Remembering John Prine On Torch & Twang

The music world experienced heartbreaking news last week. John Prine, who died at 73 years old with complications from coronavirus, leaves behind one of the richest legacies in American music. 

With nearly 20 albums to his name, countless collaborations, awards, and unending accolades, Prine is to American music what Mark Twain might be to letters; his honesty and pitch-perfect humor will be with us for a very long time.

Over his nearly 50 years performing, the America Prine sang and wrote about evolved – his first album includes the famous “Sam Stone”, a bold humanization of the Vietnam War. It is amazing – though not to those who have listened to him for years – that his last album, 2018’s The Tree Of Forgiveness, is one of his finest, too.

So much has been written about Prine, and we’ve all dug back into his music. 

One moment that sticks out is the song “When I Get To Heaven,” which turns out will be the last song on his last album. It includes the lyrics:

“When I get to heaven, I’m gonna shake God’s hand
Thank him for more blessings than one man can stand
Then I’m gonna get a guitar and start a rock-n-roll band
Check into a swell hotel; ain’t the afterlife grand?”

We’re thrilled to have turned to John Prine and that we can continue to do so. It’s a stunning catalog of music, and this week Benji played a lot of it. We hope you enjoy it.