I was working in a conversion van factory the summer after my senior year trying to save up enough money to get me through the first two semesters of school. I’d deal with the second year when it arrived—times were hard, one step at a time. Rifling through the album bins at a local record shop, I found one with an image of a young man sitting on a hay bale and simply titled “John Prine.” I considered the purchase, which that summer would have been an extravagance. I was familiar with some of the songs on the record, and I wanted to hear more. At that time, I was a young, untrained songwriter from a small factory town in Northern Indiana, powerfully drawn to the singing storytellers and poets of the day. At that time, I didn’t know any professional songwriters, and so I was learning the art form by playing records and trying to decipher how musicians like Bob Dylan, Janis Ian, Jackson Browne, Carole King, James Taylor, and Joni Mitchell put together songs and created stories with language and melody.
I bought the album, and grateful I did —for John Prine would come to be known as one of the most iconic songwriters of the next many decades. I remember being moved and inspired by how this man could invoke laughter and tears in the same song, could spin a story that got right down into your bones, that made you want to write phrases from them on the palm of your hand like “ Sam Stone,” “ An Angel From Montgomery,” “ Paradise,” and “ Hello In There.” John Prine became an important window into an artform I would end up following for the rest of my life.
Ok, side note—that summer, I was also reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “ Breakfast of Champions,” MLK’s “ Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” E.E. Cummings & “The Bell Jar,” a collection of the writings of Gandhi, “ I and Thou,” and “ Be Here Now.” Yes, I was that kind of nerd, but if you are reading my Substack, there is a good chance you might be one too.
I’m writing this post because as August 2026 unfolds, musicians, fans, and family are honoring the legacy of John Prine as part of the lead-up to what would have been his 80th birthday this October. Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music has just unveiled a commemorative mural, and other events are being planned throughout the fall to remember John and his amazing contributions to American songwriting.
Most songwriters I know think of John Prine as a “songwriter’s songwriter”, the kind of creative artist that becomes a deep well of the very best water. I didn’t know John personally, but I know many people who did — and every one of them speaks often of his generosity of spirit, his rascally sense of humor, and utterly enormous heart.
I remember a songwriter I really respect calling John Prine songs “Four Chords and the Truth.” Which might seem like he was calling John’s songs simple. But it was just the opposite, because writing something that sounds simple on the surface, but taps into something utterly true, touching on all the nuances of the deepest kind of human experience, and do it with a melody you can’t help but hum for days after you hear it one time….well, that’s not easy, it’s elegant and poetic— and rarified.
So today, I’m joining with the Prine family, grateful musicians, and listeners in this August lead-up to the events happening this fall to celebrate John’s contributions to songwriting and the legacy of his work and life.
Your pal,
-carrie
I’m creating a spotify playlist of some of our favorite John Prine songs (recorded by John or covered by other artists). I’ll start it with a few classics…..Let me know your favorite original or cover of a John Prine song.
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