Christ Episcopal Church creates service inspired by music of John Prine

John Prine's plain-sung wit and warmth shone so brightly, it's possible some missed the depth of his concerns, his melancholia amidst rumination.

Prine's self-titled first album contained a fistful of songs considered classics, including "Angel from Montgomery," "Hello in There," "Sam Stone" and "Paradise." In order, they're about a life-worn woman who prays to be flown away; about how wild things grow stronger, but old people too often just grow lonely; about a Vietnam vet who overdoses trying to ameliorate his pain; and about how strip mining destroyed a town called Paradise, where his father grew.

As will many writing about the true lives of ordinary people, Prine also spoke, sometimes obliquely, other times more directly, about a different kind of paradise, and sang thoughts about higher powers. From within those words came inspiration behind "Service Inspired by the Music of John Prine," a project of Christ Episcopal Church. It'll be 6 p.m. Aug. 30 at The Venue Tuscaloosa, and is free and open to all.

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"I'm a big believer in being involved and engaged with the community," said the Rev. Paul Pradat, the church's new rector as of January 2022. If that name sounds familiar, it's because his father, the Rev. Ray Pradat, served the church as rector for 25 years, from 1973 to 1998. Paul was born and grew up in Tuscaloosa, and had been serving in Huntsville when the chance came to return home.

The Prine service derived from a friend in Gulfport, Mississippi, who created a similar evening put to Prine's music.

"That's where I got the idea. We wanted to do something different, outside the walls of the church, and invite the community to be a part of it," Pradat said.

The idea's similar, but Tuscaloosa's Christ Church, founded Jan. 7, 1828, wrote its own version, with the aid of Birmingham musicians Danny Whitsett, Ben Ridlehoover, and Andrew Nelson. Here's the order of service, with the Prine songs:

• Prelude: "Hello in There"

• Opening hymn: "Boundless Love"

• Hymn of praise: "The Gloria" set to the tune of Prine's "That's The Way The World Goes 'Round," arranged by Whitsett

• Sequence: "Please Don't Bury Me"

• Offertory: "Angel from Montgomery"

• Communion Hymn: "Summer's End," "God Only Knows"

• Closing Hymn: "Spanish Pipedream"

• Postlude: "Fish and Whistle"

The latter was one of Prine's more direct communions, with a chorus including:

"Father forgive usFor what we must doYou forgive usWe’ll forgive youWe’ll forgive each otherTill we both turn blueThen we’ll whistle and go fishingIn heaven."

"Even though he could be a bit irreverent in his songs, he was also deeply spiritual," Pradat said. "An amazing storyteller. He laughed a lot, but also acknowledged his more serious side."

All those involved in creating the service have done a "deep dive" into Prine's collected works, he said, which include 18 studio albums from 1971 to 2018, a string of live records, and a couple of compilations.

When Prine played Tuscaloosa's Bama Theatre in 2012, Jeremy Butler, host of Alabama Public Radio’s “All Things Acoustic,” said in an interview with The Tuscaloosa News: “I’m drawn to Prine because of his skill in writing lyrics. His music is evocative, and he brings out meaning so effectively. Prine is sort of like Bob Dylan or Neil Young because of his distinct voice that isn’t classically trained or considered ‘beautiful.' "

The singer-songwriter born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, died April 7, 2020, from complications of COVID-19. He was 73.

"I was listening to 'Sam Stone' yesterday," Pradat said. "What a song: 'There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes.' That line is as true today as it was in 1971.

"The way he sang, you trusted him to tell a story."

Prine got signed by Atlantic Records' Jerry Wexler, thanks to friends and fans including Kris Kristofferson, who brought Prine in to open for him, live. On that first record, Prine wrote the quietly devastating tale about a Vietnam veteran seeking solace in drugs:

"Sam Stone came homeTo his wife and familyAfter serving in the conflict overseas.And the time that he servedHad shattered all his nervesAnd left a little shrapnel in his knees.But the morphine eased the painAnd the grass grew round his brainAnd gave him all the confidence he lackedWith a purple heart and a monkey on his back."

There may be moments to singalong, Pradat added, and perhaps a bonus performance of "When I Get to Heaven," from Prine's 2018 "The Tree of Forgiveness," his last studio recording.

"He talked about his faith a lot, particularly at the end of his life," Pradat said. "But he also struggled with institutional religion, and I think that's fair."

In the service's context, his music may elicit new meanings, connect in previously unsuspected ways, Pradat said. There will be a eucharist, or communion, as part of the service, but all should feel welcomed to attend. He hopes this service speaks to those "... who aren't quote-unquote 'church people.' "

The Venue Tuscaloosa is at 6052 Watermelon Road, Northport, across from Sokol Park. It's an indoor-outdoor venue, with a grassy space in front of the stage, and a square of restaurants around, including ice cream, a pub, tacos, pizzas and deli items, and a smokehouse grill. For more, call 205-523-4440, or see www.venuetuscaloosa.com.

Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Christ Episcopal Church creates service inspired by singer John Prine