John Prine is certainly enjoying some well-deserved time in the music spotlight after what’s been one heck of a ride for the journeyman country singer, songwriter, and guitarist. In addition to enjoying some recent nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the much more exclusive Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, Prine was highlighted by notable news program CBS Sunday Morning in a featured segment that aired earlier today, November 25th.
The segment begins by looking back at some of the musical contemporaries who have been influenced by Prine’s songwriting, ranging from Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash to Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt. The news story also features some on-site coverage of Prine’s recent sold-out performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on April 13th, which saw him welcome special sit-in guests including Brandi Carlile and Sturgill Simpson.
The spotlight takes viewers back through Prine’s younger years growing up outside of Chicago, which lead to his early career paths in both the military and as a mailman before getting a big break as a songwriter and performer courtesy of famed film critic, Roger Ebert. The piece goes on to discuss some of his career hardships, including a pair of cancer diagnosis in 1998 and again in 2013.
“I couldn’t sing for a year after the surgery because I just didn’t have the power,” he admits when discussing the lasting effects which squamous cell cancer would leave around his neck and vocal cord area. “All I really wanted to do was live.”
Living is exactly what Prine would do after regaining his energy to begin writing and recording again. He would go on to release an album comprised of duets with female country singers titled In Spite of Ourselves in September 1999 and has released seven more studio projects in the years since, with the most recent being 2018’s The Tree of Forgiveness. He even announced his own Dominican destination concert event named All The Best with Jason Isbell, Nathaniel Rateliff, and more scheduled for November 2019.
The story continues in taking viewers outside of the concert hall and into the pool hall with Prine and fellow musician Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Other notable guests featured in the segment include Mr. Sturgill Simpson and Prine’s longtime wife, Fiona Whelan-Prine.
“It took some of [the fans] 45 years to get the joke,” Prine can be heard admitting with a laugh while discussing his late career renaissance during the on-screen interview. “Some people are getting it now and I’m still around to reap the benefits.”
Watch the full John Prine segment from CBS Sunday Morning below:
John Prine – “CBS Sunday Morning”
[Video: CBS Sunday Morning]
Fans can catch Prine on tour with select concert dates throughout the remainder of the year. His next performance is scheduled for December 8th in London, Ontario alongside Longhorn Slim. For a full list of upcoming John Prine tour dates, head to his website here.
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