From his days as guitar-slinger in pre-Americana band Green on Red to his current paradigm of continually reinventing his solo career, singer and songwriter Chuck Prophet has thrived on blend of talent and ingenuity. The arc of Prophet’s musical life finds his muse a restless one from concerts with a string quartet to a love letter to San Francisco that turned into a tour of personal landmarks to collaborations with the likes to Alejandro Escovedo.
As Prophet’s official archivist, Stevie Simkin had access to plenty of source material, including collaborators, spouse/bandmate Stephanie Finch and the man himself. Regarding Green on Red’s downwardly mobile aspirations, Prophet has said, “We would have taken excitement over good any day of the week.” Yet his track record since those days, it could be argued, has become one of the finest discographies of his generation. He was also smart enough to pay attention when producers like Jim Dickinson, Al Kooper and Glyn Johns offered advice.
Simkin’s level of trust allows discussion on the messy era of his subject’s druggy days and his complicated on/off/on relationship with co-writer Kurt Lipschutz. He also draws out anecdotes on the challenges of the write/record/tour cycle and just how Prophet has been ingenious enough to juggle enough plates to make it all work.
