New episodes of the long-running live-music series Austin City Limits are back, starting with a show devoted to John Prine’s posthumous induction into the ACL Hall of Fame (Prine made eight separate appearances on Austin City Limits over the course of his career.) Prine’s induction into the ACL Hall was originally set to happen a few years ago; he died from complications of Covid-19 in 2020.
Ethan Hawke inducts Prine into the ACL Hall of Fame broadcast, with artists including Tyler Childers, Valerie June, Nathaniel Rateliff, Allison Russell, Kurt Vile, and Prine’s son, Tommy Prine adding to the tribute. Childers later returns for the all-star finale, a collaborative performance of “Paradise” delivered by June, Rateliff, Russell, Vile, and Prine.
Terry Lickona, ACL executive producer, said in a statement: “We had planned to induct John into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2020, before he tragically became an early victim of the Covid pandemic. There were many well-deserved tributes at the time, but this year finally felt like the right moment to recognize his long history with ACL. Working closely with John’s family, we created a special celebration of his impact on singers and songwriters across so many genres.”
The John Prine celebration episode is currently streaming online via PBS. You can take a look at Childers' performance: here.
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