We
lost John Prine this April, another victim of the first Coronavirus. He was 71 and
had been wracked with health problems for years but continued
writing, recording, and performing
almost to the end. His once luxuriant
brown locks had receded to a thin gray brush. His face was contorted by the removal of
half a cancerous jaw. His distinctive twangy tenor had become something of a gravely rasp. He was often
in pain and sidelined for various hospitalizations
but was soon back on the stage and
the recording studio.
He
had come a long way from his days as the singing Maywood Mailman and stand-out star of the old Chicago folk music scene. His 1971 debut
self-titled album on Atlantic
Records was a treasure trove
memorable songs—the rollicking and irreverent Illegal Smile and Your
Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Any More; the bittersweet ballads Hello in There, Paradise, and Angel
From Montgomery; and the gut
wrenching Sam Stone. It was a virtuoso
collection that rivaled anything
Bob Dylan could put out. Two follow up albums added more great songs
to his portfolio.
But
despite that song bag and an
electrifying stage presence as a solo artist; in duets with pals like
Steve Goodman, Kris Kristofferson, or Iris DeMent;
or with a kick-ass band Prine never
became big star with his own hit records, radio play, or stadium tours. Other people scored hits with songs. He
was idolized by other musicians and
had a devoted cult following. Late in life some fans followed him from city
to city on his tours like Deadheads. He was too dangerous and radical for
country music establishment and country radio; too country for rock
& roll; and too rock for fans of laid back folk singer-songwriters.
Prine
switched labels and moved to Nashville, but
Asylum did not seem to know what to
do with him and he grew to mistrust
major labels for exploiting songwriters.
In 1981 he founded his own
label, Oh Boy which gave him creative control but limited distribution.
He
regularly released albums—live shows, compilations,
collaborations some new material
until Fair & Square in 2010.
Now battling two different cancers, heart
disease, and a compromised immune
system that made him susceptible
to pneumonia and infectious diseases he finally began to
achieve the popular acclaim that has
eluded him. In 1918 album Prine’s first album of new
material in 13 years, The Tree of Forgiveness became highest-charting album on the Billboard
200.
In
2019, he recorded several tracks
including Please Let Me Go 'Round Again which warmly confronted the end of life his final recording session. The last song Prine recorded before he died
was I
Remember Everything released on
June 12, 2020 with a music video. It was released following the two-hour Tribute
Celebrating John Prine aired on June 11, which featured Sturgill Simpson, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell,
Kacey Musgraves, Bonnie Raitt,
Rita Wilson, Eric Church, Brandi Carlile
and many other country artists and friends. On the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, I
Remember Everything was the soundtrack
to the COVID-19 memorial video.
Prine
collected many honors—14 Grammy
nominations, three wins, and the Lifetime
Achievement Award; six wins from the Americana
Music Honors & Awards; the
PEN New England Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award; and election to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
And more honors may be coming—he is likely to finally enter the Country Music Hall of Fame and perhaps
even the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Today’s
Holliday Music Festival selection is Christmas in Prison, surely the most
melancholy seasonal hall this side of the Pogues’
Fairytale of New York. It first appeared on Prine's second album
Diamonds in the Rough in 1972 and was also included on A
John Prine Christmas in 1993, and Souvenirs in 2000.
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