This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2009)

Orville Enoch Hodge (October 1, 1904 – December 29, 1986) was the Auditor of Public Accounts (predecessor to the office of Comptroller) of the state of Illinois from 1952 to 1956. During his term of office, he embezzled $6.15 million of state funds, mainly by altering and forging cheques that were paid on the state's account.

Hodge was born in Anderson, Indiana, and raised in Granite City, Illinois, from the age of four; he and his family owned land and businesses in the area. In 1946, he married Margaret Coudy of Granite City with whom he had one son. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served three terms. He was elected Auditor in 1952.

His scheme started in 1954, when he forged accounting records to create a false paper trail to convince the Illinois General Assembly that his office was insolvent. The legislature obediently handed his office a $525,000 emergency appropriation, which Hodge kept for himself. Further thefts followed; with the money, Hodge purchased two private jets, 30 automobiles (including four Cadillacs and a Rolls-Royce imported from Britain), and multiple properties in Florida and Illinois.

The embezzlement scheme was cracked by the Chicago Daily News, whose reporting team was awarded a 1957 Pulitzer Prize for their investigation. Upon indictment, Hodge pleaded guilty to 54 bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery charges and was sentenced to a 12 to 15 year prison term. He was released in 1970 and went to work at his sister's hardware store in Granite City until his death at the age of 82 in Edwardsville, Illinois.

The Hodge scandal played a role in the decision by Illinois lawmakers to abolish the office of the State Auditor in the new state constitution of 1970. The office was replaced by the new office of the Comptroller.

External links[link]

• History of the Illinois Comptroller's Office
• Time article, July 30, 1956
• bio and picture in 1953 official Illinois state handbook

v t e Illinois Comptrollers and Auditors of Public Accounts Auditors of Public Accounts (1818–1973) Berry Stapp Davis Shields Ewing Campbell DuBois Miner Lippincott Needles Swigart Pavey Gore McCullough Brady Russell Nelson Barrett Lueder Cooper Hodge Morey Smith Howlett Illinois Comptrollers (1973–present) Lindberg Bakalis Burris Netsch Didrickson Hynes Topinka

Will Hoge
Will Hoge and band 9.25.10 Concert In Nashville
Background information
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Americana, Rock, Alternative Country
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Rykodisc
Website	www.willhoge.com

Will Hoge (born November 14, 1972^[1]) is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Nashville, Tennessee.

Early life[link]

Will Hoge grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, located just south of Nashville. His sound was heavily influenced by his musician father and uncles and the extensive record collection that his father kept.

Hoge attended Western Kentucky University to study history with the plan to becoming a high school history teacher and basketball coach. He decided that he wanted to try his hand at rock and roll and began writing music. Will left the university after realizing he wanted to be a career musician.

Early band[link]

Will released an early EP of original music with his band Spoonful in the mid-1990s. However, the band was not picked up and eventually disbanded. Some of these early songs were recycled on later albums, and are still hits with his loyal followers.

Solo artist[link]

With former The Georgia Satellites guitarist Dan Baird in tow as a guitarist, Hoge began touring the American south. He independently released his first CD, Live At The Exit/In, a live set recorded at the Nashville club. His original sound drew much attention and, through constant touring, he was able to release his first studio album, Carousel.

Hoge caught the attention of Atlantic Records music executives and he was signed to a record deal in early 2002. Atlantic then re-released Carousel to a wider market. His 2003 major label debut, Blackbird On A Lonely Wire was a cleaner sounding effort; however, the album was poorly promoted by Atlantic. Eventually, Hoge asked for and received a release from his contract, re-obtaining the rights to Carousel.

The support of his fans has given Hoge the ability to tour incessantly, and self release a couple live albums (2004's Almost Alone: Live At Smith's Olde Bar' and 2005's During the Before and After), a politically charged album called The America EP (which included a cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin')", and a bluesy rock and roll sounding album, The Man Who Killed Love.

Over the years, Hoge has toured with many artists, including Shinedown, Needtobreathe, Marc Broussard, ZZ Top, The Cat Empire, Squeeze, Jason Isbell, Lisa Loeb and Edwin McCain. Bands that have opened for him include Steel Train, The Trews, The Elms, Rose Hill Drive, Needtobreathe, Moses Mayfield, The Alternate Routes, Aslyn, Katie Herzig, Missy Higgins, and The Civil Wars.

