Photo by Dean Budnick


Sturgill Simpson has shared a cover of the late John Prine’s “Paradise.” The cover will appear as part of the upcoming tribute album Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2. It is due out on Oct. 8, 2021. “Paradise” is a track of Prine’s 1971 self-titled record, written for his dad. The legendary singer-songwriter tragically passed away in April of 2020 due to COVID-19 complications.

Simpson’s performance of “Paradise” was the final song recorded at The Butcher Shoppe, the studio that Prine founded with producer/engineer David Ferguson. The building is set to be demolished later this year. According to a press release, “the studio was a meaningful place to Prine and Simpson, who shared a writing space in the building and recorded there numerous times throughout their respective careers.”

“For myself along with many others, he was a mentor,” Simpson said in a statement. “He was very giving with his timew and wisdom, and we were all grateful to get to know him.” 

Each month ahead of Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2‘s October release, Oh Boy records will share a new song from the album. March’s featured track was Brandi Carlile’s cover of “I Remember Everything,” which she performed at the Grammy Awards. That night, Prine won two posthumous awards for “I Remember Everything:” Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance. Listen to the cover here.

Simpson appeared on the cover of the Jan./Feb. issue of Relix Magazine. Read the full piece here.

To pre-order Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2 click here.

Listen to Simpson’s cover below.