-songwriter visual artist
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards chord organ guitar drums
Years active	1978–2019
Labels	Yip Eye Music Atlantic Stress Records

Daniel Dale Johnston (born January 22, 1961 – died September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician, and artist. He is known as an important figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music. Most of his songs were recorded alone at his home on cassette tapes. People often described his music as "pure" and "childlike."

Daniel struggled with bipolar disorder and spent time in hospitals for his mental health. He became popular in the 1980s by giving out his music tapes while working at a McDonald's in Austin, Texas. His fame grew even more when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was seen wearing a T-shirt with a drawing called "Jeremiah the Innocent" from Daniel's 1983 album Hi, How Are You.

Johnston was also a visual artist. His drawings and art were shown in galleries around the world. A 2005 documentary film, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, was made about his life and his struggles with mental illness. He passed away in 2019 from what was thought to be a heart attack.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Daniel Johnston was born in Sacramento, California. He grew up in New Cumberland, West Virginia. He was the youngest of five children in his family.

He started making music in the late 1970s. He used a simple, inexpensive Sanyo boombox to record his songs. He would sing and play the piano and a special instrument called a chord organ.

After finishing Oak Glen High School, Daniel briefly attended college. He later studied art at Kent State University, East Liverpool. During this time, he recorded some of his early albums, like Songs of Pain and More Songs of Pain.

Music Career and Growing Fame

1980s and 1990s Highlights

In 1984, Daniel worked at McDonald's and gave out his music tapes to people there. When he moved to Austin, Texas, he started getting attention from local newspapers. His habit of giving out tapes helped him gain many fans. His live shows became very popular.

In 1985, he was featured on an MTV show called The Cutting Edge. This show highlighted musicians from Austin's "New Sincerity" music scene.

In 1988, Daniel went to New York City. He recorded the album 1990 with producer Mark Kramer. This was his first time recording in a professional studio, after years of making tapes at home. In 1989, he released another album, It's Spooky, with singer Jad Fair.

In 1990, Daniel performed at a music festival in Austin, Texas. On his way back home, he had a serious mental health episode while flying in a small plane with his father. His father, who used to be a pilot, managed to land the plane safely. Both Daniel and his father had only minor injuries. After this event, Daniel was admitted to a mental hospital.

Interest in Daniel's music grew a lot when Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was often seen wearing a T-shirt with Daniel's "Jeremiah the Innocent" frog drawing. Kurt Cobain even listed Daniel's album Yip/Jump Music as one of his favorite albums.

Even while Daniel was in a mental hospital, many record companies wanted to sign him. He eventually signed with Atlantic Records in 1994. That same year, he released the album Fun. However, the album did not sell well, and Atlantic Records dropped him in 1996.

Johnston's "Hi, How Are You" mural in Austin, Texas.

In 1993, a record store in Austin, Texas, asked Daniel to paint a mural of the "Hi, How Are You?" frog. This frog is famous from his album cover. The building where the mural was painted has changed owners several times. Each new owner has decided to keep the mural because it is so well-loved. In 2023, the building was taken down, but the wall with Daniel's famous frog mural was left standing. The owner plans to include the mural in any future building designs.

2000s and Beyond

In 2004, Daniel released a two-disc album called The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered. The first disc featured famous artists like Tom Waits and Beck covering Daniel's songs. The second disc had Daniel's original recordings of those same songs.

In 2005, a theater company worked with Daniel to create a rock opera based on his music, called Speeding Motorcycle.

Johnston in 2006

In 2006, a documentary film about Daniel, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, was released. The film showed his life and music using many old recordings. It won an award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. The film helped more people discover Daniel's work and made him a more popular touring artist. His record label also released his first greatest-hits album, Welcome to My World, in 2006.

Over the next few years, Daniel toured all over the world. His artwork was shown in galleries in London and New York. In 2009, his work was part of an exhibit called "The Museum of Love" in Sacramento, California.

In 2009, Daniel released a new album called Is and Always Was. That same year, a video game for the iPhone was created called Hi, How Are You. The game was similar to Frogger but featured Daniel's art and music.

2010s and Final Performances

On March 13, 2012, Daniel released his first comic book, Space Ducks – An Infinite Comic Book of Musical Greatness. This comic book was connected to his Space Ducks album and an iOS app. Daniel also worked with the clothing company Supreme on several clothing collections that featured his artwork.

In 2013, a photography book called DANIEL JOHNSTON: here was published. It showed five years of photos of Daniel on tour and at his home.

In November 2015, a short documentary about Daniel's life, Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston?, was released. It featured Daniel as himself and an actor playing a younger version of him.

In July 2017, Daniel announced that he would stop performing live. He went on a final tour with five shows that fall. For each show, he was joined by bands that had been influenced by his music, like Jeff Tweedy and Built to Spill.

Death

On September 11, 2019, Daniel Johnston was found deceased at his home in Waller, Texas. It is believed he passed away overnight from a suspected heart attack. He had been released from the hospital the day before for kidney problems.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

In Spanish: Daniel Johnston para niños