Singer/songwriter John Prine passed away today (4/7)
from complications of coronavirus (COVID-19). He was 73. In a career
spanning almost 50 years, the Songwriters Hall of Famer was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards and won two: The Missing Years was named Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1992 and Fair & Squaretook
home Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2006. He’s penned and performed
songs including “Sam Stone,” “Angel From Montgomery,” “Paradise,” “Hello
In There,” “Illegal Smile,” “That’s The Way The World Goes ‘Round,”
“Lake Marie,” “Fish And Whistle,” “Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness,”
“In Spite of Ourselves” and “I Just Want To Dance With You.”
Born in 1946 in suburban Chicago, Prine’s music career began in the
late ’60s singing at open mic events at the Fifth Peg folk club, where
he received his first rave review from Chicago Sun-Times movie critic
Roger Ebert. After Kris Kristofferson gave him a spot at a show in New
York – where he attracted record company interest – Prine released his
1971 self-titled debut album, which was later enshrined in the Grammy
Hall of Fame. The project yielded “Sam Stone” (recorded by the likes of
Johnny Cash), “Hello in There” (Bette Midler), “Angel from Montgomery”
(Bonnie Raitt) and “Paradise” (John Denver). Prine co-founded
Nashville’s longest operating indie label, Oh Boy Records, in 1981. He
was named Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association in 2017.
In 2018, he released The Tree of Forgiveness, his first album
of new songs since 2005. It earned three Grammy nominations: Americana
Album and two American Roots Song entries. His songs have been covered
by artists including Zac Brown Band, David Allan Coe, Carly Simon, Norah
Jones, Miranda Lambert and George Strait, and he has replicated
Kristofferson’s kindness by having young singer/songwriters like Jason
Isbell, Margo Price and Sturgill Simpson open his concerts.