John Prine

John Prine honored with covers by Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Bird & more

We’re still mourning the loss of John Prine, who passed away yesterday at 73 from coronavirus complications. His friends and fellow musicians have been paying tribute to the iconic songwriter, and many of them have covered his work, too, both following his passing and during the last week as he was hospitalized battling COVID-19. Watch and listen to a bunch of those covers below.

ANDREW BIRD

Andrew Bird covered “Souvenirs,” a song he’s previously incorporated into his live sets. “We lost one of the great American songwriters and my personal favorite, John Prine,” Andrew writes. “No one could say so much in so few words.”

ANI DIFRANCO

“So so sad to lose John Prine,” Ani DiFranco writes, sharing a soulful cover of “Angel from Montgomery” that she originally shared with subscribers to her Patreon in December. “One of the very best. All love for him and his work.”

BRANDI CARLILE

Brandi Carlile shared a tender, acoustic cover of “Summer’s End” from The Tree of Forgiveness, which she does backing vocals for on the album. “Can’t sleep,” she writes. “Praying with this old guitar. I’m gonna miss singin’ this one with you John so tonight I’ll sing it to you. I know you didn’t make it home in the way we all wanted but you made it home. Put in a good word for us. All my love to Fiona ❤️ xoyoursingingpartner”

UPDATE: Brandi appeared on Wednesday night (4/8) on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she covered another of John’s songs, “Hello in There,” from his 1971 self-titled debut.

COLTER WALL

“One of my heroes and a hero to so many others,” Colter Wall writes to introduce this cover of John Prine’s “How Lucky Can One Man Get,” from his 1979 album Pink Cadillac.

ADRIANNE LENKER (BIG THIEF)

“Rest and fly peacefully, John Prine,” Adrianne Lenker writes. “You will live on a long time and powerfully through your songs. You are one of my all time greatest musical heroes. I have always admired how your words can be all at once so melancholic and poignant and full of humor. Sometimes you express the hardest most complicated feelings in the smallest amount of words, and both the literal and metaphorical meanings are so rich. I have learned so much through listening to you and I will continue to do so. Thank you for the gifts you have left here for us. “A question ain’t really a question, if you know the answer too.” Now I guess you can know the answer to the biggest question of all.” She covered “Far From Me” from Prine’s 1979 self-titled debut.

Adrianne also covered “Summer’s End” before Prine passed, which we wrote more about here.

NATALIE MAINES (DIXIE CHICKS)

The Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines was joined by her sons Jackson and Beckett for a cover of “Angel from Montgomery.” “My kids got introduced to John Prine tonight and helped me do a tribute,” she wrote.

PHOEBE BRIDGERS

We wrote more about Phoebe’s cover of “Summer’s End” here.

https://twitter.com/danielleltnjohn/status/1248722057216458752

JASON ISBELL & AMANDA SHIRES

We wrote more about Jason and Amanda’s covers of “Angel From Montgomery,” “Illegal Smile,” and “Clocks and Spoons” here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBLZhOFifjc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt3y-Xrv_3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBPRnA39RZM

COLIN MELOY (DECEMBERISTS)

We wrote more about Colin’s cover of “Angel From Montgomery” here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAQYZpPEf4

JEFF TWEEDY (WILCO)

We wrote more about Jeff’s cover of “Illegal Smile” here and “Please Don’t Bury Me” here.

KEVIN MORBY

We wrote more about Kevin’s cover of “Angel From Montgomery” here.

JOAN BAEZ

We wrote more about Joan’s cover of “Hello in There” here.