JOHN PRINE

Biography

John Edward Prine was born on October 10, 1946, in Maywood, Illinois, and became one of the most influential singer-songwriters of his generation. Growing up in a working-class family, Prine learned to play guitar at age 14, taught by his older brother Dave. His early experiences, including summers spent in rural Kentucky with his grandparents, deeply informed his songwriting perspective. After attending classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music and serving with the U.S. Army in West Germany, Prine returned to Chicago in the late 1960s and worked as a mailman for five years. During this time, he began writing and performing songs as a hobby, eventually playing at a student hang-out called the Fifth Peg. A laudatory review by film critic Roger Ebert helped put Prine on the map, and when singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson heard him perform at Steve Goodman's insistence, Kristofferson invited Prine to be his opening act.

Prine's eponymous debut album in 1971 featured such classics as "Paradise," "Sam Stone," "Hello in There," and "Angel from Montgomery," and has been hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time. His signature blend combined humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events with elements of social commentary and satire, alongside sweet songs and melancholy ballads. His lyrical style showcased both simplicity and complexity, employing surreal imagery and absurd wordplay to address personal and societal issues. After recording albums with Atlantic Records and Asylum Records, Prine co-founded the independent label Oh Boy Records in 1981 with longtime manager Al Bunetta, rejecting the established recording industry model he felt exploited artists. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his sound evolved, culminating in the Grammy-winning album "The Missing Years" (1991), produced by Howie Epstein of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He won a second Grammy for Folk Album of the Year for "Fair and Square" (2005).

Despite struggling with health issues throughout his life—surviving throat cancer in the 1990s (which required lengthy therapy to sing again) and lung cancer surgery in 2013—Prine continued to tour and record. His final album, "The Tree of Forgiveness" (2018), debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, his highest chart ranking. By the 2010s, he was widely acknowledged as an elder statesman of folk and Americana music, earning numerous honors including the PEN/Song Lyrics Award in 2016 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. During the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Prine and his wife tested positive for COVID-19. He was hospitalized with symptoms and died on April 7, 2020, at age seventy-three. Posthumously, he won two Grammy Awards in 2021 for "I Remember Everything," taking best American roots performance and best American roots song. Prine's legacy endures, having influenced a new generation of artists while leaving a lasting impact on folk, country, and Americana music.

Fun Facts

• Film critic Roger Ebert played a crucial role in launching Prine's career by writing a laudatory review that put him on the map before he became famous as a movie critic.
• Prine worked as a mailman for the U.S. Postal Service for five years while developing his songwriting craft, writing and singing songs initially as just a hobby.
• When Prine co-founded Oh Boy Records in 1981, his fans sent him enough money in advance to cover the costs of his next album, demonstrating their support for his independent approach to the music industry.
• Bob Dylan cited Prine's partly spoken-word song "Lake Marie" from the 1995 album "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings" as perhaps his favorite Prine song. The track interweaves tales over decades centered on themes of goodbye.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dave Prine - John's older brother who taught him rudimentary guitar (Early guitar instruction) [1960s]
• Kris Kristofferson - Established singer-songwriter who championed Prine's career by inviting him to be his opening act after hearing him perform (Early career support and touring) [Early 1970s]
• Steve Goodman - Fellow Chicago folk musician who insisted Kristofferson hear Prine perform, helping launch his career (Co-wrote "The 20th Century Is Almost Over") [1970s-1984]

Key Collaborators

• Howie Epstein - Bass player for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers who became Prine's producer ("The Missing Years" (1991), "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings" (1995)) [1991-1999]
• Roger Cook - Songwriter who worked as producer with Prine (Series of albums in the 1980s) [1980s]
• Iris DeMent - Country vocalist who collaborated on duets ("In Spite of Ourselves" (1999)) [1999]
• Margo Timmins - Cowboy Junkies vocalist who performed duet and co-headlining tour ("If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man" from "Black Eyed Man") [1992]
• Lucinda Williams - Country vocalist featured on duets album ("In Spite of Ourselves" (1999)) [1999]
• Emmylou Harris - Country vocalist featured on duets album ("In Spite of Ourselves" (1999)) [1999]

Artists Influenced

• Nanci Griffith - Prine was a vocal supporter when her career took off (Career mentorship) [1980s]
• Todd Snider - Young artist mentored by Prine, eventually signed to Oh Boy Records (Signed to Oh Boy Records) [Early 1990s]
• Alternative country musicians - A new generation of alternative country musicians who sought an audience outside mainstream music industry were influenced by Prine's approach (General influence on the genre) [1980s-2000s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. In Spite of Ourselves (In Spite Of Ourselves)
2. Clay Pigeons (Fair and Square)
3. Angel from Montgomery (John Prine)
4. That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round (Bruised Orange)
5. How Lucky
6. Paradise (John Prine)
7. Long Monday (Fair and Square)
8. Fish and Whistle (Bruised Orange)
9. Summer's End (The Tree of Forgiveness)
10. Spanish Pipedream (John Prine)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #american-singer, #american-songwriter, #classic-pop-and-rock