Complex sentence: He was a songwriter and independent musician from 1997--2002, releasing three albums: "September Sun" (1997), "Every Step of the Way" (1998), and "Sellout" (2002).
Split into simpler sentences: He was a songwriter and independent musician from 1997--2002. During that time, he released three albums: "September Sun" (1997), "Every Step of the Way" (1998), and "Sellout" (2002).