Sunday Supper: 05/03/20

When John Prine passed from the insidious COVID-19 virus, music lovers everywhere were heartbroken. My personal connection with him went back to the early '70s in Chicago, when he was newly liberated from his mail route in Maywood, and I was trying to jump start a progressive radio format. We hadn't been in touch for many years, but recently I came across an in-depth conversation we had in 1987 while I was producing "Mixed Bag." It featured four songs in the studio (including "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness"), and it's my pleasure to share it on today's "Sunday Supper."

In addition to his indelible influence as a songwriter, Prine was one of the first artists to run his own record company. Todd Snider was just one of the artists to have albums released on the Oh Boy label. Tre Burt, a singer-songwriter from Sacramento, is the most recent, so we'll honor John's legacy by playing a track from that album on today's show. We'll also squeeze in new music by Shelby Lynne, Vance Gilbert, and Alicia Viani and offer hopeful tunes for these perilous times from Peter Gabriel and Jimmy Cliff.

If they've got a drink to name after you, have it with your "Sunday Supper," from 5-6 p.m. EDT at 90.7 FM and wfuv.org or on demand in the WFUV Weekend Archives, on the WFUV app or the musically attuned smart speaker of your choice.