His 2018 tour schedule includes select dates with Sturgill Simpson. In turn, Prine has invited a new generation of songwriters, such as Jason Isbell and Margo Price, to open his concerts. Kris Kristofferson became one of his earliest advocates their friendship has lasted decades and they have toured together extensively over the years. Ebert wrote a glowing review for the Chicago Sun-Times, essentially launching PrineвЂ™s music career. At the time, Prine was a 23-year-old mailman who had been singing his original songs every Thursday night for about two months. As NashvilleвЂ™s longest-operating indie label, Oh Boy expanded into book publishing in 2017 with PrineвЂ™s Beyond Words, which is an enchanting compilation of impeccable lyrics, guitar charts, vintage photos, and personal anecdotes from across his singular career.Д«ack in 1970, Prine was playing at the Chicago folk club The Fifth Peg when the young journalist Roger Ebert dropped in for a set. Their son Jody Whelan leads Oh Boy Records, which launched in 1981. (ThatвЂ™s PrineвЂ™s grandson giggling on the final track.) Following the 2015 death of business partner and manager Al Bunetta, Fiona Whelan Prine took on a management role. The Tree of Forgiveness is a family affair, too. So, the chorus dictated the setting of the song. I kept thinking, вЂWhere the hell can I do that?вЂ™ The only place I can get away with that it is in Heaven because thereвЂ™s no cancer there. So IвЂ™d written this chorus about having my favorite cocktail and having a cigarette thatвЂ™s nine miles long. вЂњIf somebody lights up, IвЂ™ll go stand next to them after they fire up so I can get that initial blast. вЂњThat was 20 years ago and I still miss cigarettes,вЂќ he admits. The diagnosis followed a 1998 surgery for neck cancer, which made him give up smoking for good. Fortunately an operation proved successful. Prine revealed in 2013 that an operable form of cancer had been found on his lung. The albumвЂ™s title is nestled in the final song, вЂњWhen I Get to Heaven,вЂќ which brings a healthy dose of levity to what might have been a grave situation. The poignant вЂњNo Ordinary BlueвЂќ wraps up a trilogy that encompasses 1991вЂ™s вЂњYou Got GoldвЂќ and 2005вЂ™s вЂњLong Monday.вЂќ вЂњEgg and Daughter Nite, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)вЂќ is a lighthearted look at a bygone era, while вЂњCaravan of FoolsвЂќ (written with McLaughlin and The Black KeysвЂ™ Dan Auerbach) is a contemporary meditation on the weaknesses of powerful people. The musical arrangements may be simpler than on past efforts, yet his unique ability to distill complex emotions into everyday language remains fully intact.ДЄs heвЂ™s done for years, Prine found inspiration in writing sessions with close friends like Roger Cook, Pat McLaughlin and Keith Sykes.

The songs are new, although some had waited to be finished for decades, like a co-write with Phil Spector called вЂњGod Only Knows.вЂќ Another incomplete song, вЂњI Have Met My Love Today,вЂќ now celebrates the unexpected spark that leads to lifelong romance - with a dash of youthful innocence. Prine teamed with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb to record in NashvilleвЂ™s historic Studio A, enlisting friends like Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and Amanda Shires to sing along.

Perfectly aligned with his quirkiest songs, вЂњThe Lonesome Friends of ScienceвЂќ makes its point through the characters he calls вЂњthose bastards in the white lab coats who experiment with mountain goats,вЂќ as well as the discredited planet Pluto and the towering Vulcan statue in Birmingham, Alabama. For example, he can take a topic like loneliness and make it funny (вЂњKnockinвЂ™ on Your Screen DoorвЂќ) or heartbreaking (вЂњSummers EndвЂќ). Rather than going out on a limb, Prine cultivated the themes that have brought international acclaim since the 1970s. The highly-anticipated album, The Tree of Forgiveness, is PrineвЂ™s first collection of new material since 2005вЂ™s Grammy-winning Fair and Square. It worked out because by the end of the week, I was ready to go into the studio.вЂќ IвЂ™d go out to the swimming pool and go eat at the steakhouse. This way, if I wanted to write at 3 in the morning, or 3 in the afternoon, I could. I ordered room service and worked and watched my quiz shows. She knows that after being on the road so many years, I function better in a hotel, so thatвЂ™s what I did.

вЂњI grabbed my stuff just as fast as I could. вЂќI said, вЂIf anybody sees me checking into the Omni, theyвЂ™ll figure Fiona and I are on the outs,вЂќ Prine recounts with a sly laugh. Following two bellmen to his suite, Prine settled in with four guitars and 10 boxes of legal pads to complete the album that would become The Tree of Forgiveness. After nearly 50 years on the road, hotel rooms are a familiar enough sight. John Prine needed to get into his comfort zone to finish a new album, so his wife reserved a room at the Omni Hotel in Nashville for a week.

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