Features
Holly Gleason & Steve Earle In Conversation To Celebrate New ‘Prine On Prine’ Book
Music journalist, author and Pollstar Senior Contributing Editor Holly Gleason has a new book out Sept. 12, “Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.” Gleason is celebrating the release – a labor of love honoring Americana music’s premier singer/songwriter John Prine – by joining Grammy-winner Steve Earle in conversation Sept. 13 at Strand’s Rare Books Room in New York.
The conversation at the independent bookstore, which is located at 828 Broadway on 12th Street, begins at 7 p.m.
“Like John, Steve understands songs about average people yield some very strong emotion – and insight into the human condition,” Gleason said in a statement. “John respected Steve so much, and in many ways, he shares John’s sense of decency when it comes to working people. Having spent three years reading and culling these pieces, I wanted someone who understands that part of John, that’s so simple and unassuming, yet guts you with the truth. You don’t see Sam Stone or Donald & Lydia, the old couple or the Angel coming, but you don’t forget.”
The book documents Prine’s influential career with passages from Studs Terkel, Roger Ebert, Cameron Crowe, Robert Hilburn, then Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, Robert Christgau, Dave Hoekstra, Michael McCall and Grammy-winner Bob Mehr. Highlights include everything from Prine taking a role in Billy Bob Thornton’s “Daddy and Them” to receiving the Pen Literary Award for Lyrical Achievement from John Mellencamp to some of the artist’s favorite recipes and stories shared in “Shuck Bean, Stack Cake & Honest Fried Chicken.”
Gleason adds, “Whether it’s Robert Hilburn seeing John in the limbo of life without a major label, Dave Hoekstra celebrating the Earl of Old Town’s anniversary, as well as Steve Goodman and the Chicago folk scene that birthed both men or Chris Willman delving into women’s reproductive autonomy for a charity single of ‘Unwed Fathers’ with Margo Price, Prine’s aim was true. He was fun and funny, but mostly he wanted to see people treat each other with kindness and respect. He was all for everybody, but he had a strong sense of values and decency… and that stayed consistent throughout his career.”
The book has earned advanced praise from fellow authors, Prine’s widow and manager/activist Fiona Prine and artists including Miranda Lambert, George Strait and Eric Church.
Bonnie Raitt says, “I’m so grateful that Holly has put together this fantastic collection of the best interviews and articles about our beloved John Prine spanning the whole six decades of his extraordinary career. For all of us who love and miss him so, this book is truly a treasured gift.”
Gleason met Prine when she was a young journalist working for The Miami Herald. An announcement notes that she “later provided media strategy and services for In Spite of Ourselves and Fair & Square, remaining friends with the Grammy-winning legend throughout his life.” Gleason was also the former fiancée of Oh Boy, Red Pajamas and Blue Plate Music co-founder and Prine co-manager Dan Einstein.
In June Gleason was named the Entertainment Journalist of the Year at the LA Press Club’s annual Southern California Journalism Awards. She also took home awards in Music Criticism as well as the Entertainment News (Magazine) categories.
Earlier this year Gleason and Lambert released the book “Y’all Eat Yet? Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin’ Kitchen” (Harper/Collins), which hit both the New York Times’ Best Seller List and Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction Hardcover List.
Gleason most recently wrote the cover story, along with several features, for Pollstar’s special issue on the 50th anniversary of CMA Fest. Earlier this year she wrote a cover story on rising country star ERNEST.
She has contributed many high-profile pieces to Pollstar including cover stories on Tina Turner, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, John Prine, P!NK, Kane Brown, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Whiskey Myers, Mickey Guyton, Ronnie Milsap, Old Dominion, Midland and Alabama’s 50th anniversary. Additional features include a story honoring the girl power force known as The Go-Go’s as part of Pollstar‘s 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame special issue.
Her other accolades over the years include winning the prestigious Media Achievement Award, which Lambert presented to Gleason at the Country Music Association Awards in 2019.
Gleason also serves as the Nashville Editor of HITS and has been a Rock And Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Center for Pop Fellow. She’s written for Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, PASTE, American Songwriter, Texas Music, Musician, MIX, No Depression, Oxford American, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Miami Herald as well as The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Saturday Evening Post and NPR.
Tickets to “Holly Gleason + Steve Earle: Prine on Prine” can be purchase via Strand’s website at the link below.
https://www.strandbooks.com/events/event742?title=holly_gleason__steve_earle_prine_on_prine
And click the following link to purchase a signed copy of “Prine On Prine.”