John Prine is with no doubt a legend in his own right. However, he couldn’t have made it as far as he did if it wasn’t for his good buddy and songwriting partner, Steve Goodman. Steve Goodman is a well-known singer/songwriter, but he never reached the level of fame Prine did. This was partially due to his early death in 1984.
Before fame was even in the picture for these two, John Prine and Steve Goodman were just two 20-year-olds with a couple of songs and one enormous dream. That being so, the two Illinois natives resided in Chicago to follow their dreams, and thanks to the Windy City, a heavy-hitting songwriting pair was born.
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John Prine, Steve Goodman, and Good Ole’ Chicago
After serving for years in the military, John Prine moved to Chicago, became a mailman, and pursued his music career in the evening. Goodman, who is a Chicago native, spent one year at Lake Forest College and then dropped out to focus on music. Thanks to their creative vocations, Prine and Goodman often played the same bars and clubs. Specifically, the Chicago staple, Earl of Oldtown.
Given that they frequented the same places, Goodman and Prine developed a close bond. A bond that resulted in Goodman becoming John Prine’s mentor at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. It is unknown what exactly transpired during their music school years. Though, regardless, the two of them went on to obtain loads of success and notoriety.
During this time, Goodman convinced Kris Kristofferson to go see Prine live. Kristofferson did and then offered the two an opening gig a the Bitter End club in New York. Following that gig, John Prine and Steve Goodman became steadfast writing partners who were officially in business. The songs that were born out of the partnership include, “You Never Even Call Me By My Name,” “Unwed Fathers”, “Blue Umbrella”, and “Souvenirs.” Some of the artists to cover these songs include David Allan Coe, Jason Isbell, Andrew Bird, and many more.
Needless to say, the city of Chicago is to be thanked for this musical partnership. Additionally, Steve Goodman is to be thanked for launching Prine’s music career. Frankly, if it wasn’t for Goodman, John Prine would have never met Kristofferson and would have possibly never been seen by the right people.
Steve Goodman performs with John Prine at The Tulagi in Boulder Colorado, October 1972 per Getty Images
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