John Prine's John Prine

(Paperback)

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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 albums release, John Prine chronicles the legendary singer-songwriters 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 Wont 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 Prines 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 Prines landmark debut. After exploring his roots in rural Western Kentucky and suburban Maywood, Illinois, the book takes readers on an evocative journey through John Prines Chicago. Its neighborhoods, characters, and clubs of the 1960s and 70s proved a formative and magical period in Prines life, before he was a figurehead of the new Nashville scene. Its both a journalistic inquiry and a love letter: to Prines self-titled debut and the Midwestern city that made him.

Reviews

Erin Osmons new book on John Prine, his eponymous 1971 debut, is a gift for fans of the plainspoken singer and this career-making album. * Chicago Reader *
Osmon writes about the history of Prine's musical beginnings right up to when his debut was released and how the importance of that record has grown, establishing Prine as one of America's great songwriters. * BETA - Wisconsin Public Radio *
Extensively researched while economically written, you couldnt ask for a better literary guide to an Americana classic. * Spectrum Culture *

Author Bio

Erin Osmon is a Midwest native and a veteran of Chicago newsrooms whose work appears in Uncut, No Depression, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, The Guardian, and many other publications. She teaches music journalism, writing, reporting and digital at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School, USA. Her debut book, Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost (2017), was named a Best Music Book of 2017 by Pitchfork.