John Prine is one of my all time song heroes.I got out of the Navy in late '69 and went back to work in San Bernardino in early '70. A friend I played music with played his first album "John Prine" for me and I've been hooked ever since.
I saw him live for the first time at the 1986 Spring Strawberry Music festival.He did a workshop where he explained how he got the ideas for his songs.I can't begin to relate them all but "Sam Stone" came from delivering veterans checks.He had just written "Let's talk Dirty in Hawaiian" and it was a hoot.
We didn't get him back until spring of '93, when I got to meet him and he signed my John Prine songbook from 1972.
My only complaint about his new album is there is too much Iris DeMent and not enough Emmylou Harris.
rr