Ravinia 2019, Issue 1, Week 2

More than 50 years ago , Prine returned home from an Army stint in Germany and began work as a US postal carrier. Daily and dutifully walking the unapologetic, diversely populated, middle-class streets of his west-subur- ban Chicago hometown, he mentally molded melodies and lyrics in his head to break the monotony of his Maywood, IL, mail route. It’s doubtful that while stuffing mailboxes in the shadow of the once-ominous, now-shuttered May- wood Park horse-racing track he could have imagined he’d ever win his long- shot bet and join the ranks of the most influential and respected songwriters of all time. But he did. Yes, it seems, as Prine once wrote, it is a big old goofy world. Just five days after ascending Ravin- ia’s Pavilion stage for a June 8 concert, John Prine, 72, will be inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. The hall, celebrating its 50th anniver- sary, was co-founded by the Tin Pan Alley hit-making composer Johnny Mercer (“Moon River”) to celebrate the contributions of the often-overlooked, ever-toiling songwriter. More than 400 musical scribes are enshrined in the Hall of Fame, which since 2010 has called the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles home. In addition to Prine, the newest members comprise a varied list of ac- complished composers, including Missy Elliot (“Work It”), Tom T. Hall (“Harper Valley PTA”), Jack Tempchin (“Peace- ful Easy Feeling”), Dallas Austin (“The Boy Is Mine”), and Yusuf / Cat Stevens (“Peace Train”). But the Songwriters Hall of Fame doesn’t just honor those who have already made history; it supports those who are making it today, such as this year’s Starlight Award winner, Halsey (“Without Me”). It also nurtures future talent through partnerships with schools at the coastal hubs of creativity, New York University and the University of Southern California, as well as its own series of events called the Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Sessions. Unlike its rock and roll counterpart in Cleveland, the Songwriters Hall of Fame isn’t mired with inscrutable poli- tics. The history of its leadership shows its bona fides: after Mercer, such figures as Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Webb have been presidents or chairmen, and now Hall of Famer Nile Rodgers holds that chair. “The first thing you need to know is, it’s about the song; the second thing you need to know is, it’s about the song; and the third thing you need to know is, it’s about the song. I’m very proud that, in my first year as chairman of the Song- writers Hall of Fame, we are recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time,” Rodgers said, introducing Prine and company as the 2019 inductees. “[They] represent diver- sity and unity across genres and gender. These are writers who in their time literally transformed music.” Over his long and lauded career, Prine has in turns notched high levels of luck, success, and respect since his early days learning to play guitar at Chica- go’s historic Old Town School of Folk Music. From there he began hanging and writing with fellow future local folk heroes Steve Goodman and Bonnie Koloc, also frequenting the city’s favorite folk haunts like The Earl Of Old Town, The Quiet Knight, and the Fifth Peg. An upstart Sun-Times reporter named Roger Ebert wrote an early rave review about the fledgling folkie, and then Kris Kristofferson “discovered” Prine after a 1971 Chicago performance. That all connected the dots to his first recording contract with Atlantic Records. Many of Prine’s best revered songs, from “Sam Stone” and “Hello In There” (both written while on his mail route) to “Paradise” and “Angel of Montgomery” (given an emotive and definitive rendi- tion by Raitt in 1974) have been covered by artists of all backgrounds and genres. And in addition to being a multiple Grammy winner, Prine has been praised by such lofty legends as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, an early, ardent Prine admirer who in 2009 drolly described Prine’s prose as “Mid- western mind trips to the n th degree.” Yet in the midst of all the pomp for Prine’s past, the present is proving to be just as impressive and prolific. Not only is there this month’s Songwriters Hall of Fame induction, but he also was a 2019 nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and his latest album, 2018’s The Tree of Forgiveness , added universally positive critical reviews to his CV along with another three Grammy nomina- tions. Amazingly, the long-player en- tered Billboard ’s Top 200 Albums chart at number five, the highest reaching debut of any John Prine album in his 48-year career. It’s the strength of the songs on and the public enthusiasm for The Tree of Forgiveness —the first album of original Prine material in more than 13 years— that brings him back to Ravinia to add to the venue’s rich folk music history. The Tree of Forgiveness continues Prine’s prime songwriting motivations. The album’s 10 songs feature fresh takes on familiar Prine topics, now filled with well-earned life lessons about mortality, loss, and love, as well as science, greasy diners, and a musical eternity. “Knock- in’ On Your Screen Door” follows an aimless, desperate drifter; “The Lone- some Friends of Science” derides Pluto’s planetary demotion; “Summer’s End” is a stark, longing invitation—and Prine’s favorite on the album, a high distinction he revealed on NPR’s Fresh Air ; and the closer, “When I Get to Heaven” is his high hope for a heavenly hootenanny. Prine’s artful songwriting draws upon John Prine delivers a darling 34 RAVINIA MAGAZINE | MAY 31, 2019 – JUNE 16, 2019