John Prine One Song At A Time

"John Prine One Song at a Time" is one fan's tribute to the music of John Prine. In chronological order, the book discusses each song on each album, beginning with John Prine's debut record and ending with his final single. Synthesizing reviews, anecdotes, interviews, live shows, lyrics, and John Prine's own reflections from 1970 to 2020, Bruce Rits Gilbert offers a unique celebration of the work that this beloved musician left behind. Album by album. One song at a time.

“An excellent new biography” of the influential songwriter that showcases his renowned humor and musical genius (The Telegraph). With a range that spans the lyrical, heartfelt songs “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” and “Paradise” to the classic country music parody “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” John Prine is a songwriter’s songwriter. Across five decades, he’s created critically acclaimed albums—John Prine (one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time), Bruised Orange, The Missing Years—and earned two Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting from the Americana Music Association, and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. His songs have been covered by scores of artists, from Johnny Cash and Miranda Lambert to Bette Midler and 10,000 Maniacs, and influenced everyone from Roger McGuinn to Kacey Musgraves. Hailed in his early years as the “new Dylan,” Prine still counts Bob Dylan among his most enthusiastic fans. In John Prine, Eddie Huffman traces the long arc of Prine’s musical career, beginning with his early, seemingly effortless successes, which led paradoxically not to stardom but to a rich and varied career writing songs that other people have made famous. He recounts the stories, many of them humorous, behind Prine’s best-known songs and discusses all of Prine’s albums as he explores the brilliant records and the ill-advised side trips, the underappreciated gems and the hard-earned comebacks that led Prine to found his own successful record label, Oh Boy Records. This thorough, entertaining treatment gives John Prine his due as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). 24 songs by legend and revered singer-songwriter John Prine in arrangements for piano, voice and guitar with chord symbols, guitar chord frames and full lyrics. Songs include: Angels from Montgomery * Dear Abby * Fish and Whistle * Hello in There * Illegal Smile * In Spite of Ourselves * Lake Marie * Paradise * Sam Stone * Souvenirs * Summer's End * Sweet Revenge * That's the Way the World Goes 'Round * and more.

He is known as the Mark Twain of American songwriting, a man who transformed the everyday happenings of regular people into plainly profound statements on war, industrialization, religion, and the human condition. Marking the 50th anniversary of the album's release, John Prine chronicles the legendary singer-songwriter's Middle American provenance, and his remarkable ascent from singing mailman to celebrated son of Chicago.“Illegal Smile,” “Hello in There,” “Sam Stone,” “Paradise,” “Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” “Far from Me,” “Donald and Lydia,” and “Angel from Montgomery” are considered standards in the American Songbook, covered by legions of Prine's peers and admirers. Through original interviews, exhaustive research, and incisive commentary, author Erin Osmon paints an in-depth portrait of the people, places, and experiences that inspired Prine's landmark debut. After exploring his roots in rural Western Kentucky and suburban Maywood, Illinois, the book takes readers on an evocative journey through John Prine's Chicago. Its neighborhoods, characters, and clubs of the 1960s and 70s proved a formative and magical period in Prine's life, before he was a figurehead of the new Nashville scene. It's both a journalistic inquiry and a love letter: to Prine's self-titled debut and the Midwestern city that made him.

"As close to an autobiography as we're going to get from John Prine, Prine on Prine captures the inimitable, whimsical voice of one of our greatest songwriters . . . Nashville legend Holly Gleason knew the man and assembled this brilliant collection with a knowing eye and loving heart." —Joel Selvin, author of Fare Thee Well: The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip and other books Curated by a critic who knew him across five decades, Prine on Prine distills the essence of an iconic American writer: unguarded, unfiltered and real. In his own words, in his own time—on the road, in the kitchen, the Library of Congress, radio shows, movie scripts, and beyond. John Prine hated giving interviews, but he said much when he talked. Embarrassed by fame, delighted by the smallest things, the first songwriter to read at the Library of Congress, and winner of the Pen Award for Literary Excellence, Prine saw the world unlike anyone else. The songs from 1971's John Prine remain spot-on takes of the human condition today, and his writing only got richer, funnier, and more incisive. The interviews in Prine on Prine trace his career evolution, his singular mind, his enduring awareness of social issues, and his acute love of life, from Studs Terkel's radio interviews from the early '70s to Mike Leonard's Today Show packages from the '80s, Cameron Crowe's early encounter to Ronni Lundy's Shuck Beans, Stack Cake cookbook, and Hot Rod magazine to No Depression's cover story, through today. Editor Holly Gleason enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Prine and his longtime co-manager, and she often traveled with him on tours in the late 1980s and represented him in the 2000s.

There are few creative acts more mysterious and magical than writing a song. But what if the goal wasn't so mysterious and was actually achievable for anyone who wants to experience more magic and creativity in their life? That's something that anyone will be inspired to do after reading Jeff Tweedy's How to Write One Song. Why one song? Because the difference between one song and many songs isn't a cute semantic trick—it's an important distinction that can simplify a notoriously confusing art form. The idea of becoming a capital-S songwriter can seem daunting, but approached as a focused, self-contained event, the mystery and fear subsides, and songwriting becomes an exciting pursuit. And then there is the energizing, nourishing creativity that can open up. How to Write One Song brings readers into the intimate process of writing one song—lyrics, music, and putting it all together—and accesses the deep sense of wonder that remains at the heart of this curious, yet incredibly fulfilling, artistic act. But it’s equally about the importance of making creativity part of your life every day, and of experiencing the hope, inspiration, and joy available to anyone who’s willing to get started.

For years, Todd Snider has been one of the most beloved country-folk singers in the United States. He had a Top 40 hit with “Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues,” which gave national audiences the first taste of his insightful songwriting, at once satirical and sincere. Hailed by critics as one of the top albums of 2004, East Nashville Skyline was followed by The Devil You Know and The Excitement Plan. Snider's songs took on George W. Bush and America's recent involvement in foreign war, along with a host of more intimate topics. As good as Snider's albums have been, his in-concert monologues are even better. His shows are a loose-limbed, informal experience: it's often just him and a guitar. He introduces songs with stories that can run as long as twenty minutes, always displaying his charm and wit. As he's allowed his storytelling to evolve along with his music, Snider has become not only a modern day Bob Dylan but a modern day Will Rogers as well—an everyman whose intelligence, self deprecation, experience, and, above all, humor make him a uniquely American character.

"Life can often be difficult for people with disabilities. With this book I am trying to ease some of that difficulty. I have included tips for everyday activities, bathroom activities, deciding on wheelchair type and accessories, activities away from home, keeping a positive attitude and staying happy, appreciating all of the good things in your life and obtaining all of the good things that you still want in it. All I want is to create smiles."