When John Prine was hospitalized last year with COVID-19, Sturgill Simpson had a feeling that he might never see his friend and mentor again.
At 73 years old, Prine was a country folk legend and a two-time Grammy Award winner. His song “Paradise,” which he wrote for his father — a native of Paradise, Kentucky — has been covered by dozens of artists.
After Prine died on April 7, 2020, Simpson — himself, a Kentucky native and Grammy winner — offered to cover the song again for the upcoming tribute album “Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2,” out this fall.
Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Simpson about the loss of Prine and other country legends.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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