Fans and fellow artists mourn the loss of their friend and share fond memories that have left them forever inspired by the timeless, John Prine.
“It is a loss, but the music abides. He touched a lot of lives.” – Ron Swanson
“I really feel like we’ve lost one of our generation’s great champions for living outside the senses.” – Lacy J. Dalton
“I have enjoyed John’s music for many years. He was a truly gifted man and he will be missed. My prayers go out to his family.” – Charley Pride
“All of The Oak Ridge Boys are saddened by the loss of John Prine. The man was a genius songwriter! I have been listening to his music and praying for him since he got sick and to be honest I didn’t really know John personally but my heart is heavy nonetheless.” – Joe Bonsall / Oak Ridge Boys
“Nashville has lost another legendary artist. John Prine will always be remembered for his great music. I will always remember John’s wonderful smile and how nice and caring he was. Sending lots of love to his family.” – Crystal Gayle
“So sad to see another great music legend leave us. My family sends prayers to John Prine’s family.” – Lee Greenwood
“John was a sweet genius who always had time for conversation with me and as a songwriter, he was untouchable.” – T. Graham Brown
“After having the honor of seeing John Prine on a few occasions, it was no secret how much he is loved and admired. I last saw him at the Marty Stuart Late Night Jam, and was fortunate to have a front row seat. I captured many great photos, and will cherish the photos as a wonderful memory of witnessing one of the greatest songwriters to walk God’s Earth.” – Rhonda Vincent
“John Prine was a treasure! He inspired every singer/songwriter who has ever lived. He has survived several health challenges and I was praying that he would survive this. There was only one John Prine. Everyone looked up to him and he will be missed by not only Nashville, but around the world. We love you, John.” – Deborah Allen
“I used to sing his song “Paradise” about Muhlenburg county during my shows in clubs. It was written about how the coal mines stripped away the vegetation and trees. He also wrote “Angel From Montgomery,” which was a hit by Bonnie Raitt. This is the kind of music that I have always loved. It was a touch of blues and a touch of pop. I have always loved his music and style. He was a leader in the “awareness” songs and was a huge influence in my life and my approach to music. You will be missed, John.” – Janie Fricke
“I first met John Prine in the 70’s backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. He was perhaps one of the nicest guys I’ve ever had the honor to meet. No star attitude whatsoever. He was just an average guy who loved words. And he became one of the greatest wordsmiths of our time. His lyrics are pure poetry. He never worried about making his songs commercial. He wrote from the heart and the gut. Ironically I was in the studio last month and recorded one of his songs that I’ve loved for years called “Blue Umbrella.” John would say in three minutes what an author would say in 256 pages. What a talent!” – Tim Atwood
“So sad to hear the passing of the legendary John Prine. One of the most influential songwriters of our time gone way too soon! His music will live on forever.” – J.D. Shelburne
“John Prine was one of the most beloved and well-versed songwriters in the business, and his passing is a huge loss to songwriters and fans alike. The mark he made on the americana/folk/country music industry was remarkable – one that no one else could ever dream of accomplishing. His songwriting will be deeply missed, but even more than that is his infectious smile and sweet spirit. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of John’s family and friends, as well as all the fans he has made over the years. There will truly never be another John Prine.” – Paige King Johnson
“John Prine broke the mold and was definitely a mid-western and every-man poet. He was a wonderful writer/performer. The immediate things that come to my mind were his brilliance, sensitivity, and humor; as someone recently said – he was the Mark Twain of modern songwriting – definitely one of a kind!”
Marlon Hargis added, “I sat with him for a couple of hrs at a bar in Austin, Tx in 1986, just after we (Exile) and John had performed at Farm Aid II, earlier that afternoon. I remember how friendly, accessible, funny, and down-to-earth he was; a very nice guy. I was slightly on awe of hangin’ out with such a cool,brilliant songwriter.”
–Exile (Sonny LeMaire, JP Pennington, Marlon Hargis, Les Taylor and Steve Goetzman)
“My first ever live concert at the esteemed ‘mother church’ The Ryman Auditorium was John Prine…and I sat there like a school kid waiting for the spring break bell, I was so excited…he did all his greatest hits, but at that time (around 1995)…he was especially pushing his newest body of work, Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings.
