The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center will present John Prine with special guest Shelly Colvin at 8 p.m. Friday, April 11.
American country and folk singer-songwriter Prine has been at the top of the ASC’s artist “wish list” for some time. Now he will make his debut performance in the acoustically pristine Jemison Concert Hall, the perfect setting for an artist like Prine. Colvin will now open for Prine instead of the previously scheduled artist Holly Williams, who is unable to perform due to illness. Tickets are $50.50, $61.50 and $69.50. For tickets, call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.
More than four decades after his remarkable debut, Prine has stayed at the top of his game, both as a performer and as a songwriter. Recently honored at the Library of Congress by United States Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, he’s been elevated from the annals of songwriters into the realm of bona fide American treasures.
Widely known as an influential “songwriter’s songwriter,” Prine is a rare talent who can write songs other songwriters adore. Just a glance at the long list of songwriters who have recorded gems from his extensive catalog is proof: Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, the Everly Brothers, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Ben Harper, Joan Baez and many others.
Prine recently released “The Singing Mailman Delivers,” a double-CD collection that features solo studio recordings from August 1970, as well as a complete live performance from November 1970 with Prine accompanied by a bass player at an intimate Chicago nightclub. Prine got his start in the late ’60s writing and singing songs as a hobby while working as a mailman. He was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, which led to Prine’s self-titled debut album in 1971.