John Prine's 80th Birthday to Be Marked with First-Ever Full Concert Recording, Tribute Concert

A complete concert recording, John Prine: Live at Old Town School of Folk, was released digitally by Oh Boy Records. The 28-track performance was recorded directly from the mixing board during John Prine’s March 6, 2010 “Blue Jean Gala” benefit in Chicago. The set includes classic songs such as “Angel From Montgomery,” “Spanish Pipedream,” “Souvenirs,” and “Hello in There,” along with uncut stories and jokes from Prine’s concerts. The release is tied to the Souvenirs: 80 Years of John Prine tribute concert at the Chicago Theatre on October 8, two days before what would have been his 80th birthday. The event is hosted by John C. Reilly and features performances by Alynda Segarra, Joy Oladokun, Margo Price, Steve Earle, and others, with Prine’s longtime band providing backing support.

"Recorded directly the the mixing board, the release captures Prine's March 6th, 2010 performance at Old Town's annual "Blue Jean Gala" benefit in his Chicago hometown. The 28-track recording includes renditions of "Angel From Montgomery," "Spanish Pipedream," "Souvenirs," "Hello in There," and other classics, as well as the uncut stories and jokes that were trademarks of Prine's concerts."

""Old Town School is where John first took guitar lessons. It's where he expanded his playing beyond those first few chords and records his older brother Dave got him started with," said Jason Wilber, John Prine's longtime band leader. "So for John, it seemed to me, going back to Old Town was like going back to your old elementary school or something. I could tell it held a special place in his heart, and the folks in the Old Town community always made it clear how much they treasured John.""

"In addition to the live LP, Oh Boy Records, The Hello In There Foundation, and the Prine Family will host the Souvenirs: 80 Years of John Prine tribute concert at the Chicago Theatre. Taking place October 8th - just two days before what would've been Prine's 80th birthday - the event will be hosted by John C. Reilly and feature performances from Hurray for the Riff Raff's Alynda Segarra, Joy Oladokun, Margo Price, Ratboys, Steve Earle, Amos Lee, Josh Ritter, Kathleen Edwards, Shemekia Copeland, and more. Prine's longtime live band will provide all backing support."

Read at Consequence