Americana legend John Prine has had another medical setback and has been forced to cancel all scheduled appearances around the globe until the end of the April.
The family of the 73-year-old singer-songwriter have issued a statement saying Prine “will be taking a break from touring as being on the road has aggravated a hip injury.”
It is hoped that he will return to the stage at the annual MerleFest Music Gathering in North Caroline in April 26.
Among the gigs in the U.K. and Australia that Prine will miss is his appearance at the annual Easter Bluesfest at Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast in early April. The organisers posted a message stating: “As always, John is appreciative of his loyal fans and friends all over the world and looks forward to returning to Australia at a future date. We sincerely apologise to fans affected by this cancellation and wish John a speedy recovery."
It is the second medical emergency for Prine in the last 12 months. In July, he was forced to cancel several shows to undergo heart stent surgery.
Prine’s career had seen something of a resurgence since he released the much-acclaimed album The Tree of Forgiveness in 2018. Shortly afterwards he embarked on a world-wide tour to promote the album, his first solo release for 13 years.
In the meantime, he was honored at the Americana Music Awards last September, when The Tree of Forgiveness won Album of the Year and “Summer’s End,” written by Prine and Pat McLaughlin, won Song of the Year.”
And to cap it all, he was named as one of the recipients of the Recording Academy’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards. A year earlier, he had received three Grammy nominations relating to The Tree of Forgiveness, though failed to land any awards.
Also in 2019, the man who penned immortal classics like “Angel from Montgomery” and “Sam Stone,” was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. And later this year, he is also due to receive the icon honor at the annual Libera Awards, which recognise industry figures who contribute to the world of independent music.
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