Multi-platinum and Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, filmmaker and former professional surfer Jack Johnson, makes his foray into dub music with the release of his forthcoming album In Between Dub which is due for release June 2 via Brushfire Records/Republic Records.

The 11-track set features collaborations with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Subatomic Sound System, Dennis Bovell, Scientist, Nightmares on Wax, Monk, Yaadcore and Mad Professor.

The project is led by two previously released singles, Traffic in the Sky and Better Together.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Johnson explained how the idea for a dub album came about.

“This album came together from conversations with my friends at our record label Brushfire Records. We had a connection to send some songs to Lee “Scratch” Perry. When he sent the songs back to us in his style, we loved the way it sounded. That gave us the idea to put together a whole album of songs from my catalog, interpreted by artists that we love and respect,” said Johnson.

He added, “Growing up in Hawai’i reggae music was always around. Island style music from around the world was always popular here and influencing the local music scene. I was lucky to grow up somewhere where roots music was a part of our culture.”

Johnson said he had always wanted to work with Perry, who died in 2021.

“Lee “Scratch” Perry has been on my radar since I was a kid. My friend’s dad used to make me mixtapes. One of my favorite tapes, that we would always blast in my truck, had Police and Thieves on it. I loved Junior Murvin’s voice. When I started playing guitar and paying attention to the liner notes on albums I got, Lee “Scratch” Perry seemed to be involved in so many of the songs that inspired me.”

Perry is featured on the track Traffic in the Sky.

“Traffic in the Sky is a song I wrote one afternoon in New York City. I had a broken hand so I couldn’t play basketball with my bass player and his cousin. Instead, I sat with some kids from the neighborhood and showed them how to draw waves on the pavement using rocks. At some point when we were looking down at our drawings, a big shadow flashed on the ground and made me look up. I noticed that there were airplanes everywhere, sitting in traffic waiting to land. It made me feel claustrophobic and the lyrics came flooding. I thought that the psychedelic aspect of the words would be perfect for Lee “Scratch” Perry. It was such an honor to hear his voice echoing some of the lines that I had written,” Johnson disclosed.

Johnson said the project took a year to complete.

“It took about a year to put the whole project together. We weren’t in a big rush. We would go back-and-forth with ideas with some of the collaborators on certain songs. Also, we were on tour, so things would start and stop depending on how busy we got.”

Johnson, who was born in Hawaii, had no intentions of becoming a musician. He shared that his work has been inspired by multiple genres of music including reggae.

“I never thought that music was going to be a career for me. It was just always something I loved to do. Music (the) that I make is inspired by many genres. Although I play mostly acoustic guitar, which is influenced mainly by Hawaiian music, many of the tones and rhythms on our albums are emulating our favorite reggae albums.”

His love for reggae has led him to work with some of the genre’s biggest names.

“One of my favorite parts of being a musician is the chance I’ve been given to meet many of my heroes. Some of the highlights of my life have been playing music with Jimmy Cliff and Toots and the Maytals. We had a beautiful summer tour with Ziggy Marley this past year. As far as the future goes, I’m really excited about a song that Stephen Marley invited me to sing on that will come out soon. I’ve never been to Jamaica yet, but I hope to be there some day. It’s a place where so much of the music that has inspired me, was born,” said Johnson.

In Between Dub, a hand-selected collection of some of Johnson’s most beloved songs over an incredible two-decade career, features reimagined tracks by some of reggae’s most influential names in the genre lending their talent to a collaborative compilation of dub remixes.

Johnson and his band will headline two festival performances; first on May 6 at SunFest in West Palm Beach, Florida and concluding at the Oceans Calling Music Festival in Ocean City, Maryland on September 29.

In support of In Between Dub, Johnson will also embark on a European tour which kicks off on June 4 in France and wrap on July 2 in Italy.

Special guests on the tour include Horace Andy, SOJA, and Subatomic Sound System.

Johnson, who has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, made his debut in 2001 with the album Brushfire Fairy Tales. It sold more than 1.2 million copies in the United States. His other platinum certified albums include On and On, and Sleep Through Static.

He has logged seven entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with You and Your Heart being his biggest hit, peaking at number 20 in 2010.