Hoge recorded the opening theme song, "You Make Me Happy," for the CBS sitcom Still Standing.

On February 20, 2007, he released a live album, Again Somewhere Tomorrow, from recordings made during the band's two-night stint at the Exit/In in Nashville, in September 2006.

The band's fourth studio album, Draw the Curtains, was released nationwide in October 2007 by Rykodisc Records. The album was initially released as a CD, with a limited edition 180-Gram Vinyl Record version which followed later.

Following a scooter accident in August 2008, the band went on hiatus for seven months while Hoge recuperated from his injuries. In April 2009, the band got together for a 3 week acoustic tour of venues in the Midwest, Southeast and East Coast, hitting cities including New York City, Chicago, Nashville and Atlanta. When the tour ended in late April, the band headed back into the studio to complete recording their next album (of which they had begun at the time of Hoge's accident). Ken Coomer and Charlie Brocco again produced, and the album, The Wreckage, was released on September 29, 2009.

Will Hoge performed a residency at 12th & Porter in Nashville, TN in June 2010. During these concerts, many of Hoge's friends, family, and former bandmates joined him on stage during the run of the four shows. These guests included former guitarists Dan Baird, Brian Layson, and Jason 'Slim' Gambill; former keyboard players Jefferson Crowe and John Lancaster; as well as Will's own father, who sang lead vocals on the final song of the concert series.

On August 29, 2009, Will and the band appeared and performed the single "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" on the CBS Early Show as the music guest.

Hoge opened for Needtobreathe on their spring 2010 tour. He also opened shows for Sugarland and Michelle Branch on select dates during their summer tour.

Hoge was part of a line-up, which included Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, and Sheryl Crow, that performed on the nationally televised "Music City Keep On Playin'" flood relief program that aired on GAC on May 16, 2010. Hoge closed the show by performing his song "Washed By The Water."

Hoge opened for mainstream rock band Shinedown on their acoustic "Anything & Everything" tour in the fall of 2010.

In September of 2011, Hoge released his 7th studio album entiled 'Number Seven'. The album was his third release via Ryko. This time around, Hoge took over production duties for the entire album. The album's first single "When I Get My Wings" was released to radio in August of 2011. The official music video for the song was added into rotation on both VH1 and CMT.^[2] During this time, Hoge was invited to perform on three separate occasions at the Grand Ole Opry, with country legend Vince Gill playing guitar and singing background vocals on a couple songs during his first appearance (Gill is a guest artist on 'Seven' as well, as he and his wife, Amy Grant are fans of Hoge).

Scooter accident[link]

Hoge was involved in a scooter accident on August 20, 2008 after leaving a studio session for what would be his next album, "The Wreckage". He was traveling north on Main Street in East Nashville at about 8 p.m. when a van traveling southbound failed to yield while turning into 712 Main St. Hoge's motor scooter collided with the passenger side of the van. He was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition. He went into surgery immediately upon arrival at the hospital for numerous broken bones (ribs, sternum, shattered femur, knee cap, shoulder blades), and lacerations to his face, arms, and torso requiring over 100 stitches. Hoge's condition was upgraded to stable on August 22.^[1] No evidence was found that alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident.^[3]

In the year following the accident, Hoge went through numerous surgical procedures (mainly on his shattered femur/leg) and intensive physical therapy. Work on The Wreckage, as well as tour dates, were postponed through spring 2009. Since that point, Hoge has made a full recovery.^[4]

Discography[link]

Current band members[link]

• Sigurdur Birkis - drums
• Adam Beard - bass, trumpet
• Adam Ollendorff - guitar, pedal steel, lap steel, dobro

Former band members[link]

• Dan Baird - guitar
• Greg Everett - guitar (Spring 2005 Selected Dates)
• John W. Lancaster - keyboards (2000-2004, select dates 2010)
• Kirk Yoquelet - drums
• Tres Sasser - bass
• Doy Gardner - drums
• Brian Layson - guitar
• Jason (Slim) Gambill - guitar (Winter 2005/2006 tour only)
• Dean Tomasek - bass
• Adam Fluhrer - guitar
• Jefferson Crow - keyboards
• Devin Malone - guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, keys
• Ericka Smith - Vocals
• Trina Meade - Vocals
• Molly Thomas - Vocals/Fiddle/Percussion
• Eleanor Whitmore - Vocals/Fiddle/Mandolin

