John Prine

John Prine is a country/folk singer/songwriter who emerged in 1971 with a highly acclaimed debut (self-titled) album in 1971. He and his contemporary and friend Steve Goodman had been discovered by Kris Kristofferson. The album "John Prine" included his signature songs 'Illegal Smile', 'Sam Stone', and the environmentalist Newgrass standard 'Paradise.' Having penned such uniquely humorous & sentimental songs to such acclaim in his early 20s, he set a standard that was difficult to match. Later albums include "Sweet Revenge" (often considered his best, with 'Dear Abbie', 'Grandpa Was A Carpenter', and 'Christmas In Prison' ), and "Common Sense" (with 'Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis Hare-Krishna Boregard') In the mid-90s he battled and overcame cancer. In 1997 Prine released "In Spite of Ourselves," a compilation of mostly classic country duets with the top female country singers of the time including Lucinda Williams and Iris Dement (who he helped bring to public attention.)