Joshua Radin grew up listening to classic Motown hits of the ‘60s, The Beatles, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Cat Stevens, influences which were to play a big part in his future career. He studied art at Northwestern University before moving to New York, buying a guitar and teaching himself how to play it and write songs.
His big break come in 2004 when he presented a copy of his very first song “Winter” to a TV producer by the name of Zach Braff with whom he eventually became close friends. He was so impressed he used it as a soundtrack on a scene in the comedy TV series Scrubs in 2004. After this exposure, demand grew for his work and soon his compositions were featuring in hit TV shows such as Brothers and Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill and American Idol. In total he has written more than 75 songs which have been featured on TV.
He relocated to Los Angeles, signed with Columbia Records and released his first album We Were Here in 2006. It was received enthusiastically by fans and music critics alike receiving a four-star Rolling Stone review and achieving No. 1 position on iTunes Folk Album Chart. His second album Simple Times was released in 2008 under the Mom & Pop label and reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. His most successful single from the album “I'd Rather Be With You” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart. He released his third album The Rock and The Tide in October 2010 and achieved similar levels of chart and critical success, with it reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Independent Chart. His most recent album Underwater was released in 2012.
Radin has played with many musical greats both during his extensive touring career as well as on his popular albums. Guest performers have included Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Gary Jules, Belmont Tench, Jim Keltner, Johnny Flagher, Jason Borger, Victor Indrizzo, Lenny Castro, Maria Taylor and Patty Griffin among others. He has also written soundtracks for hit movies including The Nanny Diaries, Catch and Release, Dakota Sky and The Last Kiss. He is in demand for personal appearances on TV shows and, most famously, after appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was asked to perform at her wedding.