u/jpprine

john prine official Behind The Song: American songwriter.com John Prine Behind The Song: John Prine's "Illegal Smile"BY JACOB UITTI UPDATED: NOVEMBER 8, 2021 when listening to the classic John Prine tune "Illegal Smile" it's hard not to wonder what the reaction to the song-especially its lyrics-would be if the track had come out today, in 2021. when the song hit the airwaves in 1971, people lapped it up like kittens and milk. But today, to say: Relax, stop overreacting, I'm just having some good clean fun! might engender online mobs the likes never seen before.

Millions of fans grieved John Prine. But the CMA never said his name . When John Prine died from COVID-19 in 2020, tributes poured in from every corner of music. Songwriters, artists, and lifelong fans all spoke about the man whose lyrics changed music. So when the CMA Awards aired their annual "In Memoriam" segment, people waited for his photo to appear. It never did. The reaction was immediate. Fans were stunned. Musicians were angry. To many, it felt impossible that one of the most respected writers in country and folk music could simply be left out of Nashville's biggest night. Then Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires made their own statement. They publicly returned their CMA membership cards, refusing to stay connected to an organization they believed had ignored one of the genre's greatest voices. For them, this was bigger than one missing tribute. It was about what country music chooses to celebrate and who gets forgotten when the spotlight moves on. John Prine never cared about fame. He wrote songs about ordinary people, hard truths, heartbreak, humor, and survival. And decades later, those songs still feel more honest than ever. Country Wave's post country and foik music could simply rent out of Nashvilles biggest night. Then Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires made their own statement. They publicly returned their CMA membership cards, refusing to stay connected to an organization they believed had ignored one of the genre's greatest voices. For them, this was bigger than one missing tribute. It was about what country music chooses to celebrate and who gets forgotten when the spotlight moves on. John Prine never cared about fame. He wrote songs about ordinary people, hard truths, heartbreak, humor, and survival. And decades later, those songs still feel more honest than ever. What Jason Isbell later said about the CMA controversy revealed a deeper divide inside modern country music - one that many artists had been quietly feeling for years.

In the summer of 2010, the dusty air of Bonnaroo was transformed into a sacred ground of songwriting as John Prine took the stage. The energy reached a fever pitch when he invited his longtime friend and fellow legend, Kris Kristofferson, to join him for a rousing performance of "Paradise." Standing shoulder to shoulder, these two titans of the craft shared a single microphone, their voices weathered like fine leather and seasoned with a lifetime of truth. As they sang of the coal mines and the disappearing beauty of Muhlenberg County, the thousands of young fans in the audience fell into a collective, hushed reverence. It wasn't just a song; it was a passing of the torch and a celebration of a friendship that helped define the American songbook. In that moment, the "Green River" didn't feel so far away.

Margo Price Growing up, I always loved the 4th of July ..... I have always considered myself a patriot, someone who cares deeply about freedom, truth and democracy. Growing up, I always loved the 4th of July, but as I got the older, the more I saw how the people in power twisted the truth. Like my dear friend John Prine used to say, I really love America. I just don't know how to get there anymore."

Peabody noted in one of its more hyperbolic arguments, "we probably helped supply the energy to make that recording that falsely names us as 'hauling away' Paradise, Kentucky." Prine, his curiosity and sentimental- ity rising rather more than his dander, returned to Paradise the other day to check out the facts for himself. He revisited the Green River banks, where he spent all his early summers and where his grandfather once ran the ferry and "loved to sit around and do a little singing and picking." Granddaddy was accomplished enough to strum with the father of the Everly Brothers and with Merle Travis, and helped teach John to play his first $28.95 mail- order guitar. In talking to kin and other folks still around, Prine concluded that the laying waste of Paradise was perhaps) more complex than his lyrics suggest- ed, and that not the least of the culprits was the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has a power plant there. Then, he returned home to Chicago and to the reclusive privacy he enjoys with the high school sweetheart he married in the factory suburb of Melrose Park. John, now 27, had worked as a mail- man until four years ago, when Kris Kristofferson and Paul Anka uncovered him moonlighting at a tavern in Chicago's Old Town. Prine has since written songs for each of them, and hits like Pretty Good, Souvenirs and Hello in There for performers like Dylan, Midler and Baez. But Prine still lives in the same old neighborhood, still composes the same old blue-collar blues and limits his performances to five nights a month. John Prine, his successes aside, is a diffident star with a different definition of what is Paradise. FRANK MARTIN

John Prine - Cambridge Folk Festival 2002 John Prine Mar 12 Sam Stone "I always thought one of the great mistakes they made in the service is if they spent half the time that they do getting you ready, and the intensity that they put you through in basic training for combat, if they spent half that time bringing you down and teaching you how to be a civilian, it would make a big difference. I would liken it to a person who has done prison time. They all speak of how difficult it is to be back on the street and how difficult it is to accept freedom once you get used to living incarcerated. So, all my friends that were over there were affected, like I said. I wasn't writing about anybody specific. I made up the character of Sam Stone, obviously, just 'cause he rhymed with 'home."

JOHN PRINE'S SPIRIT IS COMING HOME ONE MORE TIME On October 8, 2026, the lights of The Chicago Theatre will shine for a night that feels far bigger than a concert. With Ratboys, John C. Reilly, Steve Earle, Margo Price, and Alynda Segarra gathering to celebrate what would've been John Prine's 80th birthday, fans are preparing for a night filled with stories, tears, laughter, and songs that never stopped healing people. Some artists leave behind music. John Prine left behind pieces of our hearts.