The late John Prine posthumously won Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Prine’s final song “I Remember Everything” claimed the prize in both categories, beating out fellow nominees including Brittany Howard, Black Pumas, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, and Mavis Staples.
These Grammys mark the third and fourth ones of Prine’s legendary career. He previously won Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1991 and again in 2005. Additionally, last year he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Prine passed away on April 7th, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. “I Remember Everything” was released two months later on June 12th, and was later name one of Consequence of Sound’s favorite songs of 2020. In the corresponding writeup, Matt Melis had this to say about Prine’s final recording:
“We extol the virtues of music all the time as music writers, citing how it unifies people, consoles those in pain, and somehow understands us when the rest of the world doesn’t seem to. John Prine’s final song might do all three. Sung from the vantage point of a weary traveler looking back, Prine doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that there will be loss and mistakes and pain down the line. However, he also reminds us that there will be comfort, often in memories of things as simple as a shady tree or a warm smile, when looking back at the entire journey. It’s a wise message and a fitting final word on a remarkable life.”
Watch the video for “I Remember Everything”:
