A John Prine Appreciation

David Bianculli (0:00)

This is Fresh Air, I'm David Bianculli.

Singer-songwriter John Prine isn't around to celebrate what would have been his 80th birthday tomorrow. He died six years ago of complications from COVID-19.

But it's being celebrated in a big way anyway, by family and friends in a five-day series of events in and around Chicago that have begun already, held in support of the family's Hello in Their Foundation. Last night, a tribute concert was held, hosted by John C. Riley, featuring the songs of John Prine as sung by Steve Earle, Margot Price and others. Documentary showings and other events continue this weekend. And today, we'll add our own voice to the mix by honoring John Prine's music and legacy on Today's Fresh Air. John Prine was born in 1946 in Maywood, Illinois. After a stint in the Army in West Germany, he settled in the Chicago suburbs in the late 1960s, attending folk music classes while working as a mailman. He wrote his first songs while delivering the mail, and eventually appeared at an open mic night at the Fifth Peg, a local folk club, to sing some of them. That led to more performances and a summertime weekend gig. At one of those shows, an audience member who caught his act was a local film critic who had gotten his reviewing job at the Chicago Sun-Times a few years earlier. His name was Roger Ebert and the story he wrote in 1970, John Prine's first review in print, captured the artist perfectly and helped him draw larger audiences. Ebert wrote, He appears on stage with such modesty, he almost seems to be backing into the spotlight. But Ebert added that Prine's music and lyrics were quite special. Prine's songs are all original and he only sings his own, Ebert said, adding that he's closer to Hank Williams than to Roger Williams, closer to Dylan than to Oakes. Ebert noted Prine's ability in his lyrics to sketch a character in just a few words and singled out with praise some of the very songs that would appear on Prine's first album the next year becoming instant classics. Hello in There, Angel from Montgomery and Sam Stone, the story of a Korean War veteran who returns home with a purple heart, shrapnel in his knee and a morphine addiction.

Roger Ebert wasn't the only one to note the exceptional talents of John Prine. Fellow singers and songwriters paid particular attention. Chris Christopherson, after seeing one performance, championed Prine and helped him get his recording contract. Johnny Cash praised him early and often, as did Bob Dylan. And a year after John Prine's first album was released, Bette Midler took one of the songs on it and showcased it on her own breakout first album, The Divine Miss M. The song she championed was an ode to old people, one of the songs Ebert had loved so much. Hello in there.

After that exposure, John Prine attained even more notice and performed and recorded music the rest of his life. 18 studio albums in all, five live albums and countless concert appearances where fellow musicians continued to seek him out and perform alongside him. Performers such as Bonnie Raitt, who once joined Prine on stage to turn his solo recording, Angel from Montgomery, into a very memorable duet.

Over the years, John Prine clearly lost the on-stage shyness Roger Ebert had witnessed in the 23-year-old neophyte performer. By the time he was introducing such comic compositions as The Other Side of Town in his concerts, his set up was as funny and as self-assured as the song itself.

John Prine (6:03)

This is a song about a man who's developed a special ability over a number of years. He's a, he's able to travel in his mind, particularly when his wife just goes on just a little bit too long about something that he hasn't done.

I read about this guy.

David Bianculli (7:13)

John Prine released his final studio album, The Tree of Forgiveness, in 2018, after surviving a bout with cancer. He won four Grammy Awards over his five decade career. In 2020, the Grammys honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. John Prine died that year after contracting COVID-19.

But in his final album, he offered some last words on the subject in a typically sly song called, When I Get to Heaven.

John Prine (7:50)

When I get to heaven, I'm going to shake God's hand, thanking for more blessings than one man can stand.

Then I'm going to get a guitar and start a rock and roll band, check into a Swell Hotel. Ain't the afterlife grand? And then I'm going to get a cocktail, vodka and ginger ale.

David Bianculli (8:29)

Terry Gross spoke to John Prine in 2018, just after the release of that final album. After a quick break, we'll hear excerpts from that interview. This is Fresh Air.