John Prine, for Katie and Josh

Katie and Josh have recently become John Prine fans. I became a fan as a child, when I saw him at the Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite.

My sister and I used to beg Mom to play two songs over and over again:

and

As an adult I saw him twice more at Strawberry, once in my early twenties with family, then with Jim in 1999.

Jim's favorite is:

My very favorite John Prine song is:

I could go on and on. I do love John. I cry every time I hear him if it's been a while. It doesn't matter what the song is. There is something about the beauty of every day life, even the treachery of it in his stories that touches me. Who else could write such silliness, such saddness, such truth and turn out these completely original and amazing songs? Only John I'm sure.