Tommy Prine Brings Southern Folk Storytelling to Songbirds Nov. 12

Tommy Prine plays Songbirds in Chattanooga on Thursday, November 12, at 7 p.m., with tickets priced at $26 to $31. The son of folk icon John Prine arrives with a 2023 debut album, a 2025 EP, and a second full-length record he says is almost finished.

Prine grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, surrounded by music, and picked up the guitar around age ten. He did not pursue music as a career until 2020. His first single, "Ships in the Harbor," debuted in 2022 and remains one of his most emotionally exposed songs, with lines like "I tend to get lost in the stars, I waste every night wondering where we all are, and how we must be leaving soon, as we should."

What has he achieved so far?

His debut album, This Far South, released in 2023, put him on the map as a distinct voice in Americana, folk, and singer-songwriter circles. That same year he made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, was named an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist to Watch, and opened for country singer-songwriter Tyler Childers.

His catalogue explores loss, love, identity, and what he calls the messiness of adulthood, delivered with tender fingerpicking and a haunted Southern vocal style. The claim that he has "carved out his own space" is a promoter's framing, but the milestones are verifiable: the Opry debut, the Amazon nod, the Childers slots.

How did the songwriting start?

In an interview, Prine said guitar came first, and writing came years later, around 16 or 17. "I can remember playing with guitars since I was a little boy. Electric was my first love because I wanted to be like Kurt Cobain. Songwriting didn't come into the picture until I was probably 16 or 17. I just always had an easier time writing things down than anything else. It made me feel like I got something done for myself whenever I would write. Like a small accomplishment."

He also described how touring changed him. "I feel like I have grown immensely since my first record. Mostly due to sheer volume of touring and saying yes to everything and anything, especially if it scared me. I feel like I overcame a lot of anxiety and fear of failure in the last few years, and I'm less harsh on myself overall, leading to me being able to just enjoy it more these days."

Why a six-song EP instead of a second album?

In summer 2025, Prine released Love Circle, a six-song EP inspired by love, marriage, and personal growth. Its track "Purple Paint" is a love song for his wife, Savannah, and her impact on his life and career.

The EP, it turns out, was a detour. Prine was working on his second full-length album when his wife told him she was pregnant with their son, Teddy. "I knew I wanted to make something, and I didn't want to put it off anymore necessarily, but it just wasn't the time for a full record. It also made me kind of clean my slate of 6 songs that I really liked and forced me to continue digging for my second album, which I'm almost done with."

Note what he did not say: no title, no release date, no label detail for that second record. "Almost done" is the only commitment.

What does this change for the Chattanooga audience?

For $26 to $31, listeners get an artist at a transition point, road-tested by heavy touring, testing new material ahead of a finished album. Prine has stated ambitions beyond club rooms. "I want to headline the Ryman one day soon. It's been on my bucket list since I was a kid, and I just think it would be a really amazing moment for me for a lot of reasons."

He also has a personal tie to the city. "I can't wait to come back to Chattanooga. I love the city, and I have many fond memories there from several trips to hang with my buddies in college."

Whether the Ryman headline happens is an open question. The near-finished second album is the thing to watch; if it lands, Thursday's Songbirds show becomes an early marker rather than just another date on the tour calendar.

Tommy Prine

• Thursday, November 12
• Songbirds, 206 West Main Street, Chattanooga
• 7 p.m.; $26-$31
• venue.songbirds.org/event/tommyprine; tommyprine.com