Four weeks ago tonight, John Prine caught the April super moon and rode it to heaven. We knew he was sick with the virus and that his chances of recovery were slim, but it still hurt and it still does. I imagine he would have written some good tunes about our current state of being. As a “young man from a small town with a very large imagination,” he “made up songs,” along his postal route in the Chicago area. I can listen to his lyrics over and over and still get a rush of mixed emotions from his stories that are funny, absurd, devastating — and sometimes all in one song. John Prine introduced us to a colorful cast of characters: Lydia - “reading romance novels in her room,” while Donald was “envisioning romantic scenes” from the “barracks latrine,” and them “making love in their dreams.” Sam Stone returning from Vietnam with a “Purple Heart and a monkey on his back.” And the couple from “In Spite of Ourselves”- She “swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs,” and he “drinks his

John Prine, a wry and perceptive writer whose country and folk songs often resembled vivid short stories, has died at age 73. His death, from complications caused by COVID-19, was confirmed by his family. Even as a young man, Prine — who famously worked as a mailman before turning to music full-time — wrote evocative songs that belied his age. With a conversational vocal approach, he quickly developed a reputation as a performer who empathized with his characters. His beloved 1971 self-titled debut features the aching "Hello In There," written from the perspective of a lonely elderly man who simply wants to be noticed, and the equally bittersweet "Angel From Montgomery." The latter song is narrated by a middle-aged woman with deep regrets over the way her life turned out, married to a man who's merely "another child that's grown old." Bestowing dignity on the overlooked and marginalized was a common theme throughout Prine's career; he became known for detailed vignettes about ordinary

When I heard the news of John Prine's hospitalization on March 30, I was, of course, saddened. His music has meant so much to me over the decades. On that day, I recorded this cover of one of my favorites from Prine's early output, a political song cleverly disguised as a broken-hearted love ballad. There's a video I posted to YouTube of this very same performance, which also includes some spoken introduction, about how I was feeling upon getting the news of John's contracting the coronavirus, and so forth. So, if you'd like to hear that, and see the song performed, it's here. I did a little bit of work on the audio for this MeFiMu upload, though, so I think it might sound a little better here than on the video. Anyway, rest in peace, John Prine, rest in peace.

KUTX presents John Prine “This Song” Live Interview and In-Store Appearance Monday, June 4th at 2pm. Come celebrate the release of John Prine‘s brand new album, Tree of Forgiveness with this special event. The interview and performance will be from 2pm-3pm. John Prine will be signing records from 3-4pm Purchase a copy of Tree of […]

John Prine describes what Bob Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," taught him about songwriting and empathy, and explains why he had to sequester himself in a hotel to write for the new record, "The Tree of Forgiveness."

John Prine explains how Bob Dylan's "The Lonsesome Death of Hattie Carroll" changed his life and goes in depth about his own songwriting process for his album "The Tree of Forgiveness."

John Prine, who survived cancer and heart issues, died from COVID-19 complications. The Grammy winner was known for his keen observations and mordant humor.

Iconic singer-songwriter John Prine, who died at age 73, hired Indiana guitarists Jason Wilber and Larry Crane to play in his band.