This past week, Nashville lowered its musical flags for John Prine as the late singer-songwriter was honored with a string of six concerts across Music City dubbed You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life & Songs of John Prine. Though the star-studded shows filled with surprise guests were a time of mourning, they were also a long overdue celebration of a musical pillar of the past six decades.
CBS Mornings‘ Anthony Mason was on site for the run of sold-out shows rescheduled from 2021, including a pair of concerts at Ryman Auditorium. The guest list hosted a who’s who of Prine’s, friends, fans, family, collaborators, and contemporaries including Brandi Carlile, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lyle Lovett, Elizabeth Cook, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, Steve Earle, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Jim James, Kacey Musgraves, and many more. Musgraves, who described finding Prine’s “simple wit and simple wisdom,” recalled a story about meeting Prine’s spirit that inspired her new song “Walk In Peace”, which she debuted that night.
The rising country singer wasn’t the only one who came to Nashville with a new song written for Prine. Lucinda Williams also debuted a new song, “What Could Go Wrong”, about writing a song with the Singing Mailman: “Got as far as a bluebird / Ordered up a bottle of wine / What could go wrong / Working on a song.”
One of Prine’s oldest friends and colleagues to perform was Bonnie Raitt, whom he had known since 1971. They both released their debut albums that year and Raitt has been performing “Angel From Montgomery” live ever since, calling it “a cornerstone of emotion for the audience and for me.”
“For us all to come together in honor of him this week is so healing for us as well as for the Prine family,” Raitt said of the concerts. “It’s really the wake and the celebration we didn’t get to have yet.”
Between his residency at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. and his own 75th birthday party in San Francisco, Bob Weir had a layover in Nashville to pay tribute to Prine.
“He makes it so real,” the Grateful Dead singer/guitarist said. “He understands people, their gritty selves, and gives them a little bit of elegance where you wouldn’t see it.”
The shows benefitted The Hello In There Foundation and were organized by Oh Boy Records, helmed by Prine’s widow Fiona Whelan Prine and his son Tommy Prine. A singer-songwriter in his own right, Tommy performed every night with the rotating cast of guest musicians.
“I mean, I know I’m like a part of the family but it still feels like such an honor to be able to do something like this with all of our friends and people that we hold very dear to celebrate my father,” Tommy, who is preparing to hit the road with Prine disciple Todd Snider next month, said.
After being forced to postpone the concerts last year due to rising COVID cases, the Prines were finally able to host the celebration of life that has eluded them since John died in April 2020.
“Everybody showed up,” Fiona said, with Tommy adding, “I think Dad’s shown up every night too.”
Fans pay tribute to singer-songwriter John Prine | CBS Mornings