Angel from Montgomery - STEVEN R. TABOR

Angel from Montgomery

John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery" was written in 1970 and introduced on Prine's 1971 self-titled debut album. Over the years, many artists have covered the song, and it was Bonnie Raitt's version of it, on her 1974 album Streetlights that brought the song widespread recognition. That was also the version that I grew up listening to.

Prine wrote the song as an ode to growing older. He was intrigued by the idea of "a song about a middle-aged woman who feels older than she is.. I had this really vivid picture of this woman standing over the dishwater with soap in her hands...She wanted to get out of her house and her marriage and everything. She just wanted an angel to come to take her away from all this."

When I listen to "Angel from Montgomery", I wonder if life passes like that "old rodeo". The world is constantly changing, and "finding that one thing to hold onto" is, as the song declares, "a hard way to go".

For this series, a model Diedre, was asked to pose to the song. Dressed in old rodeo clothes, she stares in the distance, as if she is waiting for her own guardian angel to carry her away.

If you'd like to see the full series, download the PDF catalog here.