John Prine, RIP
I just happened to be searching for "John Prine" yesterday. I learned that he had died on April 7. The coronavirus got him.
He was 73. He had beaten cancer twice. He had a heart problem. He was vulnerable.
He was a tremendous songwriter. In 2019, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. I was glad to see that. He deserved it. In December 2019, he won a lifetime Grammy. He deserved it. The previous year, he was nominated for three Grammys. He deserved them.
His first album came out in 1971. In 2015, it was placed into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Best of all, he lived long enough to see this.
A summary of his life is here. If you like to read about creative people, read it. If you like obscurity-to-success stories, read it.
I can remember clearly where I was when I first heard one of his songs. Actually, I heard two of his songs. I was listening to a local FM radio station operated by Duke University sometime around 1978. I have never forgotten them. They were two of the best folk songs I ever heard. He wrote a lot of others, and I have heard a lot of them, but these two remain my favorites over 40 years later. I offer them to you as a way to cheer you up in a time when we need cheering up.
In admitting that I like these songs, I suppose I am revealing too much of my inner self. These were not top 10 singles on anybody else's chart, I suspect.
He wrote other songs that were covered by famous artists. Sam Stone is one of them. It was too depressing for me.
This was his signature song.
The man could write!
This interview was made in 2018, just before the Grammy awards.
He went out on top. May we all do the same.
For a playlist of 25 of his songs, go here. His 22 albums are here.