- In Spite Of Ourselves · 1999
- John Prine · 1971
- John Prine · 1971
- John Prine · 1971
- John Prine · 1971
- John Prine · 1971
- John Prine · 1971
- John Prine · 1971
- The Tree of Forgiveness · 2018
- The Tree of Forgiveness · 2018
- Bruised Orange · 1978
- Sweet Revenge · 1973
- I Remember Everything - Single · 2020
Essential Albums
- Looking back, it’s funny that John Prine was considered one of America’s Next Dylans. Rootsy guy with acoustic guitar, yeah. But beyond that, the comparison doesn’t hold. If anything, Prine’s 1971 debut offered a kind of rebuttal to Dylan’s poetic opacity, a set of songs whose philosophies were as immediate as bumper stickers and juggled subjects of existential heft with conversational wit. Be kind to old folks (“Hello in There”), smoke weed if you need to (“Illegal Smile”), beware your glass house (“Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore”), and know that behind every face lies a lifetime of aspirations and disappointments not even their beholder may understand (“Angel From Montgomery”). Produced by Atlantic Records’ legendary Arif Mardin and executed by a group of Memphis musicians who had worked with Elvis and Dusty Springfield, the album was a musically square affair—drummer Hayward Bishop later complained that finding a groove within Mardin’s prescribed confines was like trying to milk a dog. But listen to the hayride bomp of “Spanish Pipedream” or the waltz of “Donald and Lydia” (which may or may not be about a missed connection and two people pleasuring themselves to the memory of each other hours after the opportunity passed) and one hears the bridges between Nashville, Appalachia, and New York, country polish and folk ruggedness, hippie and heartland and the kind of universal humanism that knows no cultural lines. Listen to it once and you’ll sing along to a couple by the second chorus; listen again and see if you don’t hit them all.
Music Videos
- 2007
Artist Playlists
- RIP to the ultimate songwriter’s songwriter.
- The bard of Americana combined humor and compassion.
- Folk and country songwriting masters who learned from the best.
- The folk and country singer's lesser-known moods and themes.
Singles & EPs
More To Hear
- The Prine family shares their favorite John memories and songs.
- John Prine remembered in story and song by Dave and friends.
- Maddie & Tae talk new album, plus FaceTime with Ashley McBryde.
About John Prine
John Prine kicked off his career in a 1970s musical landscape that overflowed with game-changing singer/songwriters, but he still managed to become known as one of his generation’s most powerful song poets. Born in Maywood, IL, in 1946, he learned about folk and country music at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music as a teen and started playing around the city’s folk clubs in 1969. With the support of Kris Kristofferson, Prine landed a record deal and released his self-titled debut LP in 1971. A milestone effort containing compassionate, plainspokenly poetic future classics about dissatisfied wives (“Angel From Montgomery”), heroin-addicted Vietnam vets (“Sam Stone”), and lonely senior citizens (“Hello In There”), it quickly made Prine a cult hero. His wry humor, rootsy flavor, and rough-hewn vocal style put his messages over perfectly. Prine’s quirky work never broke through to the mainstream, but there was never a time when he wasn’t considered one of America’s finest songwriters. From the early ’70s to the present, his songs have been widely covered, with Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Miranda Lambert, and countless others expanding on his legacy. Prine had a long run of impactful albums that took him through the mid-’90s, but he didn’t release any original material between 1995 and 2005 (though he made celebrated records of covers and duets). He came roaring back to form with 2005’s Grammy-winning Fair and Square, and, after battling health problems, he released one more album of new songs, 2018’s The Tree of Forgiveness. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy shortly before his death on March 19, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19.
- FROM
- Maywood, IL, United States
- BORN
- October 10, 1946
- GENRE
- Singer/Songwriter