John Prine
| John Prine | |
|---|---|
Prine at MerleFest, Wilkesboro N.C. (2006)
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| Background information | |
| Born |
October 10, 1946 Maywood, Illinois, United States |
| Genres |
Country Folk Progressive bluegrass Americana |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer-songwriter Guitarist |
| Instruments |
Vocals Guitar |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels | Atlantic, Asylum, Oh Boy, Rhino |
| Associated acts | Steve Goodman |
| Website | www |
John Prine (born October 10, 1946) is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a composer, recording artist, and live performer since the early 1970s.
Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at the age of 14. Subsequently, serving in West Germany with the U.S. armed forces, by the late 1960s he had moved to Chicago, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs as a hobby. Becoming a part of the city's folk revival, he was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, resulting in the production of Prine's self-titled debut album through Atlantic Records in 1971. After receiving critical acclaim, Prine focused on his musical career, recording three more albums for Atlantic. He then signed to Asylum Records, where he recorded an additional three albums.
In 1984 he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent record label with which he would release most of his subsequent albums.
After his battle with squamous cell cancer in 1998, Prine's vocals deepened into a gravel-voice, resulting in the award-winning album Fair & Square (2005).
Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine is known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary, or which recollect melancholy tales from his life.
Prine is the son of William Prine and Verna Hamm. He started playing guitar at age 14, taught by his brother, David. Prine attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. He was a mailman for five years and served in the Army during the Vietnam War era, serving in Germany, before beginning his musical career in Chicago.
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