JOHN PRINE
HAPPY 73rd BIRTHDAY JOHN PRINE!
Perhaps my favourite songsmith, I first came across Prine's work having a penchant for both Bonnie Raitt and Nanci Griffith both of whom covered classic Prine songs ('Angel From Montgomery' and 'Speed of The Sound of Loneliness' I assumed the lasses had written these until I knew better and thought hang on who's writing this stuff?!) I first bought an anthology 'Great Days' back in '93 and I was lost to the maestro. There really isn't a duff track on it. All classic Prine and has still several favourites (Blue Umbrella, Down By The Side of the Road, Lake Marie, Paradise, alongside his well beloved songs the two I have mentioned alongside Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Sam Stone etc)
I was hooked and then bought 'Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings' when that came out and every album since 'Great Days' and tried to complete my collection by going back and buying albums prior to this too so I have nearly everything official released.
Most recently I have been astonished as to his recovery from his neck cancer (squamous cell cancer) and then secondary lung cancer which have seen him undergo something of a rebirth in touring and his active touring continues with little to no let up bearing in mind temporary set backs like interrupting his recent tour with another operation to have a stent fitted!! I also spent a fair bit on buying his charity single for the ACLU 'Unwed Fathers' and 'People Puttin' People Down' in response to the Alabama abortion laws now amongst the most severe and draconian in the States.
His home record label 'Oh Boy' has recently also signed it's first other country artist for fifteen years in the silver voiced and beautiful Kelsey Waldon. The female outlaw country singer is Oh Boy's latest addition and she is great! (Check 'Burn One With John Prine'!)
Among Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson's favourite artists, Dylan has said In 2009, in interview with The Huffington Post that Prine was truly one of his favourite writers, stating
"Prine's stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mindtrips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs. I remember when Kris Kristofferson first brought him on the scene. 'Sam Stone' featuring the wonderfully evocative line: 'There’s a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, and Jesus Christ died for nothing I suppose.'All that stuff about "Sam Stone," the soldier junkie daddy, and "Donald and Lydia", where people make love from ten miles away. Nobody but Prine could write like that."
