The Moment That Changed John Prine’s Life Forever

Every artist has to make the jump to performing live for the first time. It’s one thing to write songs in your bedroom for yourself, it’s entirely another to get up on stage and share them with a room full of people. For some artists, they need a little motivation. A champion. A job. A dare. John Prine fell into the latter category. Learn more about the life changing moment when Prine performed for the first time, below.

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The Moment That Changed John Prine’s Life Forever

Sam Stone came home
To his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas
And the time that he served
Had shattered all his nerves

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose
Little pitchers have big ears
Don’t stop to count the years
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios

Across his career, Prine delivered more than his fair share of affecting songs. Even his peers agree, there are few songwriters than can rival his mastery of the art. But, there was a time when he wasn’t the Americana legend he came to be known as and live shows were still a mystery to him. According to Prine, his first live performance was the fulfillment of dare from an audience member at an open mic night.

“It was just a little club in Chicago, not even 20 people in there when I got up,” Prine once said. “I wasn’t the type to heckle, but I’d had a few beers and wasn’t really impressed with what I was hearing and said so under my breath. And someone at the next table said, ‘Well if it’s so easy, why don’t you get up and do it?’ So I said, ‘Well, maybe I will.’”

“I got up and sang ‘Sam Stone’ and the audience just sat there,” he added. “They looked at me, looked at each other, looked at me again… seemed like an eternity and, finally, they started applauding. The owner of the club came up afterwards and offered me a job singing there. I couldn’t believe it. The thing I really remember was that I was more comfortable than I’d ever felt. I just felt like that’s where I belonged.”

It’s not hard to imagine that the audience was blown away hearing “Sam Stone.” This powerful ballad about a soldier’s plight is one of Prine’s most enduring. It even caught the attention of country legend Johnny Cash in 2005. It’s a tear-jerking ode to a generation riddled with post-war depression, drug use, and trauma. Revisit “Sam Stone,” below.

Sam Stone’s welcome home
Didn’t last too long
He went to work when he’d spent his last dime
And Sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin’ I suppose
Little pitchers have big ears
Don’t stop to count the years
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios

(Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage)