Author reveals how folk singer John Prine's Chicago area upbringing influenced his career
CHICAGO (CBS) – He was a Maywood native who went on to be a beloved folk singer.
John Prine often told stories in his songs, but now it's his story being told in a new book.
As CBS 2's Jim Williams reported, the book's editor said Prine's Chicago area upbringing helped make him the singer who spoke for so many.
There are many words to describe the beloved folk singer, but in his words: "I thought there must be something wrong with my songs because they were a lot different from the stuff I'd heard."
Holly Gleason read those words from her new book "Prine on Prine." It's a collection of articles and interviews Prine did throughout his career.
Gleason spoke to CBS 2 during a recent visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
"You can experience the writer or the artist in real time and see what the reaction was to the music in the moment," she said.
Prine grew up in west suburban Maywood. Gleason said he was a paperboy and a mailman before turning to music.
"Going up and down the streets, he got to look into those houses," she said. "He was curious. I think one of his single biggest attributes was that he was curious, but he was born with a really empathetic heart."
His big break happened when he was playing at a club in Lincoln Park when famed movie critic Roger Ebert walked in. The club is now a coffee shop near John Prine Way. Ebert was so impressed that he wrote about Prine.
"He sings rather quietly, and his guitar work is good, but he doesn't show off," Gleason said. "He starts slow, but after a song or two, even the drunks in the room begin to listen to his lyrics and then he has you."
Gleason said Prine took his Chicago area roots with him as he gathered popularity and admirers in both fans and fellow musicians.
"People care about what's going on in the city," she said. "People care about how groups are being treated, and he's very much that kid."
She added, "He didn't like bullies. He didn't like seeing people taken advantage of."
Prine died in 2020 after contracting COVID-19, but Gleason said fans still have decades of songs that many felt spoke for them.
"He's their voice and so I think, no matter who you were, that was the truth," she said. "John was your voice."
As Gleason said, Chicago area ethics were a big influence on Prine's music, but so was his parents' upbringing. They were from Kentucky and the family visited often.