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Will Hoge official site
• Will Hoge MySpace site
• Hoge Head's message board
• Will Hoge Purevolume site
• Will Hoge fan site
• Interview with Up Next Music

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

John Prine
John Prine at MerleFest, Wilkesboro N.C. (2006)
Background information
Born	(1946-10-10) October 10, 1946 (age 65)
Origin	Maywood, Illinois, United States
Genres	Country Folk Progressive bluegrass
Occupations	Singer-songwriter Guitarist
Instruments	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Atlantic, Asylum, Oh Boy, Rhino
Associated acts	Steve Goodman
Website	www.johnprine.net

John Prine (born October 10, 1946, in Maywood, Illinois) is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.

Biography[link]

Prine is the son of William Prine and Verna Hamm. Prine started playing guitar at age 14, taught by his brother, David.^[1] Prine attended Proviso East High School, and was a member on the school's gymnastic team. He was a postman for five years and served in the Army during the Vietnam War era, serving in Germany, before beginning his musical career in Chicago.

In the late 1960s, while Prine was delivering mail in Maywood, Illinois, he began to sing at open mic evenings at the Fifth Peg on Armitage Avenue. Prine was initially a spectator, reluctant to perform, but eventually did so in response to a "You think you can do better?" comment made to him by another performer. Chicago Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert heard him there and wrote the first review Prine ever received, calling him a great songwriter.^[2] He became a central figure in the Chicago Folk Revival, which also included such singer-songwriters as Steve Goodman, Bonnie Koloc, Jim Post and Fred Holstein. Joined by such established musicians as Jethro Burns and Bob Gibson, Prine performed frequently at such clubs as the Earl of Old Town, the Quiet Knight, Somebody Else's Troubles, The 5th Peg, and the Bulls.

John Prine is currently living in Nashville with his third wife, Fiona Whelan. They have three children, stepson Jody Whelan, Tommy and Jack. Prine has a second residence in Pinellas County, Florida.

Recordings[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

In 1971 Prine's self-titled debut album was released. He and friend Steve Goodman had each been active in the Chicago folk scene before being "discovered" by Kris Kristofferson (Kristofferson remarked that Prine wrote songs so good that "we'll have to break his thumbs"). The album included his signature songs "Illegal Smile," "Sam Stone," and the folk and country standards "Angel from Montgomery" and "Paradise." The album also included "Hello In There", a song about aging that was later covered by numerous artists and "Far From Me," a lonely waltz about lost love for a waitress that Prine later said was his favorite of all his songs. The album received many positive reviews, and some hailed Prine as "the next Dylan." Bob Dylan himself appeared unannounced at one of Prine's first New York City club appearances, anonymously backing him on harmonica.

Prine's second album, Diamonds In The Rough, was a surprise for many after the critical success of his first LP; it was an uncommercial, stripped-down affair that reflected Prine's fondness for bluegrass music and features songs reminiscent of Hank Williams's work as Luke The Drifter. Highlights include the allegorical "The Great Compromise," which features a recitation and addresses the Vietnam War, and the touching ballad "Souvenirs," which Prine later recorded with Goodman.

Later albums include Sweet Revenge (1973), containing such fan favorites as "Dear Abby," "Grandpa Was A Carpenter," and "Christmas In Prison", and Common Sense (1975), with "Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard". The latter album was Prine's first to be charted in the US Top 100 by Billboard, reflecting growing commercial success. It was produced by Steve Cropper. Many veteran Prine fans view the release of 1978's Bruised Orange as a creative highpoint. The Steve Goodman-produced album gave listeners songs such as "The Hobo Song," "Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone," and the title track showing that he could capture the human condition as easily as writing politically inspired anthems.

In 1974, singer David Allan Coe achieved considerable success on the country charts with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name", co-written by Prine and Goodman. The song good-naturedly spoofed stereotypical country music lyrics. Prine refused to take a songwriter's credit and the tune went to Goodman, although Goodman bought Prine a jukebox as a gift from his publishing royalties.

The 1979 album Pink Cadillac features two songs produced by legendary Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, who by this time rarely did any studio work. The first song, "Saigon," is about a Vietnam vet traumatized by the war ("The static in my attic's gettin' ready to blow"). During the recording, one of the guitar amps blew up (which is evident on the album track). The other song Phillips produced is "How Lucky," about Prine's hometown.

