A new EP features late singer-songwriter icon John Prine interpreting the works of fellow greats Townes Van Zandt, Stevie Wonder, Toots Hibbert, and Buddy Holly. Entitled The Belonging EP Vol. 1, the five-track acoustic collection from Prine’s Oh Boy Records benefits Nashville’s immigrant communities. Since Prine passed away in 2020, the label he founded in 1981 with his manager Al Bunetta has been run by his widow Fiona Whelan Prine, an Irish-born immigrant who emigrated to the U.S. in 1993.

In addition to classics from a wide range of fellow songwriters, the EP starts with the traditional “My Old Kentucky Home Goodnight”. Prine had a famous affinity for the Bluegrass State, immortalized on his fan favorite “Paradise”.

The Belonging EP also includes a tongue-in-cheek cover of Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy! (All My Love All My Kisses)”, which happens to share its name with Prine’s record label. Though John was a fan of Holly’s, the record company’s name stemmed from Prine’s fondness for the expression “oh boy,” in that it could express both joy and bewilderment—with John saying, “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, what a year we’ve had.” Prine previously recorded a rockabilly-style version of “Oh Boy!” with Holly’s band The Crickets on the 2004 tribute album, The Crickets & Their Buddies.

Playing more within his wheelhouse, John Prine also offers an intimate cover of “Loretta” by Townes Van Zandt. This recording comes from the 2001 tribute to the fellow songwriting legend, Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt, featuring colleagues and admirers Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, and Lucinda Williams.

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The surprising standout of The Belonging EP Vol. 1 is a stripped-back version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You”. Originally a synth-laden sentimental sonnet of spontaneous affection, Prine somehow transforms it into a gut-wrenching lamentation on loss from the opening “No New Year’s Day.” While Wonder’s version is about love for no special occasion, Prine’s is weighed down by all the no’s and drowns in absence, culminating with the titular refrain becoming one of those calls you really shouldn’t make to your ex at 2 a.m. Prine recorded the cover with The Secret Sisters for a 2018 Spotify Singles B-side to his original, “I Have Met My Love Today”.

Finally, The Belonging EP Vol. 1 closes with a decidedly more upbeat take on Toots and the Maytals‘ “Sweet and Dandy”. Preliminary internet searches didn’t return any previous releases of this cover, so this could be a track rescued from the vault that is completely new to fans (emphasis on could). Whether previously unreleased or not, “Sweet and Dandy” makes an idyllic closer to The Belonging EP Vol. 1, balancing sweet with sad in a way that only John Prine could. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

All proceeds from the EP will benefit The Belonging Fund, a new initiative from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in partnership with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Every dollar donated will support The Belonging Fund in its mission to provide urgent assistance to immigrant families in crisis across the Nashville area.

Nashville made headlines this month for a wave of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which the Department of Homeland Security said resulted in the arrests of 196 “criminal illegal aliens” as of Tuesday, May 13th. Though DHS stated that 95 of these people had prior criminal convictions and pending charges, the department has only released five men’s names and criminal histories. The weekend prior, the Tennessee Highway Patrol reportedly conducted roughly 150 traffic stops in South Nashville as part of a coordinated effort with ICE.

Stream The Belonging EP Vol. 1 on Bandcamp for a limited time and consider purchasing it to support The Belonging Fund. Oh Boy Records and the Prine family will continue their tradition of You Got Gold: Celebrating the Songs of John Prine, a series of tribute concerts around Nashville, October 9th–12th, 2025. Shows will take place at iconic venues throughout the city, including The Basement East, The Bluebird Cafe, The CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame, and an October 10th concert at Ryman Auditorium for Prine’s birthday. Get tickets here.

John Prine — The Belonging EP Vol. 1