The John Prine Tribute Concert returns to the Ozark Folk Center State Park on Sat. June 21. The evening show will celebrate the life and music of legendary folksinger and songwriter John Prine (1946-2020), along with his history in Mountain View, at the center’s 1,000-seat indoor music venue, Ozark Highlands Theater. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show begins at 7 p.m. with a video produced by the Ozark Folk Center featuring stories about John told by locals.
Visitors will hear many of the songs from John’s long-standing career performed by his tenured guitarist, Grammy award-winning songwriter, Jason Wilber, along with veteran songwriter and friend of Prine’s, Keith Sykes. Proudly sponsored by Stone Bank.
“We’re grateful to the Prine family for supporting the event again and allowing us the opportunity to honor John’s legacy and hear the songs that have touched so many of our lives,” said OFC promotions director Keith Symanowitz. “Not many folks know it, but John performed for his first audience in Mountain View during a family vacation when he was 14 years-old. Up until the year he passed, John came every spring and fall to play music and fish the White River with his friends and fellow songwriters. He was the sort of musician you looked up to and actually enjoyed meeting. We’re looking forward to honoring John and welcoming his fans, and fellow musicians, back to Ozark Highlands Theater for another memorable evening.”
The tribute is a reserved seating event and is not included with a season pass to the Ozark Folk Center. Reserved tickets for adults may be purchased online for $20-$30 and for children (ages 6-12) for $10-$20, after processing fees. Tickets may sell out so get your tickets early at OzarkFolkCenter.TicketLeap.com. Any remaining tickets can be purchased at the door for $5 more.
About the featured performers:
Jason Wilber is an American singer, guitar player, songwriter, and recording artist. In addition to his work as a solo recording artist, he is also known as the long-time lead guitar player for singer-songwriter John Prine. Over the Rhine.
Wilber’s work with John Prine includes the Grammy award-winning CD “Fair & Square”, and the Grammy nominated CDs “Live On Tour”, “In Spite of Ourselves” (which spent 32 weeks on the Billboard Country Charts).
and Prine’s final album “Tree of Forgiveness”. In addition to playing guitar on John Prine’s 2017 album “For Better or Worse”, Wilber also served as a Co-Executive Producer. Wilber has accompanied John Prine on duet recordings with Iris Dement, Allison Krauss, Susan Tedeschi, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, Kathy Mattea, Amanda Shires, Fiona Prine, Lucinda Williams, Josh Ritter, Patty Loveless, Lee Ann Womack, Connie Smith, Melba Montgomery, Morgane Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, and Sara Watkins.
Keith Sykes hitchhiked to the Newport Folk Festival in the summer of 1967 and saw Arlo Guthrie perform “Alice’s Restaurant.” In the fall of that year, he got a copy of the album, learned the whole song and sang it at a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. They hired him on the spot for a regular gig playing music in the hotel.
It’s pretty perfect that such a rambling tale should be at the start of Sykes’s own rambling tale – in the more than 40 years that followed, he would become a troubadour and storyteller, a massively successful songwriter with more than 100 songs recorded by artists as diverse as Rosanne Cash and George Thorogood. He would tour every corner of America and play in just about every conceivable kind of venue, appear on Saturday Night Live and Austin City Limits, and host songwriter nights on Memphis’ legendary Beale Street with many of music’s most talented songwriters. He would join Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, tour the country and record the Volcano album – the title track for which he co-wrote with Jimmy.
To date, recordings of Sykes’s songs have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. With 13 full-length albums released – and great success with his own publishing company, credited with signing John Kilzer to Geffen Records and the discovery of Todd Snider – Sykes has proven to be nothing short of prolific.
The Ozark Folk Center State Park is open seasonally each year from mid-April through October and offers live music, herb and flower gardens, and family-friendly entertainment in the Craft Village every Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Village artisans make, demonstrate, and sell a variety of handcrafted goods at the park’s 20 artisan shops and gardens like copper flame-painted decor, wire-wrapped silver jewelry, apothecary soap, candles, wood carvings, stained glass, printing press stationary, handmade brooms, leather crafts, knives and more.
