Johnny Jewel

Biography

Johnny Jewel (born John David Padgett in Houston, Texas, in 1974) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, and visual artist. He is noted for his use of all-analog equipment and has been recording and releasing music since the mid-1990s.

Early Life and Career

Jewel was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and was inspired by the music of bands like The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth as a teenager. After relocating to Portland, Oregon, in the mid-1990s, he began recording music under the name Johnny Jewel. In 1996, he formed the band Glass Candy with vocalist Ida No. The band initially had a no-wave-influenced sound before evolving into an electronic-based duo featuring elements of Italo disco.

Italians Do It Better and Group Projects

In 2006, Jewel co-founded the independent Portland-based record label Italians Do It Better. He has served as a key figure, co-writing, recording, and performing with many of the label's artists, which focus on disco, electronic, and synth-based music. His most notable group projects include:

Glass Candy: His longest-running project, evolving from post-punk to electronic dance-rock.

Chromatics: Achieved considerable commercial success, particularly with the album Night Drive (2007).

Desire: A collaboration that has featured his signature production style—heavily delayed guitar, Italo-disco elements, and analog warmth.

Film Scoring and Solo Work

Jewel's hauntingly atmospheric and emotionally charged compositions have made him a sought-after film composer. His music was featured in the 2011 film Drive, and he has composed scores for films including:

Bronson (2008)

Lost River (2015), the directorial debut of Ryan Gosling.

Home (2016), for which he won the Georges Delerue Award.

Between 2014 and 2018, Jewel released several solo albums, such as Windswept (2017) and Digital Rain (2018), which were largely instrumental. His work has also appeared in television series such as Twin Peaks: The Return. Jewel's unique blend of nostalgic analog sounds and modern electronic music has established him as an influential producer and composer.