I believe I had a spiritual awakening when I heard him and his full band do Lake Marie for the first time, in THAT venue. I mean, my soul shook. Funny thing is, I still feel that way EVERY time I hear it now, long after….just like I do when I hear Ain’t Hurtin Nobody. All the Way with You. We Are the Lonely. I Love you So Much It Hurts and This Love is Real. There’s not a weak song on the whole damn record, but then….that was John. He was one of those lyrical untouchables, but every word, every single word, reached out and touched you. He was the epitome of real. All those great songs, all those great records, such a lovely man…such a gentle soul. Good God!!!
We cried in our kitchen tonight when we found out he’d passed away. Matt and I both realized we’d only met him once each, but both experiences equally important enough to remember for life. John remembered your name. He made such tender-hearted eye contact, he shook your hand and made you feel like you were a long lost family. He wasn’t a show-boater or a grand-stander and he didn’t seem like he had much use for those that were.
He wrote simple songs with fairly simple chords about real life things, but NOBODY could do it like he could. You could tell he had a mind that was deep as the deepest well and that’s why writing simple songs is so complex. It’s flat out hard to say the same ol’ thing and make it sound new, fresh, genuine, and poetic. John Prine was one of my all time favorite poets. The world will be one less honorable and talented man going forward. One less legend. Selfishly, I’d just wished I’d have gotten to sit and share lunch with him at his favorite meat and three where we met once, and visit a spell….or sing a duet with him….and watch him do his thing from a few feet away, I’ll always be a little extra sad about that. I wish love and support to his wife Fiona and his family during this confusing time in our universe. Bless you all.
One of the all time favorite quotes from the movie Daddy and Them was a line John so perfectly and timely delivered. “Don’t never let it be too late…”
John Prine, you were right on time, and you touched the hearts of every set of ears that got to hear you. Until we meet again, I look forward to that lunch.”
–Heidi Newfield
“In the summer of 1973, days after I’d seen my first rock concert (Grand Funk Railroad), Steve Leder, my friend and band mate, took me downstairs to his teen lair and played me John Prine’s “Dear Abby.” “Whaddya think,” he asked. ‘Country’ I thought. ‘I hate country.’ Steve picked up the needle and played the song again. And once more after that. I started to hear something in those lyrics; John Prine was speaking to me. He was wry, he made me smile, he was doing something different. It wasn’t Grand Funk. It wasn’t Alice Cooper or The Rolling Stones either. With just his acoustic guitar and a ragged voice it became clear that you didn’t need stacks of Marshall amps to blow people away. You needed only to mine the minutiae of living and take careful notes to make people feel the weight of their humanity.”
– Peter Himmelman
“John Prine was one of the most introspective songwriters of our time. I was introduced to John Prine’s songs while on Navy leave in a small club in Charleston, SC. many years ago. Songs like “Dear Abbey” and “Sam Stone” drew me in as a fan of great lyrics. But “Hello In There” and “Angel From Montgomery” stole my heart and became my favorites. John Prine not only inspired me to be a songwriter, but to want to be a better songwriter. I’m still working on that… ”
—Ruthie Foster
“More than once, I saw Prine get so tickled with himself he couldn’t keep his teeth in his mouth, the grin would overtake him, but he’d keep talking anyway. I remember him pointing at the TV screen one night in the early nineties. The news was showing clips of the crowd at a folk festival that had taken place that afternoon and the people looked like they were trying to re-create Woodstock, headbands, tie dye, the usual. Prine said,”Look at them out there trying to be hippies. There’s not a cavity in that whole crowd. I never met a hippie chick didn’t have a mouth full of rotten teeth.” John Prine was a realist.”
—James McMurtry
John Prine was a great man and a master songwriter. His humility, his humor, his indirect way of circling around the truth and getting to the heart of what it is to be human sets him apart from all the others. Listening to his songs and his understated way of delivering them is a master class on how it’s done and then some. There’s a gracefulness to them that you just can’t fake. There are some things in this world that can’t be taught and his brilliance and his heart on the sleeve of all the characters he wrote about so honestly is a testament to his greatness.
His kindness and generosity to me when we met is something I will never forget and will carry with me all my days. He was as humble a man as you’ll ever meet and you’ll be a better person for having brushed up against one of his songs. His passing is a great loss to the world of music and to the world at large. It’s a rarity for such a gentle and wise man to pass by this way and his passing is a heartbreak in a world in such great need of a great and tender heart.
God bless John Prine. Rest in peace with the angels.
– Willie Nile
Thank you, John. You raised the bar in every way. Rest in power knowing that you changed the world for the better. pic.twitter.com/HCGpur0q7Z
— Whitney Rose (@whitneyroseband) April 8, 2020
