Consolidated 2020 (2d half) RIP Thread

[LOL!]

Long-time fan since the 1970s. He played small venues back then and over the years. I have his LP of his first album, you know, in vinyl.

As I read some write-ups in the media, I got a chuckle out of the perspective of some of the under-30 journalists. Things were different for us oldsters when we were growing up .. and for John Prine. May he rest in peace.

 

[Nemo2]

Bonnie Raitt's version of Angel is vaguely familiar but not one I'd stop to listen to.

I may be wrong, (I generally am), but the rendition(s), although very important, are perhaps secondary to the lyrics, what they imply, and the memories they might activate.

 

[Gumby]

I may be wrong, (I generally am), but the rendition(s), although very important, are perhaps secondary to the lyrics, what they imply, and the memories they might activate.

That's my take on it. To pack so much pain, regret and longing in so few words is a rare gift.

 

[RunningBum]

Many of his songs covered by others are here:
John Prine Covers | Artists covering John Prine songs

I remember Bonnie Raitt and Kris Kristoferson being early supporters of his writing.

That's the kind of list I was looking for. I don't recognize anything, but then again I don't always know the names of songs I hear. But I don't even know many of the artists.

I may be wrong, (I generally am), but the rendition(s), although very important, are perhaps secondary to the lyrics, what they imply, and the memories they might activate.

I'm not sure what that has to do with my statement that I'd never heard of him nor any of the songs he's recorded or written (with the possible exception of Raitt's rendition). It's not a statement of quality. I know I do not have the breadth nor knowledge of music to judge that for anyone but myself. Just a bit of surprise to see so much attention given to someone I was never aware of. Having listened to a few songs that have been playing or that people have put links to, none of them have been songs I would feel compelled to download or put on a playlist.

I'm going to bow out of this thread so that those who have enjoyed his work can remember and enjoy it. It was never my intention to take away from that. I only responded a couple more times because people seem to be saying that surely I must know of his work, and I'll stick with "barely, if at all".

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

When Joe Diffie died recently (also of COVID 19) I had no idea who he was. We all have a variety of interests, and they don't all coincide. Even in the forum's marquee topics.

 

[youbet]

Although not unexpected, this is so sad. John's health issues over the past decade or so almost did him in on several occasion. Who would have guessed he'd be taken during a pandemic?

DW and I (pre-marriage some of that time) were active in the Chicago folk/Celtic/Bluegrass scene in the late 60's and early 70's. Some involvement with the Old Town School and much time spent at the clubs John Prine/Steve Goodman/Bob Gibson/Jim Post/Megan McDonough/Jim Craig/Bonnie Koloc, etc. performed at regularly. Those were great years!

John's "Lake Marie" is one of my favorites. But you'd have to be familiar with the culture around the Fox Chain of Lakes and the town of Fox Lake (distant NW suburb of Chicago) to really appreciate it.

About the same age as John, growing up in the same area (about 8 miles away) and coming from the same blue collar background, it was so easy to love his music. I wouldn't really call it "folk music" though. It's more just the outpouring of a very creative singer-song writer.

Edit:

The singer - song writer referenced in my sig line, John Wort Hannam, wrote a number of pieces in his early years with similar appeal as Prine's, at least to me. Although Hannam's roots are in rural Canada while Prine's are in industrial Chicago. Both did include work about mining and miners' lives though.

 

[ERD50]

.... I'm going to bow out of this thread so that those who have enjoyed his work can remember and enjoy it. It was never my intention to take away from that. I only responded a couple more times because people seem to be saying that surely I must know of his work, and I'll stick with "barely, if at all".

I'm a big fan, but I'm not surprised that many people would not know of his work. I don't think any songs were wildly famous, no top 10 or even top 40, top 100 hits.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9353612/john-prine-dead-chart-history

OK, that shows a few older albums in the top 200, and more recent ones higher - but no big singles that I'm aware of. It's just not "pop" music.

But if you are the kind of person that digs into certain non-pop genres, you would not need to dig far at all to find a lot of people covering his songs, especially the already noted "Angel From Montgomery". Bonnie Raitt is pretty mainstream, and she does a great version.

Gumby posted Susan Tedesco's version, which is fantastic - I had forgot about that. I got that CD out of the library years ago, and that and many other songs are just wonderful (she's married to Derek Trucks, of Allman Brothers band family roots). Susan is a fantastic guitar player, really up there, but Derek is really in the stratosphere of greats.

-ERD50

 

[target2019]

That's the kind of list I was looking for. I don't recognize anything, but then again I don't always know the names of songs I hear. But I don't even know many of the artists.

Glad the list was somewhat helpful. It's all good, as they say. Good to hear your comments.

