Long considered a “songwriter’s songwriter,” John Prine is a rare talent who writes the songs other songwriters would sell their souls for. Evidence of this is the long list of songwriters who have recorded gems from his extensive catalog, including Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, the Everly Brothers, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Ben Harper, Joan Baez, and many others. With immeasurable accolades, including two Grammys and the distinction of being one of the few songwriters honored by the Library of Congress and US Poet Laureate, Prine is more than a musician…he is an American treasure.

Now over forty years since his remarkable debut, John Prine has released The Singing Mailman Delivers, a two-disc archival set featuring his earliest studio and live recordings dating back to 1970, one year before his premiere album. These tracks reveal a younger Prine as an honest and unassuming songwriter, writing words on his mail route by day and moonlighting as a folk singer in Chicago clubs at night.

This fall marks the 40th anniversary of that first album, John Prine, and these amateur recordings on The Singing Mailman Delivers truly show Prine as a poet whose consummate songs were refined since inception.

“He’s so good, we’re gonna have to break his fingers,” - Kris Kristofferson 

“Beautiful songs… Nobody but Prine could write like that.”  - Bob Dylan