Ahead of his weekend show, Tommy Prine learns about Birmingham’s connection to his father’s music

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Tommy Prine has a realization.

Prine has just finished a gig in Mississippi, getting ready for his next one: a show at the Saturn in Birmingham on Saturday. Prine has played in Birmingham before, but on this particular day, he learned about the Magic City’s connection to the music of his father , the later singer/songwriter John Prine.

On Prine’s last album, “The Tree of Forgiveness,” the statue Vulcan is featured in the song, “The Lonesome Friends of Science.”

“The Vulcan lives in Birmingham, sometimes he just don’t give a damn,” Prine said as he recites his father’s song.

Then, it hits him.

“Wow, I’m just realizing that and it’s really cool,” Prine said.

Despite the large shadow his father continues to cast in American music, Tommy Prine himself had never considered the musician’s life until a few years ago. With the death of a friend to drugs, the encouragement of his friends to write about his life and his father’s untimely death in 2020, he decided to give music a shot.

“It’s been so beautiful,” Prine said. “Best thing I’ve ever done.”

The result was his debut album, “This Far South,” which came out last year and has been featured on NPR and PBS Newshour , which have praised Prine’s ability to set himself apart from his father, but also have interesting music and lyrics that tell stories like him.

“I think the most notable transformation was the first week or two after the album came out where there was an internal recognition that it was released to the world, that it was no longer a secret,” he said. “It taken a different life.”

Given his connection to his father, Prine did have his own concerns about what audiences would expect from him, if his music would be an extension of John Prine or if there would any kind of nostalgic throwback to his music. Ultimately, he feels like he can walk alongside his father’s legacy by doing his own thing, but don’t expect his show to be a John Prine tribute.

“I can’t control anyone’s preconceived notions; the only thing I can change is my performance,” he said. “I try to give them a good 45-minute or hour-and-a-half show to show them what I am about. If they enjoy it, hell yeah. If they’re looking for something else, sorry; that’s not what we’re doing.”

For Prine, being able to be accepted on his own music and not simply by his name has been one of the more rewarding parts of his new life.

“What meant the most to me was the acceptance from my fellow artists. That meant the world to me,” he said. “I don’t care if I’m playing in front of a million people; it will always be 200 musicians that mean the most to me.”

Prine said one struggle of life on the road has been trying to continue being creative and writing new material. In October, he’ll be through with the tour, where he will take time to rest and start preparing material for his next album.

“‘This Far South’ was basically a collection of stories and experiences from my childhood to when I was 25 and was essentially catching the world up on who I am,” he said. “My next album is basically going to be all this change that has happened to me, so I’ll have a full record of things that I want to talk about.”

Prine’s show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be bought here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.