John Prine (10 October 1946 – 7 April 2020) was an American country singer and a songwriter. He worked as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death, and was known for his sometimes satirical style of original music, which has elements of protest and political criticism.
Born and brought up in Maywood, Illinois, Prine had learned to play guitar at the age of 14. He took classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music. After working with the U.S. in West Germany. Army, he relocated to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, composing and performing songs first as a hobby, and later as a club singer.
Broadly referred to as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for satirical lyrics about marriage, life, and current affairs, as well as sensitive songs with social commentaries and songs reminiscent of melancholy stories from his life. He won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
About John Prine early life:
Prine was the son of William Mason Prine, a tool-and-die builder, and Verna Valentine (Hamm), a homemaker, both of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born and brought up in Chicago’s Maywood neighborhood. They will go back and visit the family near Paradise, Kentucky, in the summers. Prine began playing the guitar at the age of 14, taught by his pal, David.
He took classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and Proviso Township secondary school (later renamed Proviso East) in Maywood, Illinois. That was the U.S. Postal Service mailman for five years and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, living in Germany, before launching his musical career in Chicago.
About his Personal life:
John Prine had been married three times. His first marriage was to Ann Carole, a high school sweetheart, in 1966. The marriage continued until the late 1970s. Prine was married to bass player Rachel Peer from 1984 to 1988. Prine met Fiona Whelan, who later became its founder, in 1988. She relocated from Ireland to Nashville in 1993 and was married in 1996. Prine and Whelan had two sons together, Jack and Tommy, and Prine had taken Whelan’s baby, Jody, from a past relationship. Prine had a house, and he spent most of the year in Galway, Ireland.
On March 19, 2020, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Prine’s wife Fiona discovered out she had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and had been quarantined in her home apart from him. Since exhibiting signs of COVID-19, he was admitted on March 26. On March 30, Fiona tweeted that she had healed and that John was in stable condition but had not changed. Prine died on 7 April 2020 of risks caused by COVID-19 at the age of 73.
What is John Prine Net worth?
Before his death, the net value of John Prine was expected to be about $300 million in 2020. Most of his net worth was attributed to his long-lasting music career.
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How was his career?
After completing his high school at Proviso Township High School, he served as a mailman for five years and then enrolled in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. At the time he served as a mailman, he used to write and sing his music, and later began playing at open mics. He started getting gigs after his first show.
He was heard in 1970 by Roger Ebert, who was a film reviewer who wrote about him, thanking him for his talent. It brought him notoriety and prominence after this was written. Prine began collaborating with well-established artists and used to play in clubs.