Once, at a John Prine show, during a quiet break in-between songs, people started to shout at him to sing a certain tune.
I yelled from across the wings ‘Play what you want, John!’
He smiled & pointed at me, and then played 20 of the greatest songs you’ll ever hear in your life. pic.twitter.com/Sa27GpWX9Q— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) April 8, 2020
The award-winning artist John Prine died on Tuesday, April 7, from Corona Virus complications. According to the family of John Prine, he was diagnosed with the virus on March 29. The family revealed to John’s fans on social media that he had been hospitalized for several days. They also added that his situation was critical. His wife, Fiona, on April 2, stated that John Prine was still very ill and that she was hopeful.
Who is John Prine?
John Prine was born in Illinois on 10th October 1946. He first appeared in the Chicago folk scene in the year 1970s. He was a favorite artist of Kris Kristofferson, Cowboy Jack Clement, and Bob Dylan. He was unknown for quite a while until when Mr. Kristofferson heard him playing at a Chicago club. Kristofferson was particularly impressed by how such a young person could be writing such heavy songs. Kristofferson, in particular, is regularly credited for discovering John Prine. He invited him onstage at his show in New York in 1971. The following day after New York’s Better End show, John Prine got a record deal with Atlantic Records. This record deal offer opened up bigger opportunities for John Prine. In 1971, he released his album called “John Prine” this album had songs that later became his signature. Some of these songs include Sam Stone, Hello in There, and Angel from Montgomery. John Prine was termed as the best and true folk singer. His father was a toolmaker at the American Can Company, his mother had moved from Paradise, a coal town in the 1930s. This lead Mr. Prine to write a bitter song known as Paradise. John Prine grew in a family that really loved music. John learned guitar when he was a young teen from his brother and grandmother. Since this time, John began writing his own songs. John worked at a post office for 2 years after graduating from high school. Later, he joined the Army, where he was sent to West Germany. He was in charge of the motor pool, and after getting discharged, he continued with his mail route around his hometown, where he could compose songs in his head. John Prine is well known for writing and singing songs that created vivid imagery and characters whose humanity shone over their troubles. His voice also made him get opportunities for several artist covers. Some of these covers include Sam Stone (Johnny Cash), Hello in There (Bette Midler), Angel from Montgomery (Bonnie Raitt), All the Best (George Strait), and many more.
Bob Dylan Comparison
His early songwriting career earned him a comparison with the great folk writer Bob Dylan. Later on, Bob Dylan credited Prine as one of his favorites. Prine released a series of albums enabling him to win large audiences across the country. All these albums were infused with a great sense of humor, which made many people love his songs. John Prine has over 15 albums since February 1971. In 2016, he had two projects that really made a big difference in his music career. The first one was For Better, for Worse, this album featuring country songs acquired him the veteran’s top 40 success. The other album The Tree of Forgiveness made him get to the top 2 albums of 2018. John Prine won his first Grammy Awards in 1991 for the Best Contemporary Folk Album called The Missing Years. Prine could have won his second award in 2005 for his Fair and Square album. John Prine has earned great honors and achievement the most popular is the Grammy Lifetime Achievement 2020. In 2019 John was inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame, where his album was nominated for Grammy – best Americana album. Despite his success and big achievements in his music career, John Prine had also experienced a fair share of troubles and suffering. In 1988, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his throat. The cancerous cell was removed, and this damaged his vocals. During the removal of this tumor, the surgeons removed part of his neck, and this left his head permanently slumped. This surgery made him have a deep and gravelly tone. In 2013, John Prine was also diagnosed with lung cancer, which caused his left lung to be removed. In early 2020, he had a hip injury that caused him to cancel his Bluesfest performance in Australia. Despite all his struggles, John Prine managed to get a sense of humor, saying that cancer had improved his voice. John also incorporates humor in all his work as well as poignant commentary about the foibles and struggles of ordinary persons. He once said that he could make himself laugh about something he should be crying about.
John Prine Mourned
Several fans are now mourning this legend songwriter and singer. One statement from Recording Academy reads, “We join the world in mourning the passing of revered country and folk singer/songwriter John Prine.” They added that John would be widely lauded as a highly influential songwriter of his generation. In addition, his impact will continue to rise and inspire musicians for many years to come. John’s last release was in 2018, The Tree of Forgiveness, which marked the first bunch of new music since winning the 2005 Grammy award Fair & Square. Prine is survived by his manager, who is also his wife Fiona Whelan Prine as well as his 3 sons Jack, Jody, and Tommy.