John Prine’s Son Tommy Prine to Release Debut Album
This will be the last time it is relevant to refer to Tommy Prine as the son of John as anything but an interesting footnote, if that time hasn’t already passed. After winning Saving Country Music’s 2022 Song for the Year for his debut single “Ships in the Harbor,” and recently receiving a ringing endorsement for the song by the CMA’s reigning Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs, it’s time for Tommy Prine to step out of the shadow of his famous father.
That is exactly what Tommy Prine will do when he releases his debut album This Far South on June 23rd through his own Nameless Knight Records distributed by Thirty Tigers. Interesting, Tommy chose to not release the album under his dad’s label Oh Boy Records (which incidentally, is also distributed by Thirty Tigers). If only symbolic, it shows Tommy’s effort to want to be his own man.
Tommy is the youngest son of John Prine with his wife and widow Fiona Whelan Prine. John Prine died in 2020 at the age of 73 due to COVID-19. Tommy learned how to fingerpick from his father, first picking up a guitar at the age of 10. But it wasn’t his father’s music that directly inspired Tommy to get into singer/songwriter stuff at the age of 17. It was Jason Isbell’s opus Southeastern.
Tommy did go out on the road with his dad, helping to sell merch, and upon occasion, taking the stage to sing a song. It was performing with his father at the 30A Songwriters Fest a few years ago where Tommy caught the bug, and wanted to become a performer. For the last two years, Tommy has been touring and paying dues in anticipated of this debut album release.
This Far South was produced by dour country artist Ruston Kelly with Gena Johnson, who Prine considers not just producers, but collaborators. With an already career-defining track out there in “Ships in the Harbor” and another early single “Turning Stones” finding traction, Tommy releases the title track of the album as part of the announcement.
“There were several years where I felt without purpose…spent all my time partying and just existing,” Prine explains. “I found myself at a fork in the road and chose the better path, and in that moment, I swore I would never be ‘this far south’ again.”
Interestingly, “Ships in the Harbor” and “Turning Stones” did not make the track list of the new album, perhaps because they’ve already taken on a life of their own.
Tommy Prine continues to perform live to refine his songs and chops, including playing a Tuesday night residency at The Basement in Nashville this March, and opening two shows for Tyler Childers in the UK in April. He’s also been booked as a performer at MerleFest in April, and the Long Road Fest in the UK in August.
This Far South is now available for pre-save/pre-order.
TRACK LIST:
1. Elohim
2. Crashing Again
3. This Far South
4. Reach The Sun
5. By The Way
6. Mirror and a Kitchen Sink
7. Boyhood
8. Some Things
9. Letter to my Brother
10. Cash Carter Hill
11. I Love You, Always
March 3, 2023 @ 12:35 pm
Hell yeah to the thousandth power
March 3, 2023 @ 12:52 pm
With the major exception of Hank Jr., it seems to me that almost all of the “next generation” peformers who’ve made it as country music stars have been girls. Shelley West, Lynn Anderson, Rosanne Cash, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis all had #1 hits of their own. The Carter Sisters didn’t have big hits, but they were fairly prominent. On the other hand, Ronnie Robins, John Carter Cash, the Haggard boys–Marty, Noel and Ben–, Michael Twitty–none of them quite got over.
Oh, I hear Rhett Akins has a son who’s done all right.
I don’t know how that bodes for Tommy Prine, though maybe he’s looking for more of an Americana, Alt-country career, a la Rufus Wainwright and Justin Townes Earle– than trying to become a mainstream hitmaker.
March 3, 2023 @ 1:02 pm
Tommy’s definitely going in the direction of a Justin Townes Earle/Americana approach, and I was reading your comment, Justin Townes Earle is who popped into my head as a good direction for Tommy Prine to point his nose, not necessarily how it ultimately turned out, but Justin came onto the scene and had lots of early success with his first few albums. I don’t think Tommy has any desire to interface with the mainstream country scene.
March 3, 2023 @ 1:05 pm
Lukas and Micah Nelson. Shooter Jennings. Whey Jennings. Sam Williams, Hank III and now IV. DAC’s kid is pretty successful in what he does. Dean Miller. Billy Strings.
I forgot where I was going with this.
March 3, 2023 @ 1:06 pm
Bobby Bare Jr springs to mind.
March 4, 2023 @ 4:08 pm
Blake has almost reached Ricky status.
March 3, 2023 @ 2:18 pm
Very interesting choices for the board…
Not to undersell Johnson, because she has a helluva resume, but you could have given me 50 guesses with a clue of “Nashville based producer”, and I’m not sure Kelly would have ever come to mind.
That single definitely has Kelly’s fingerprints though.
March 3, 2023 @ 2:47 pm
I was at The Basement last night for the first night of his residency and he sure was happy to be up there playing his songs, including a few off this upcoming release.
March 3, 2023 @ 9:31 pm
Well I really liked his first two songs. This one I’m going to have to listen more before I can really say. It’s definitely not hitting me like ships in the harbor. Still I’m looking forward to seeing how the album turns out. Would have preferred he stay a little closer to his dad but ships was totally different so doesn’t surprise me he’s skewing further away.
March 4, 2023 @ 4:04 pm
If Rosanne Cash is still the daughter of Johnny Cash, I’d say Tommy will always be the son of John…and he won’t have a problem with it at all.
March 4, 2023 @ 6:22 pm
I saw him when he came to England opening for Tyler Childers and he came across really well. He played Ships in the Harbor and Cash/Carter Hills which are both great songs. He also did one called ‘Gandalf’ which was a lot of fun. Looking forward to this album.
March 4, 2023 @ 9:09 pm
@Mike,
: D would you be able to share the lyrics for ‘Gandalf’ that Tommy sang?
Love Gandalf from LOTR.
March 5, 2023 @ 2:16 pm
I don’t recall all the lyrics from the night, but it was a song about finding himself/being reborn and how “it’s kinda like when Gandalf came back all in white”. It’s possible it’s on the upcoming album under a different title, but he did call it ‘Gandalf’ on the night.
March 5, 2023 @ 5:08 pm
: D Way Too Cool.
Thought it might have been something like that.
When finishing up last 2 years of nuc. med. in Miami, had to put up with sexual harassment at FORTY FIVE years old, from the amazing (rolling my eyes) Gus, at Mt. Sinai, Miami Beach.
To keep my cool – went back to the scene of Gandalf on the bridge, and thinking, You Shall Not Pass. …
Right before offering to lay a multi million dollar lawsuit at the feet of Keiser University.
But that’s not the important thing.
The important thing is how cool the whole LOTR trilogy is.
Thank you for your info.
July 17, 2023 @ 6:45 pm
Are you going to review this album?
July 17, 2023 @ 7:22 pm
I’m hoping to. Tons of releases. I review as many as I can.