The second annual You Got Gold: Celebrating the Songs of John Prine returned to Nashville with a sold-out show at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater on Sunday (October 8). The four-day event, which includes live performances, tours of the late songwriter’s favorite spots in Music City, and pop-ups, culminates on what would have been Prine’s 77th birthday on Tuesday, October 10.
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Sunday’s star-studded two-hour performance at CMA Theater served as a master class in songwriting. Throughout the evening, 17 artists took turns on the microphone sharing their favorite stories and songs from the Songwriters Hall of Famer who died in 2020. Backed by Prine’s longtime band, each artist brought the singer’s music to life while his songwriting remained at the forefront. A portion of the proceeds from the evening benefitted The Hello In There Foundation, an initiative established by the Prine family to honor the singer’s memory and continue his love, kindness, and generosity.
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“It’s safe to say most people who are writers have been influenced by John Prine,” Mindy Smith noted ahead of her stirring performance of “Long Monday.”
Later, Hayes Carll was joined by Allison Moorer for a captivating rendition of Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” and he shared a similar sentiment. “If I had a songwriting Mount Rushmore John would take at least two of the four spots,” Carll added.
Suzy Bogguss, Billy Prine, Connie Smith, Carlene Carter, Keith Sykes, Maura O’Connell, and Jeff Hanna shared their own personal tales of meeting or writing with Prine. Meanwhile, Zac Brown, Kelsey Waldon, Lukas Nelson, MORGXN, Tommy Prine, Brit Taylor, and Matraca Berg also shared the stage. Here are the five best moments from The Prine Family Presents: You Got Gold at CMA Theater.
Carlene Carter, Suzy Bogguss, and Matraca Berg unite
Carlene Carter said she was introduced to Prine and his music while playing bluegrass festivals with her family. Years later, she attended Prine’s show at The Roxy in Los Angeles around the time he recorded The Carter Family song “Diamonds in the Rough” for his 1972 sophomore album of the same name.
“My momma said, ‘Now you got to go out and see John Prine because he did a Carter Family song and he doesn’t do other people’s songs very often,’” she recalled. “So she sent me on this mission and I went to see him play there and I was blown away.”
She then invited her “soul sisters of song,” Bogguss and Berg to join her for The Carter Family spiritual. With delicate acoustic guitar and mandolin accompaniment alongside Carter’s wavering vocals, “Diamonds in the Rough” transported the CMA Theater audience back in time.
Zac Brown’s heartfelt “All the Best”
After a run of weekend concerts in North Carolina, Maryland, and New Jersey, Zac Brown returned to Nashville to honor the songwriting “genius.”
“I’m so proud to be here for John and his family,” Brown said as he took the stage. “Never quite heard the genius quite like John Prine. His songwriting, to me, he had such a simple way of stating things that it was absolute genius. I ended up recording this song on my Welcome Home album a few years back. His music has meant a lot to me.”
Alone on an acoustic guitar, Brown then performed a memorable rendition of “All the Best.” While he prefaced his performance and apologized for his tired voice after a weekend of shows, Brown’s gravelly vocals only added to the song’s somber lyrics.
Lukas Nelson plays his favorite John Prine song
Like Prine, music runs in the family for Lukas Nelson. The singer’s lineage was apparent during his performance of Prine’s “Lonesome Friends of Science.” With vocals that recall his father, Willie Nelson, the younger Nelson put his own unique spin on Prine’s “Lonsome Friends of Science.” Backed by delicate pedal steel, guitar, and upright bass, Nelson’s vocals were at the forefront of the 2019 song.
“It’s an honor to be here because John Prine was the best and we all know that,” Nelson said ahead of his performance. “This is one of my favorite songs he’s ever written. And it was one of my theme songs when we were all sitting at home during the pandemic. This song really resonated with me.”
Longtime friend Maura O’Connell receives a standing ovation
A friend of Prine’s for 40 years, O’Connell offered some laughter before performing “Sleepy Eyed Boy,” a song she described as “a sad song but it sounds like a sailor’s song.”
“I lived beside him for many, many years and we had many parties that were great, great fun, but something that you probably didn’t know, we mostly sang show tunes,” she said to laughter. “I’m not kidding! It was ‘Oklahoma!’ It was all the stuff. Oh, we had so much fun in our time. I’m gonna sing a song that I recorded John’s several years ago. … I love John and I miss him and I know you all do.”
Backed by accordion and acoustic guitar, O’Connell’s emotive vocals captivated the CMA Theater and she received the first standing ovation of the evening.
All-star “Paradise” encore
As the night came to a close, Prine’s son Tommy was joined by his father’s longtime producer Jim Rooney. Soon, all the night’s guests walked out on stage for a triumphant encore of “Paradise,” a song the late songwriter penned for his father.
“Let’s go to paradise,” Rooney said as he and the younger Prine alternated lead vocals with Brit Taylor and Kelsey Waldon. The first of three sold-out shows honoring the songwriting legend this week, You Got Gold: Celebrating the Songs of John Prine at CMA Theater proved a memorable tribute and reminder of the power of Prine’s songwriting.
You Got Gold: Celebrating the Songs of John Prine continues tonight (October 9) at Basement East and Tuesday (October 10) at Ryman Auditorium.
(Photos by Mickey Bernal/Getty Images)
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