 

[harley]

I love Prine's music, his own recordings of it. But IMHO, he and Tom Waits have written the best music that others cover in my lifetime. Especially the women artists. There's something in those two guys turn of a phrase that seems to really speak to the female performers.

 

[2017ish]

He has a huge fan base among 20-35 year olds in Nashville--particularly those in the industry. Our local alt station has had a couple of Prine only sessions over the past 10 days as his condition unfolded. DW and I enjoy his work (albeit, not for hours nonstop) and have heard many of his songs covered at local concerts.

Here, fittingly, is the last song off of his last album ("When I get to heaven"):

 

[braumeister]

My first exposure to John Prine was his song "Paradise" covered by John Denver on his 1972 Rocky Mountain High album. What a talent.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

While most of Prine's songs are quite personal, I think "Paradise" was his most autobiographical and, to me, his signature song. The last time I saw him perform, he closed the show with it.

 

[Gumby]

While most of Prine's songs are quite personal, I think "Paradise" was his most autobiographical and, to me, his signature song. The last time I saw him perform, he closed the show with it.

That song always reminds me of my grandmother's small town down in the southeast Ohio coal country, where I occasionally lived with her during my childhood. I saw the strip mines, with their giant shovels and drag-lines, and Mr. Peabody's mile long coal trains taking it all away. Nothing left but ruined land and water and people. He captured it perfectly in his lyrics.

 

[braumeister]

That song always reminds me of my grandmother's small town down in the southeast Ohio coal country, where I occasionally lived with her during my childhood. I saw the strip mines, with their giant shovels and drag-lines, and Mr. Peabody's mile long coal trains taking it all away. Nothing left but ruined land and water and people. He captured it perfectly in his lyrics.

Same with my grandmother's little town in the western Maryland panhandle. A sad chapter.

 

[Murf2]

My wife & I are big fans. In spite of ourselves & this are 2 of our favorites.

https://youtu.be/ZACwVOJXpn0

We are gonna miss him! [emoji22]

 

[target2019]

Ya' know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, "Hello in there, hello"

John Prine - Hello in There

 

[Nemo2]

Bundled all up in his corduroy
Headed down south towards Illinois
From the jungles of east St. Paul.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Dear Abby, Dear Abby, you won't believe this
But my stomach makes noises whenever I kiss;
My girlfriend tells me that it's all in my head
But my stomach tells me to write you instead.
Signed, Noise-Maker

 

[Telly]

Dear Abby, Dear Abby....

You beat me to it! Used to hear Dear Abbey on late-night Chi-town progressive rock FM station(s) back in the day. I'd tune in when the world seemed all asleep and I was wide awake after coming home from a 2nd shift factory job, working my way through school. Steve Goodman, too, still find myself humming Lincoln Park Pirates sometimes... I was always very careful where I parked.

 

[Calico]

John Prine - Hello in There

He wrote Hello in There when he was 24. 24!!

Unbelievable how he captured the experience of being old at that age.

 

[target2019]

That song always reminds me of my grandmother's small town down in the southeast Ohio coal country, where I occasionally lived with her during my childhood. I saw the strip mines, with their giant shovels and drag-lines, and Mr. Peabody's mile long coal trains taking it all away. Nothing left but ruined land and water and people. He captured it perfectly in his lyrics.

Learned there is a phrase that describes the ability to evoke sense memory -- Proustian moment (or memory).

A "Proustian memory" is a brief, vivid, sense memory, especially one involving taste, based on the childhood memories that flood Proust's narrator when he eats a madeleine cookie dipped in tea.

In this article the author refers to a Bob Dylan quote about Prine's song writing ability. "Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind-trips to the nth degree." https://althouse.blogspot.com/2020/04/prines-stuff-is-pure-proustian.html?m=1

The author also admits he doesn't follow the music of John Prine.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I watched one of the videos and tears came to my eyes. My uncle was a great fan of John Prine. He used to pick the guitar and sing us John Prine songs- Dear Abby was my personal favorite.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

He wrote Hello in There when he was 24. 24!!

Unbelievable how he captured the experience of being old at that age.

Like Prine, I was a mailman for a few years. I'm not saying that provided him with the inspiration, but the job can give you a surprisingly intimate peek into the lives of others sometimes.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I first saw him on Austin City Limits in about 1985. Followed him ever since.


His song "In a town this size" described my home town perfectly.

 

[jcfradio]

Very sad to hear of his death as I have always been a big fan of his work. His first album was one of the first records that I bought as a teenager. I finally got to see him live about 15 years ago, and had made plans to see him one last time this summer when he was going to be in Ottawa.

As an aside, when I was on a business trip in the Green River area of Kentucky a few years ago, I made it a point to look up where the town of Paradise would have been before it was torn down. It was nice to see the context for the song.

"It is a big old goofy world"