Daniel Johnston

One of the most revered outsider musicians of the late 20th century, Daniel Johnston influenced several generations of singer/songwriters with his poignant and melodically infectious songs during his four-decade career. Born in 1961 in Sacramento, Johnston began to record tapes of original music on a boombox in his teenage years, accompanying himself on guitar or keyboard. Across his 11 cassette releases of the '80s, he established a clear signature style: plaintively delivered, tuneful songs that mix acute descriptions of loneliness and pain—reflecting his lifelong struggles with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia—with optimistic mantras and cartoonish imagery. Johnston released the acclaimed 1990 in its eponymous year, thanks to the increasing interest that alt-rock musicians like Sonic Youth and Galaxie 500 had taken in his music. The singer/songwriter went on to record one major-label release—1994’s Fun—after his public profile was boosted by Kurt Cobain’s sporadic appearances in a T-shirt bearing the artwork of Johnston’s 1983 Hi, How Are You album. The 2000s saw the releases of a star-studded Johnston tribute album and an acclaimed documentary, 2005’s The Devil and Daniel Johnston, which led to touring opportunities and a greater interest in his visual art. After retiring from public performance, Johnston died at his home in 2019 at the age of 58.