John Prine Live (Original Release Date: 1988)





An acclaimed singer/songwriter whose literate work flirted with everything from acoustic folk to
rockabilly to straight-ahead country, John Prine was born October 10, 1946, in Maywood, IL. Raised
by parents firmly rooted in their rural Kentucky background, at age 14 Prine began learning to play
the guitar from his older brother while taking inspiration from his grandfather, who had played with
Merle Travis. After a two-year tenure in the U.S. Army, Prine became a fixture on the Chicago folk
music scene in the late '60s, befriending another young performer named Steve Goodman.

Prine's compositions caught the ear of Kris Kristofferson, who was instrumental in helping him win
a recording contract. In 1971, he went to Memphis to record his eponymously titled debut album; though
not a commercial success, songs like "Sam Stone," the harsh tale of a drug-addled Vietnam veteran, won
critical approval. Neither 1972's Diamonds in the Rough nor 1973's Sweet Revenge fared any better on
the charts, but Prine's work won great renown among his fellow performers; the Everly Brothers covered
his song "Paradise," while both Bette Midler and Joan Baez offered renditions of "Hello in There."

Following 1980's Storm Windows, Prine was dropped by Asylum Records, and he responded by forming his own label,
Oh Boy Records, with the help of longtime manager Al Bunetta. The label's first release was 1984's Aimless Love,
and under his own imprint Prine's music thrived, as 1986's country-flavored German Afternoons earned a Grammy
nomination in the Contemporary Folk category. After 1988's John Prine Live, he released 1991's Grammy-winning
The Missing Years; co-produced by Howie Epstein of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, the album featured guest appearances
from Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, and Tom Petty and proved to be Prine's biggest commercial success to date,
selling nearly 250,000 copies. After making his film debut in 1992's John Mellencamp-directed Falling from Grace,
Prine returned in 1995 with Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, also produced by Epstein, which earned him another
Grammy nomination.




1. Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard
2. Six O'Clock News 3:16
3. The Oldest Baby in the World 6:50
4. Angel from Montgomery 4:16
5. Grandpa Was a Carpenter 2:49
6. Blue Umbrella 3:15
7. Fish and Whistle 3:01
8. Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone 5:47
9. Living in the Future 3:45
10. Illegal Smile 4:16
11. Mexican Home 4:16
12. Speed of the Sound of Loneliness 3:27
13. The Accident (Things Could Be Worse) 2:50
14. Sam Stone 5:06
15. Souvenirs 3:33
16. Aw Heck 2:33
17. Donald and Lydia 3:50
18. That's the Way That the World Goes Round 3:47
19. Hello in There