Words cannot even begin to express how saddened I am to post this.
John Prine has died.
Prine, a legend in rock, folk, and country circles and one of the greatest songwriters of the past half-century, died today (4/7) from complications of COVID-19. His family reported on March 29 that Prine was in the hospital with the virus, in critical condition and intubated.
John Prine was born in Maywood, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on October 10, 1946. He grew up with a love of country music instilled in him by his parents.
After a stint in the Army, Prine got a job as a letter carrier. He would sing as he walked his route, and later was coerced into trying out at an open mic night in a folk club. Roger Ebert (the famed movie critic) praised his work, as did his friend, Steve Goodman, who, according to Clay Eals' biography, gave up his own shot at success to make sure Prine got signed to a record deal.
Hailed as "the next Dylan" (a kiss of death for many a songwriter), Prine's first album was a masterpiece. It included folk, country, and rock elements....and the song "Paradise." The song, about the now-defunct town in western Kentucky where his parents hailed from, has become a classic in bluegrass, folk, and country.
The album also contained what may always stand as Prine's most poignant song, "Sam Stone." The lyrics, on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame, show the song was originally titled "The Great Society Conflict Veteran's Blues," but later changed to the protagonist's name to make it more universal (given that veterans from all wars suffered the same fate). Prine once said that not a concert went by where some veteran didn't come up to him to say "thank you" for "Sam Stone."
Prine's career combined the heartbreak songs ("Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)," about an actual event Prine witnessed as a young man in Chicago, where an altar boy was run over by a commuter train) and the comical ("Dear Abby") for a career that spanned six decades. Over the years he recorded with a number of country acts, including an album of duets with bluegrass legend Mac Wiseman.
His accolades including two Grammy awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. He was also nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I've been on a "Paradise" road trip, stopping at the various sites mentioned in the song. Sitting by the Rochester Dam I could hear Prine's voice, clear as ever, singing those memorable lines:
When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
I'll be halfway to heaven, with Paradise waiting
Just five miles away from wherever I am.
John Prine was 73.
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