How old was he when he played bass on this? 17?

My first post - not sure if the link embeds or not.

It's been said many a time before, but if the man was writing "Don't confront me with my failures - I have not forgotten them" at sixteen - SIXTEEN - then anything is possible.

...that's ...1...9...9...0...!!!!!!

The Smiths broke up when he was 24.

I think Sandy Denny was only 18 (or perhaps younger) when she wrote Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
Eric Clapton had played with and quit both the Yardbirds and Bluesbreakers before he was 21.
Peter Green, following Clapton was also a 20 year old while Mick Taylor joined Mayall at the age of 18.

The other thing about Jackson Browne is he worked really hard at it. There's an illuminating quote in the Laurel Canyon Cowboys book to the effect that Glen Frey and John David Souther had an apartment above JB and would roll in at 5 from the Troub only to be woken at 9 by JB working endlessly at his songs on the piano down stairs. Clearly perspiration and inspiration in his case.

Has released four hugely popular and acclaimed albums, three of which have been nominated for the Mercury Prize, one of which has won it.

He is 24.

..it's an era thing.
This particular type of rock music belongs to the baby-boomers.
The post war environment they grew up in can never be repeated, some may say that's a good thing, but The Fleet Foxes could labour away for a year of Sundays and not come up with something as good as "Sweet Baby James" let alone "The Late Show"

... when The Beatles broke up? Or am I wrong here?

Tim Buckley was only 21 years, 4 months old when he recorded this aching, complex, mature, flat-out masterpiece:

Eddie Cochran died at 21; Buddy Holly at 22. It goes without saying that their entire careers took place before their deaths.

And my personal favourites - pretty much the first music that really obsessed me - started out damn young, as this clip proves:

No one has mentioned Kate Bush. Written when she was 13, recorded at 16:

I would say that many of the above had few distractions in the form of iPhones, Facebook etc. I also believe that the welfare state was a great incubator of creativity by allowing people to do 'stuff' without having to worry about re-paying loans or taking part in Jobseeker/YTS schemes or whatever they call them now.

I would say that many of the above had few distractions in the form of iPhones, Facebook etc. I also believe that the welfare state was a great incubator of creativity by allowing people to do 'stuff' without having to worry about re-paying loans or taking part in Jobseeker/YTS schemes or whatever they call them now.

Wrote, produced and sang most leads on Pet Sounds. He was 24, and it was his ELEVENTH album.

They were born within two days of each other, in June 1942. When they were 24, it was a very good year.

let's not forget Miles Davis installing Tony Williams in his band at 17.

Alex was 16 when he sang "The Letter", and he sang it like a seasoned pro.