NASHVILLE, TN. (By Kissy Black/ Lotos Nile Media) - The Americana
Music Association recognized several artists during its 4th Annual Honors & Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on
September 9th. The event culminated with
John Prine winning the evening's highest honor - Artist of the Year. Billy Bob Thornton accepted the award on behalf of Prine who was on vacation. The Honors & Awards show will air nationally on GAC
September 26th at 8pm ET.
Reaching the number one position on the Americana radio chart for 13 weeks and celebrated as one of the most critically acclaimed records of the year, Fair & Square is Prine's first album of original material in nine years. The album features guest vocals from bluegrass nightingale Alison Krauss and Americana darling Mindy Smith, and it rang up the best first week sales of Prine's career. It landed at No. 2 on Billboard's Indie chart and No. 55 on the all genre Top 200 chart. Prine co-produced the album with world-renowned engineer Gary Paczosa, who has been awarded Grammys for his work with Krauss, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks and Nickel Creek.
Prine was featured this summer on CBS Sunday Morning singing 'Crazy As A Loon.' The song is vintage Prine—steeped in humanity and delivered with his trademark wit. The segment, hosted by Bill Flanagan, features Prine's June 20 Austin City Limits performance of the song. His Austin City Limits appearance will air nationally in its entirety on November 12th, 2005.
Currently, Prine readies himself to return to the road, touring in support of Fair & Square. He'll travel the highways and byways of the U.S. through the fall, highlighted by headlining at the Austin City Limits Festival on Friday September 23rd. He heads to Europe at the end of October with a tour that starts in England. Look for feature articles about Prine in Uncut, Record Collector, America West Magazine, The Daily Telegraph and the London Sunday Times, as well as the cover stories of Maverick magazine and the winter issue of Sing Out!.
Fair & Square proves that Prine's skills have only deepened in that time. He's more insightful, funny, and heartbreakingly relevant than he's ever been.
The record was released on his own Oh Boy record label that Prine's owns with his longtime manager and friend Al Bunetta. Oh Boy Records would like to do something to help the relief effort of the hurricane devastated Gulf Coast. So, for the month of September, Oh Boy will donate $1 for every CD sold at ohboy.com and at johnprine.net to the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.
