The late John Prine was honored at the Great Performances: GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends, on October 16 where Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires covered the performer’s songs. Carlile covered “I Remember Everything” the performer’s final recording, while Isbell and Shires covered “Storm Windows,” the title-track from his 1980 studio album. This tribute was done in honor of industry legends and was recorded remotely by the artists due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Isbell and Shires had previously covered “Storm Windows” during a socially-distant show in Tennessee earlier this month, where they were accompanied by the 400 unit. Isbell was a close friend of the folk legend and wrote a piece dedicated to Prine’s legacy for the New York Times following his death.
“I remember hearing his 1971 recording of this song for the first time and thinking, ‘No, you’re not.’ Then a light bulb went on, and I realized that songwriting allows you to be anybody you want to be, so long as you get the details right. John always got the details right,” Isbell wrote. ” If the artist’s job is to hold a mirror up to society, John had the cleanest mirror of anyone I have ever known. Sometimes it seemed like he had a window, and he would climb right through.”
Carlile made an appearance at Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine earlier this year, which also held appearances from Dan Auerbach, Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Kurt Vile, Eric Church, Stephen Colbert and Bill Murray. Prine, Simpson and Carlile had previously teamed up for a performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where they played “Summers End.”
Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz