Pandemic threatens Prine’s life when we need his art most

When I was a junior at Penn State, I had a front-row seat when legendary singer-songwriter John Prine performed on campus.

If you aren’t familiar with Prine’s work, you aren’t alone. He’s often called the greatest singer and songwriter you’ve never heard of.

New York Times columnist Dan Barry explains that Prine is an “influential singer and songwriter with a gift for articulating moments almost beyond words. His songs have won the respect of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson,

Pink Floyd, the Library of Congress, you name it. One admirer, Bob Dylan, once described his canon as ‘pure Proustian existentialism’ and ‘Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree.’”