It was this page, this single page that started the shrine and brought us all together... 
© by Reeda Buresh - (the John Prine Shrine webmistress)

COME GATHER 'ROUND ME YOU LITTLE MONKEYS AND A STORY I'LL TELL

I was 15 years old (oh geez, that was over 20 years ago)... I suddenly feel old, I mean to be able to say that you have been doing anything for 20 years is pretty incredible and wrinkle-y feeling! I was sent to live with my older sister Ellen and her family in the Ozarks because I had gotten "caught" with the wrong group of friends, doing the "wrong" things at the "wrong" times...wrong wrong wrong - but that's another story.

I spent my summer painting houses and listening to the quiet of the Missouri Ozarks, and "their" music which consisted of John Prine, Elvis Presley,  Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, and Loudon Wainwright III.  In the evenings, My brother-in-law would pick at his 12-string and his 12-pack and we would sit around the double wide singing good old Elvis and John Prine tunes (quite the combination).  I would play his self titled album almost non-stop.  I recorded it on to an 8-track tape (remember those?) so I could always have those 13 songs with me. For a 15 year old in the '70's this was considered square... but, being isolated in the Ozarks, I hadn't the need to impress peers and was able to mold myself, rather than make mold of myself. Sam Stone and Flag Decal were my favorites,  so were Hello in there, Flashback Blues, Illegal Smile, Donald and Lydia....oh Hell, I loved every single one of 'em. They grew me up.

That album gave me a decent addiction for the '70's.  I would lock myself in the back room, lay on the roll out and sing Sam Stone over and over and over. I related to those songs, somehow they got me through a very lonely and confusing time in my life.

Terry and I finally got to see his Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings concert 22 years and 12 albums later, at the Adler Theatre here in Davenport, Iowa in 1995. I felt 15 again. Todd Snider played first, and he really deserved more of my attention, but honestly, I wanted him off the stage and JP to come on. During intermission I ran out and got his "Daily Planet" cd just to be fair (I'm glad I did). Then...He came on stage and started to sing, and I thought I was going to bombard my britches! I was taken aback for a moment because he had all these instruments...I thought he would be alone.

I watched and listened to him in awe, like a child who was about to sit on Santa's lap, I was just going to burst. Nonetheless...it was awesome. He would play a few of the oldies that drove all of us into some kind of Vienna Boys Choir frenzied sing along,  like we could carry a tune...it didn't matter-it felt good. I knew every word to every song and I sang every tune. . . There "He" was -bigger than life, so normal looking - and still a legend. I was locked in for the rest of the night.

I sang, I stomped, clapped, whistled and never stopped grinnin'. John never stopped singing, we couldn't get enough, I think he came back for 3 encores. I don't know, by then I was in a folk induced high.  I wanna go again. I strongly suggest that you try to hear him, he is folk, good fun folk and if you like to hear the words, these words always seem to have some relevance or let you visualize a story, and if you don't get it by then . . . just the wry sense of humor will keep you listening.. .

I just can't seem to say enough about his music and how it has always grabbed me right here in my heart and my head.