Put John Prine on a USPS Stamp!

John Prine commemorative stamp proposal:

From the release of his groundbreaking first album in 1971, John Prine – The Singing Mailman – has been a singular voice in American music, gracefully blending humor, cultural observation and social criticism into his concise, sharply observed country-folk songs. His middle-American sensibility, gentle but cutting wit and everyman drawl led to him being dubbed the Mark Twain of American songwriting by Rolling Stone magazine.

His incisive observations on a broad range of American topics reflected his dual roots: He was born in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, the son of a tool-and-dye maker, and grew up in a Chicago suburb. He learned to play guitar from his brother at age 14, spent five years as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service after high school and then was drafted into the U.S. Army. Upon returning to civilian life, he began singing his own compositions in folk clubs in the Chicago area. He was quickly discovered – thanks in part to a 1970 radio performance of his early songs, accompanied by an interview with Studs Terkel, which is now available on CD with the title “The Singing Mailman Delivers.” Critics and fellow musicians helped him land a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

Prine never had a Top 40 hit, but that was never his goal. “I never entertained the thought that the songs I was making up were like the songs that you hear on the radio,” he said. “Not that I didn’t think they were good, but it was easier for me to write a song than to learn somebody else’s.” He wrote prodigiously, recorded steadily and built a loyal following over the course of 18 studio albums – many of which he released on his own label, Oh Boy Records, founded in Nashville in 1981. He also earned a consistently appreciative peer group as he received a dozen Grammy nominations, beginning with a Best New Artist nomination in 1972. After establishing himself as one of the country’s most accomplished troubadours, he battled through a series of health challenges, including two bouts of cancer in 1998 and 2013. Though illness took a toll on his vocal cords, he never stopped writing, recording or performing. He won Grammys for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1991 for “The Missing Years” and in 2005 for “Fair & Square.” His final album, “The Tree of Forgiveness,” was released in 2018, and became his highest-charting release. In February 2020, he was awarded his third Grammy, a Lifetime Achievement award.

His work has been championed by many of popular music’s finest singer-songwriters, including Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello and Johnny Cash. In 2005, he became the first singer/songwriter to read and perform at the Library of Congress. In 2016, Prine received the PEN New England Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award. In 2019, Prine was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. These awards were acknowledgements of Prine’s clever lyrical gift and remarkable emotional range. He wrote songs of whimsical irreverence: “He ain’t too sharp but he gets things done, drinks his beer like it’s oxygen. He’s my baby, I’m his honey, never gonna let him go.” (“In Spite of Ourselves.”) He also wrote songs of heartbreaking poignance: “Ya know that old trees just grow stronger, and old rivers grow wilder every day. Old people just grow lonesome, waiting for someone to say, ‘Hello in there, hello.’” (“Hello In There.”)

His songs have brought both smiles and tears to generations of listeners who have been drawn to his skewed sense of humor and his deep compassion. He acknowledged that his sarcastic wit sometimes cut a little too deep for some listeners; in his song “Sweet Revenge” he sang, “Take it back, take it back, Oh no, you can't say that.” But, thankfully, he never took any of it back. As he sang in “Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody”: “I used to live in Chicago where the cold wind blows. I delivered more junk mail than the junkyard would hold. I wasn't hurtin' nobody.” Few artists could be more deserving of a commemorative stamp for their contributions to American culture than a genius of songcraft who actually delivered the mail.

— Rick Shefchik

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