John Prine named Artist of the Year at 2020 Americana Awards
John Prine. Photo: Danny Clinch
John Prine was named Artist of the Year at the 2020 Americana Music Association Honors & Awards on Tuesday (Dec. 15), marking the late legend’s fourth win in the category, following previous recognitions in 2005, 2017 and 2018. Prine is the first artist in Americana Honors & Awards history to be posthumously nominated in the Artist of the Year category.
The accolade continues to celebrate an esteemed career for Prine, whose last recorded song and first No. 1 single, “I Remember Everything,” is nominated in two categories at the 63rd Grammy Awards: Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. Written by Prine and his longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin, the song was recorded last year in Prine’s living room with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb and engineer Gena Johnson. Watch the recording here.
Regarded as a premier phrase-turner, Prine is a two-time Grammy-winner, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, a seven-time Americana Music Award-winner, a PEN New England Lyrics Award recipient and member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Since his debut in 1971, Prine released over eighteen albums and has had his songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band and many others, while drawing effusive praise from Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Roger Waters, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and more, who knew him as a smiling, shuffling force for good.
