Who was John Prine? The ‘Yellowstone’ dedication and that iconic song

Fans of Yellowstone know they can always count on an episode to deliver plenty of drama, violence, and even some romance. The Paramount Plus neo-western series documents the lives of the Duttons, a family from a long line of ranchers responsible for the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.

Family patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) fights to keep control of his turf in the face of those who would take it while his children, Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Jamie (Wes Bentley) face their own demons — sometimes coming to blows even with each other. In spite of its reputation for violent drama, Yellowstone occasionally delivers some genuinely moving moments.

One such moment came about during Yellowstone’s fourth season: at the end of the season’s third episode, “All I See Is You,” John Dutton kills another character and in the aftermath, the sounds of a guitar and a familiar voice drift in before the screen fades to black. A short beat later, the words “In Loving Memory of John Prine” appeared on screen as a tribute to the musician. In April 2020, the prolific musician passed away from complications due to contracting Covid-19 at the age of 73.

John Prine was an influential folk-country singer

Prine was a singer-songwriter with over 50 years of material, starting with his debut album, 1971’s John Prine. Before releasing his critically-acclaimed debut, Prine wrote the majority of the songs while working as a mailman in his hometown of Maywood, Illinois. Some of his signature songs like “Sam Stone” and “Hello in There” come from this album, and his way of writing about morose topics while maintaining a sense of humor gained him many fans, including fellow singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

There’s no denying Prine’s influence on artists operating in the folk and Americana genres. Songs like “Angel from Montgomery” have even gone on to be reinterpreted and covered by other artists, notably singer Bonnie Raitt. Prine continued making music his entire life, releasing 16 studio albums during his long career. His final album, The Tree of Forgiveness, was released in 2018 and was his most commercially successful. Released independently through Oh Boy Records, a label Prine launched with his longtime friend and business partner Al Bunetta, the album reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart.

The song that played as part of Yellowstone‘s tribute to Prine is titled “Caravan of Fools,” and is from his last album. Prine’s music about the lives of average working class people touched many and inspired generations of singers and songwriters to open up; his plain-spoken style and sound work perfectly with Yellowstone‘s ranch setting and the sense of melancholy that often pervades the show. It’s likely Prine influenced Kevin Costner’s musical endeavors as well — Yellowstone used the song “Heaven’s Gate” (featuring the actor’s daughter, Lily) by his country-rock band Kevin Costner and the Modern West in an episode of the show.