John Prine

[edit] Guide Note

John Prine, who was born in Illinois, is a country and folk singer as well as a songwriter, who started his career in the early seventies.¹

[edit] Fast Facts

1. Genre(s): Country/Folk, Pop/Rock²
2. Name: John Prine²
3. Born: October 10, 1946²
4. Birth place: Maywood, Illinois²
5. Origin: American¹
6. Active: 1970-present²
7. Albums: 16³
8. Label(s): Oh Boy, Rhino, and Atlantic⁴
9. Awards: 2005 Grammy Award⁵
10. Associated with: Steve Goodman⁶

Prine started playing the guitar when he was about fourteen years old. He was a mailman for five years and then went into the army for two years before pursuing his career.¹

In 1971, Prine started his career in Memphis with his debut album, artists such as the Everly Brothers, Joan Baez and Bette Midler also recorded a number of his songs.⁷ Also, in the early seventies, Prine performed all over the United States in festivals, concerts, and clubs.⁸ During the 1980's, Prine established his own record label called Oh Boy Records, which he made a number of hits.⁹ In 1998, Prine was diagnosed with a cancer in his neck, while working on an album that he did not finish until 1999. In 2000, Prine re-recorded fifteen songs for the album called Souvenirs, and in 2005, recorded another album, along with going on tour. In 2007, he also released another album with a number of folk and country classics.¹⁰ Prine is still performing today in a number of different states, and in 2009, has appearances set up for February, March and April.¹¹

• 1971: John Prine
• 1988: John Prine Live
• 1999: In Spite Of Ourselves
• 2005: Fair & Square