John Prine

One of his era's most revered singer/songwriters, John Prine possessed an unmatched gift for narrative songcraft that blended sharp wit with deep emotional resonance, often delivering an understated yet genuine portrait of his Illinois upbringing through incisive portraits of everyday lives. Though his compositions drew primarily from folk and country traditions, he moved comfortably into rock & roll, R&B, and rockabilly, shaping his gritty yet eloquent delivery to suit each setting. Never achieving a signature chart-topper himself, Prine nevertheless supplied material for an impressive roster of admired interpreters, many of them songwriters of stature, among them Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, George Strait, Bette Midler, Paul Westerberg, and Dwight Yoakam. His self-titled 1971 debut quickly earned classic status, spotlighting signature tracks such as "Sam Stone," "Hello in There," "Paradise," and "Illegal Smile," while the follow-up, 1972's Diamonds in the Rough, was judged nearly its equal. Bruised Orange, issued in 1978, offered a restrained return to the debut's mood, and Pink Cadillac the next year paid homage to his affinity for rockabilly and early rock & roll. During the 1980s he left the major-label system to establish Oh Boy Records, where, freed to work at his preferred tempo and according to his own instincts, he delivered a series of distinctive and personal albums, among them 1991's The Missing Years, the 1999 duets set In Spite of Ourselves, and 2018's elegant closing statement The Tree of Forgiveness.

John Prine entered the world on October 10, 1946, in Maywood, Illinois. Brought up by parents deeply connected to their Kentucky rural heritage, he took up guitar at fourteen under his older brother's guidance and drew further motivation from his grandfather, who had performed alongside Merle Travis. Following a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, he settled back in Illinois and became a regular presence on the Chicago folk circuit by the late 1960s, forming a friendship with fellow aspiring musician Steve Goodman while employed as a mail carrier. His first notable press attention arrived in 1970 after film critic Roger Ebert wandered into a venue where Prine was performing in search of a beer following a screening and became enthralled by what he heard. When Goodman later opened for Kris Kristofferson, he persuaded the songwriter to hear his friend Prine; Kristofferson recognized their ability and, during a subsequent visit to New York City, permitted the pair of Chicago performers to each perform three songs at one of his shows. An Atlantic Records executive in attendance extended Prine a recording contract the following day.

In 1971 Prine traveled to Memphis to cut his self-titled first album; although it failed to register commercially, reviewers hailed the record, singling out "Sam Stone," the unflinching yet empathetic account of a heroin-addicted Vietnam veteran, and "Hello in There," a reflective meditation on aging, for special commendation. Neither Diamonds in the Rough nor 1973's Sweet Revenge improved on its chart performance, yet Prine's material gained widespread esteem among fellow artists; the Everly Brothers and Johnny Cash both recorded "Paradise," Bette Midler and Joan Baez each tackled "Hello in There," and Bonnie Raitt delivered a memorable reading of "Angel from Montgomery."

For 1975's Common Sense, Prine enlisted producer Steve Cropper, the influential Stax house guitarist; the album's emphasis on robust vocals and forceful drumming startled the folk audience but demonstrated that Prine refused easy categorization, and it became his sole LP to enter the U.S. Top 100. Despite that modest breakthrough, it marked his final Atlantic release; Steve Goodman then produced 1978's Bruised Orange, Prine's Asylum debut, which returned to acoustic territory. With 1979's Pink Cadillac he shifted direction once more, recording an electrified rockabilly set at Sun Studios under the guidance of label founder Sam Phillips and his son Knox.

After 1980's Storm Windows, Asylum dropped Prine, prompting him to launch Oh Boy Records with longtime manager Al Bunetta and thereby eliminate intermediaries. The imprint's inaugural release, 1984's Aimless Love, initiated a fruitful period; 1986's country-leaning German Afternoons earned a Grammy nomination for Contemporary Folk. Following the live album John Prine Live in 1988, he issued 1991's Grammy-winning The Missing Years, co-produced by Howie Epstein of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and featuring contributions from Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, and Tom Petty; the project became Prine's strongest commercial showing to that point, moving close to 250,000 copies. After making his screen debut in John Mellencamp's 1992 film Falling from Grace, Prine returned with 1995's Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, again produced by Epstein, which garnered another Grammy nomination.

While preparing a collection of male-female country duets in 1998, Prine received a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma on the right side of his neck. Following surgery and radiation, he recovered sufficiently by 1999 to finish the project, released as In Spite of Ourselves and boasting appearances by Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Connie Smith, and additional artists. In 2000 he re-recorded fifteen of his best-known compositions for Souvenirs, partly to exercise his voice after treatment and chiefly to secure ownership of earlier hits under the Oh Boy imprint; the album first appeared in Germany before reaching the United States. Fair & Square, a set of new material, followed in 2005 and supported a subsequent tour. Two years later Prine joined singer and guitarist Mac Wiseman for Standard Songs for Average People, their joint interpretations of fourteen folk and country standards. In Person & On Stage, drawn from various live performances, surfaced in 2010.

In 2016 Prine delivered For Better, Or Worse, a sequel to In Spite of Ourselves comprising further country duets; his partners on this occasion included Kacey Musgraves, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Susan Tedeschi, Lee Ann Womack, Kathy Mattea, and frequent collaborator Iris DeMent. Teaming with Nashville producer Dave Cobb, he recorded 2018's The Tree of Forgiveness, his first collection of original songs since 2005; the album featured guest turns from Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and Amanda Shires. It achieved both critical and commercial success, climbing to number five on the Billboard 200, number two on the Country Albums chart, and number one on the Folk Albums chart. The Tree of Forgiveness marked Prine's final release; he died on April 7, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19 at the age of 73.