The family of John Prine has signed a partnership deal with RadicalMedia (“Summer of Soul”) to develop two documentaries about the life and work about the life and work of the late singer-songwriter, the company has announced.
Filming will be well underway this weekend as RadicalMedia plans to shoot the week-long series of tribute concerts taking place in Nashville under the banner of “You Got Gold,” including shows at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Saturday and at the Ryman Auditorium Sunday and Monday. The all-star lineup for these shows is not being publicly revealed in advance.
Footage for the “You Got Gold” concerts is being directed by Michael John Warren, who recently helmed the HBO documentary“Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known”for RadicalMedia.
One of the two planned documentaries will focus on the tribute concerts about to occur in Nashville; the other is characterized as a feature-length doc that will examine his entire life and career
Said Fiona Prine, the singer’s wife, “We are delighted that RadicalMedia will be in Nashville to capture this magical week remembering John. We are very excited to collaborate to bring John’s unique story and talent to the world,” said Fiona Prine.
“It is an honor to work with the Prine family to celebrate John, one of the most talented and beloved artists of all time, who made the world a better place through his compassionate songwriting that continues to touch hearts and open minds,” said Meredith Bennett, an executive producer at RadicalMedia.
RadicalMedia produces feature films as well as music videos and commercials, many but not all of them music-related. Besides the Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul,” the company has been behind such varied recent projects as Spike Lee’s David Byrne-starring “American Utopia” doc, Joe Berlinger’s “Conversations With a Killer” series, the variety series “Sherman’s Showcase” and Arctic Monkeys’ new “Body Paint” music video.
Prine was the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award shortly before he died from complications of COVID in March 2020. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is widely revered as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. He was a pioneer in establishing a viable independent label scene for singer-songwriters with his label Oh Boy Records in the 1980s and onward after leaving Atlantic.
