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John Prine is in session

Bob's session guest is the legendary singer/songwriter John Prine, who'll be playing songs from his new album and reminiscing about his career

Earlier this year legendary singer/songwriter John Prine released his first album for 18 years. Tonight he plays songs from it and discusses his 50 year career with Bob.

Back in 1970, Prine was playing at the Chicago folk club The Fifth Peg when the young journalist Roger Ebert dropped in for a set. At the time, Prine was a 23-year-old mailman who had been singing his original songs every Thursday night for about two months. Ebert wrote a glowing review for the Chicago Sun- Times , essentially launching Prine鈥檚 music career. Kris Kristofferson became one of his earliest advocates; their friendship has lasted decades and they have toured together extensively over the years. In turn, Prine has invited a new generation of songwriters, such as Jason Isbell and Margo Price, to open his concerts. His 2018 tour schedule includes select dates with Sturgill Simpson.

Prine still remembers the first three songs he performed on any stage: 鈥淪am Stone,鈥 鈥淗ello in There,鈥 and 鈥淧aradise.鈥 With humility, he recalls, 鈥淚 sang those three songs and people just sat there and looked at me. I thought, 鈥榃ow, those are really bad.鈥 They wouldn鈥檛 even applaud.鈥

Of course, the opposite is true today. Those three songs are Prine signatures. His songs have been recorded by iconic singers like Johnny Cash (鈥淪am Stone鈥), Bette Midler (鈥淗ello in There鈥) and Bonnie Raitt (鈥淎ngel from Montgomery鈥).

Prine won his first Grammy for the 1991 album, The Missing Years , and he joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. The Grammy Hall of Fame inducted his 1971 self-titled debut album in 2014.

57 minutes

Music Played

  • Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett

    It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

    • Alan Jackson: Greatest Hits Volume 2 CD1.
    • Arista.
    • 17.
  • Kacey Musgraves

    Keep It To Yourself

    • Same Trailer, Different Park.
    • Mercury.
    • 001.
  • Chris Stapleton

    Whiskey And You

    • Traveller.
    • Mercury.
    • 005.
  • Guy Clark

    Hemingway's Whiskey

    • The Best Of The Dualtone Years.
    • Dualtone.
    • 2.
  • Lori McKenna

    The Tree

    • The Tree.
    • CN/Thirty Tigers.
    • 5.
  • John Prine

    Summer鈥檚 End (Bob Harris Country Session, 22.08.2018)

  • John Prine

    Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Bob Harris Country Session, 22.08.18)

  • John Prine

    When I Get To Heaven

    • The Tree Of Forgiveness.
    • Oh Boy Records.
    • 10.
  • Morgan Evans

    Kiss Somebody

    • Download Single.
    • Warner Bros. (Nashville).
    • 1.
  • Beth Nielsen Chapman

    How We Love

    • Back To Love.
    • BNC Music.
    • 4.

Broadcast

  • Thu 23 Aug 2018 20:00