with Sara Watkins.

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne has added a string of Fall dates to his 2012 U.S. Acoustic Tour. The tour, which begins this summer on July 14 in Charlotte, NC runs thru mid-August, before picking up again mid-October and ending on November 15 in Colorado Springs, CO. Playing guitar and piano, Jackson will perform songs from his entire body of work, with varying set lists each night. Singer-songwriter and fiddle player Sara Watkins will open the Acoustic Tour as a special guest. Tickets are on-sale now for the summer tour and the pre-sales for the fall tour begin this week; information is available at www.jacksonbrowne.com. Sara Watkins first gained recognition as a founding member of the GRAMMY-winning trio Nickel Creek. Sun Midnight Sun, the second solo album from acclaimed singer, songwriter, and fiddle player will be released May 8 on Nonesuch Records. Produced by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Blake Mills, co-founder of the band Simon Dawes, the album features special guest appearances by Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Benmont Tench, and Sean Watkins. “I’m really excited to have Sara joining me on this tour,” says Jackson. “We've played together a number of times in the last few years, sometimes on her show and sometimes mine, and it's always been a thrill for me. I'm floored by her amazing instrumental virtuosity and by her beautiful voice, and most of all, I love her songs.” The summer run of the 2012 U.S. Acoustic Tour includes Jackson's first-ever performance at the legendary Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI (7/29), founded in 1954; the tour's other festival stop is the 11th annual carbon-conscious Floyd Fest on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Floyd, VA (7/26). Other tour highlights include concerts at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN (7/18), Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA (7/23), the Beacon Theatre in New York City (8/3), and Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, OH (8/15). The fall leg runs through mid-November, with dates that span from the Virginia’s to Colorado with several stops in between. Tour highlights include concerts at the stunning Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, WI (10/21), Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL (10/26) and the Paramount Theater in Denver, CO (11/14). Jackson will be donating $1 from each ticket sold on the U.S. Acoustic Tour to charity.