“Illegal Smile” by John Prine

"Illegal Smile" turns up on John Prine, the self-titled 1971 debut that Atlantic put out after Jerry Wexler saw him play a handful of his songs during a Kris Kristofferson gig at the Bitter End. Prine wrote it alone and cut it at American Sound Studios in Memphis with Arif Mardin producing, and the room was stacked: Reggie Young and John Christopher on guitars, Bobby Wood on piano, Bobby Emmons on organ, Mike Leech on bass, Gene Chrisman on drums, Leo LeBlanc on pedal steel and Bishop Heywood on percussion, with Prine on acoustic guitar and vocals. Stan Kesler recorded it.

Prine later confessed the sessions scared him stiff: he had gone from playing alone to sitting in with Elvis Presley's rhythm section.

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