A show honouring John Prine’s songwriting genius is an annual Nashville music event on the date of his birth on Oct. 10, 1946. The Maywoods, the Lanark County quartet of Vicki Brittle, Tyler Craig, Nathan Sloniowski and Jessica Winskell, have transplanted this tradition in Canada. The band’s first John Prine Birthday concert last year at the Almonte Civitan Hall attracted a full house, and this year they’re bringing their show to the historic McDonald’s Corners Agricultural Hall on Friday Oct. 10th.
According to Rolling Stone, Prine started writing songs at age 14, and “wrote for working people, sad people, old people and lost people. His style, inspired by John Steinbeck, was deceptively simple. Many emulated it, but only he could do it.”
Prine received a lifetime achievement award at the 2020 Grammys. Struggling with health issues throughout his life, he passed away from complications caused by COVID-19 that same year. Enduring songs like “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone” and “Please Don’t Bury Me” earned the enduring admiration of Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis Costello and loyal fans around the world.
The Maywoods are named after the legendary recording artist’s hometown of Maywood, Illinois. They’re renowned for rich harmonies and multi-guitar arrangements, along with stories behind John Prine’s sing-along classics as well as lesser known deep cuts. The Maywoods have enjoyed seven sold out shows throughout the Ottawa Valley since they formed in 2023, and also played a set at the ClaytonFest outdoor musical festival this summer.
Tickets to The Maywoods’ John Prine Birthday Concert in McDonald’s Corners are available at TicketsPlease.ca. Doors open at 7PM with the licensed event running from 7:30PM and 9:30PM including an intermission. General admission tickets are $30 plus processing fees. A limited number of tickets are also available at Highlands Country Store in McDonald’s Corners. All proceeds from beverage sales as well as a percentage of ticket sales are going to the McDonald’s Corners Agricultural Society.
