Eleven months after his death, John Prine continues to leave his mark on the music industry.
On Sunday, the legendary singer-songwriter won two posthumous Grammy Awards for his song “I Remember Everything.” The honor comes a year after Prine received a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys, according to The Associated Press.
In the last song recorded before his death, Prine sings of life on the road and interactions with loved ones, according to the Deseret News. “I Remember Everything” was released last June during a virtual tribute show honoring Prine, who died on April 7, 2020, from COVID-19 complications.
Grammy winner Brandi Carlile, who was a close friend of Prine’s, performed her own rendition of “I Remember Everything” during the “In Memoriam” segment of the awards ceremony Sunday night.
“This is the last song our beloved @johnprinemusic ever wrote,” Carlile wrote on her social media platforms. “It was an unspeakable honor to sing it tonight. Thank you to the Grammys for lifting our hero.”
The special tribute to Prine comes a few months after the Country Music Association excluded Prine and a handful of other songwriters from its own tribute during the CMA Awards — a move that upset several artists, including Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and his wife, Amanda Shires, according to Consequence of Sound.
“Due to CMAs failure to mention John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver at the CMA’s last night, @amandashires and I have decided to return our membership cards,” Isbell shared on Twitter in November 2020. “I doubt anybody will care, but we cared a lot about our heroes.”
In addition to Carlile’s performance, Sunday night’s “In Memoriam” segment also included Lionel Richie paying tribute to Kenny Rogers with a performance of “Lady” and Bruno Mars honoring Little Richard by singing “Long Tall Sally” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
A montage honored a lengthy, sobering list of artists, producers, sound mixers and more lost in 2020 and early 2021 — including Bill Withers, Eddie Van Halen, Helen Reddy, Charlie Daniels, Chick Corea and Charley Pride.
To close out the tribute, Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard — accompanied on the piano by Coldplay’s Chris Martin — performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a song made popular by Gerry and the Pacemakers’ singer Gerry Mardsen, who died two months ago.
On Monday morning, Prine’s wife, Fiona Whelan Prine, said she felt her husband’s presence at the Grammy Awards.
“I felt him with me yesterday; it was pretty powerful,” she told “CBS This Morning.” “He would’ve been so happy. ... He took great pride in his work. Every song John ever wrote, he fully invested everything.”
Fiona Whelan Prine said Carlile’s version of “I Remember Everything” has been released as a single, and that a full tribute record to her late husband will come out in the fall. She added that friends and family are planning a weeklong series of events to commemorate Prine in the fall.
In the meantime, she said, fans should continue to listen to Prine’s wide body of music.
“I think everything that you’ve ever wanted to know about John Prine is in his songs,” she told “CBS This Morning.” “So if you want to think of him and remember him, just play a song (and) think about the kindness that came from John’s heart.”