Prine continued writing and recording albums throughout the 1980s and formed his own record label, Oh Boy Records. His songs continued to be covered by other artists; the country supergroup The Highwaymen recorded "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over," which had been written by Prine and Goodman. Steve Goodman died of leukemia in 1984 and Prine continues to perform many of Goodman's songs in concert to this day, such as "My Old Man."

In 1991, Prine released the Grammy Award-winning The Missing Years, his first collaboration with producer and Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein. The title song records Prine's humorous take on what Jesus did in the unrecorded years between his childhood and ministry. In 1995, Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings was released, another collaboration with Epstein. Prine followed in 1999 with In Spite of Ourselves, which was unusual for him in that it contained only one original song—the rest were covers of classic country songs—and all were duets with well-known female country vocalists, including Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keane, and Iris DeMent (whom Prine appeared with on the Letterman Show & referred to as his "favorite girl singers".)

In 2001 John co-starred in the Billy Bob Thornton movie Daddy & Them (Alvin Montgomery), and "In Spite of Ourselves" can be heard as the end credits roll .

Cancer[link]

In early 1998, Prine was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer on the right side of his neck. He had surgery to remove the diseased tissue and was left with a substantial loss of tissue. This was followed by six weeks of radiation therapy.^[3] The surgery altered his vocals, and has added a "gravel" tone to his voice.^[4][5]

Awards and influence[link]

In 2003, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting by the UK's BBC Radio 2 and that same year was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The following year saw his song "Sam Stone" covered by Laura Cantrell for the Future Soundtrack for America compilation.

Prine has taken his place as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. In 2009, Bob Dylan told the Huffington Post that Prine was one of his favourite writers, stating "Prine's stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mindtrips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs. I remember when Kris Kristofferson first brought him on the scene. All that stuff about "Sam Stone," the soldier junkie daddy, and "Donald and Lydia," where people make love from ten miles away. Nobody but Prine could write like that."^[6] In Johnny Cash's autobiography Cash, he admitted "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years (Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four)..."^[7] When asked by Word Magazine in 2008 if he heard Pink Floyd's influence in newer British bands like Radiohead, Roger Waters replied "I don't really listen to Radiohead. I listened to the albums and they just didn't move me in the way, say, John Prine does. His is just extra-ordinarily eloquent music—and he lives on that plane with Neil Young and Lennon."^[8] Prine received the Artist of the Year award at the Americana Music Awards on September 9, 2005. The award was accepted in his name by awards host and long-time friend Billy Bob Thornton.

Recent years[link]

Prine recorded a version of Stephen Foster's "Old Kentucky Home" in 2004 for the compilation album Beautiful Dreamer, which won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2005.

In 2005, Prine released his first all-new offering since Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, the album Fair & Square, which tended toward a more laid-back, acoustic approach than, for example, Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings. The album contains songs such as "Safety Joe," about a man who has never taken any risks in his life, and also "Some Humans Ain't Human," Prine's protest piece on the album, which talks about the ugly side of human nature and includes a quick shot at President George W. Bush. Fair & Square won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. The album contains original songs plus two covers: A.P. Carter's "Bear Creek Blues" and Blaze Foley's "Clay Pigeons."

2010 kicked off with a flurry of Prine activity, as he stopped by The Marty Stuart Show on RFD-TV in January to perform three of his most popular recordings: "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness," "Souvenirs," & "Paradise." Later in May Prine appeared on Late Show With David Letterman, performing "All The Best" with Jim James of the band My Morning Jacket.

On July 3, 2010, Prine appeared at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, broadcast on American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion, playing several of his songs.^[9]

On September 30, 2011, Prine played a thirteen song set on the main Banjo Stage at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco, California.

Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows[link]

On June 22, 2010 Oh Boy Records released a tribute album titled "Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows: The Songs of John Prine". The album features members of the modern folk revival including My Morning Jacket, The Avett Brothers, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lambchop, Josh Ritter, Drive-By Truckers, Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins, Deer Tick featuring Liz Isenberg, Justin Townes Earle, Those Darlins, and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.^[10]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Guest singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• A Literary Evening with John Prine and Ted Kooser. March 9, 2005. The Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress.
• Interview with John Prine - KyndMusic, September 2005
• 1971 Radio Interview with John Prine on WGLD Oak Park - fr JOHNPRINE.NET
• John Prine at the Internet Movie Database