We lost two of the greatest American songwriters this past week to covid 19; Bill Withers and now, John Prine. While they had little in common except the ability to touch our hearts and souls, their debut albums both came out in 1971.
While I was still firmly embedded in what we now refer to as "classic rock", Withers inimitable voice and evocative lyrics were able to make me pay attention and hum along. He continued to write through the mid 80s, but quit touring and writing at that time.
John Prine on the other hand was a roadie for life, touring relentlessly and releasing a respectable catalog over the years. For some reason, probably the fact he never got into the Top 40 and/or didn't have Withers' silky voice, I came to appreciate him later in life. I was weeding my garden in the spring of 1995 and listening to Scott Simon interview Prine on his Saturday morning show on NPR as John was plugging a new album, "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings". I was hooked by the lyrics and soon was serenading the family with "lake Marie" among other tunes. "They was sizzling" has become a touchstone for me and the Divine Mrs. M.
Prine never had much of a voice and most of his songs are done in a sometimes lilting monotone, but his sharp observations of his fellow citizens made me by turns proud and exasperated to be an American in this time. We were lucky enough to see him play in Burlington, Vt. at the venerable Flynn Theater. He was accompanied by Iris Dement and it was a great show, despite the fact he was recovering from surgery which damaged his vocal chords.
From "Sam Stone" to "Some Humans ain't Human" and "Your Flag Decal won't get You into Heaven Anymore", Prine's commentary on life in our country was almost always spot on. He was 73 years old. RIP John and Bill. Somewhere there's duet being played....
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