John Prine

In June of 1975, upon graduating from City College of San Francisco, Terri and I moved to the Grand Canyon to work at the lodges of the South Rim. We were two of hundreds, if not thousands of seasonal employees from all over the country. We met kids our own age from New York, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and all points beyond and in between. We found we had much in common with them all, and music seem to be at the center. We shared ours, and they shared theirs.

At some point, in someone’s dorm room, or the employee pub, or maybe the bar at Bright Angel Lodge, we were introduced to John Prine’s 1971 self titled album. I’m not sure what caught my ear first. Was is the satire of “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore”. The tragedy of “Sam Stone”. The sad truth of growing old and lonely, “Hello in There”. Or was it the laughter we all shared while sitting around the dorm room with an “Illegal Smile”. Regardless, it became one of our favorites. When I finally sat down to learn how to play my cheap guitar, these songs were the first I learned. Now I often play 8 of the 13 tracks. I don’t think a week has gone by in the last 10 years when I don’t pick up my couch guitar and play “Paradise” or “Spanish Pipedream”.

John Prine died April 7th 2020. The Mark Twain of songwriting left a lasting legacy of influence on the music industry. Countless artists name him as having shaped their songwriting. His song “I Remember Everything”, recorded in 2018 but release posthumously, won 2021 Grammy Awards for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. How did he know it would be his last goodbye?