Country Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash Revisits Roots of Father and Childhood with “The River & the Thread”

The music and spirit of the American South will make an impression on the State College area as country music star Rosanne Cash will perform at Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium April 9. The beloved singer-songwriter has recorded 15 albums over an amazing career that has lasted nearly four decades, winning the hearts of fans nationwide.

Now, the 59 year-old from Memphis, Tennessee has captured the attention of both fans and music critics with a record that revisits some of the most important places in Cash’s family history, including those of her legendary father, Johnny Cash. Released in 2014, the critically-acclaimed “The River & the Thread” includes 11 original songs by Cash and her long-time collaborator, and husband, John Leventhal.

 

“The River & the Thread” evokes the American South’s rich, historic landscape – physically, but also musically, and in turn emotionally as well. The songs portray a multigenerational cast of characters – from a Civil War soldier off to fight in Virginia, to a New Deal-era farmer in Arkansas, to a present-day couple in Alabama. The album's unique sound, which draws from country, blues, gospel, and rock, reflects the soulful blend of music that traces its history to the region. 

In February, the album won Cash three Grammy Awards, sweeping the categories it was nominated for: “Best Americana Album,” “Best American Roots Song,” “Best American Roots Performance” for the song “A Feather’s Not a Bird.”  

A legendary artist in her own right, Cash recently spoke with the Centre Daily Times about her new album, her family’s roots, and her other endeavors as well.

CDT: You’re making your Center for the Performing Arts debut here at Penn State. What can audiences expect to hear in concert?

Cash: I am performing all of “The River and The Thread,” and choosing songs from my older catalog to add to the show. I always perform “Seven Year Ache.” I went years without performing “Blue Moon with Heartache” and now I’m performing it again. I do some songs from “The List,” because people want to hear them. The other songs – I switch up.

CDT: What artists left an early impression on you and influenced your music, whether listening to the radio or seeing live performances?

Cash: When I was young I studied lyrics by Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury, Joni Mitchell, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and, of course, my dad. In my 20s, I put myself around great songwriters and listened to them talk about their principles, work ethic, mechanics of songwriting, and their love for the form, and it was tremendously inspiring.

CDT: Throughout your career you’ve collaborated with a number of other country legends, including Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, and Kris Kristofferson, and rock artists like Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. Do you have a favorite memory from those experiences, and is there anyone you would like to work with that you haven’t?

Cash: For this record we wanted all the guests to be from the South or connected to the South, given the theme of the record. Most of the guests were already friends – Kris Kristofferson is like my older brother. Of course we also tried to match artists with the right song. John Paul White’s haunting voice was just perfect for “Etta’s Tune.”

CDT: With a recording career that has lasted nearly four decades you have achieved many accolades, including 21 top forty country singles, eleven of which reached number one, multiple Grammy Awards and nominations, and gold records. What has been the most satisfying for you and what do you think is the defining element to your career?

Cash: I don’t look at it that way. I feel very satisfied with this record and excited about doing good work. But it’s just as important to keep working, keep learning and keep things new to myself.

CDT: Aside from being a musician and songwriter you have also added the status of author to your impressive resume, writing short stories and penning two books, including your autobiography “Composed: A Memoir” in 2010. What has that process been like for you as compared to songwriting?

Cash: It’s all from the same pool. Writing prose is, I admit, more taxing, but it lets me expand on themes, let go of rhyme, find subtler ‘melodies’, and use language in a different way. I do think I’ve become a better lyricist by writing prose. But I don’t separate the two. I’m a writer, period.

CDT: Released in 2014, your recent album “The River & the Thread” is a collaboration with your husband John Leventhal, who produced, arranged and played guitar on the record. It’s a collection of songs that take a journey through the American South and visit your father’s childhood home in Dyess, Arkansas, as well as your own early childhood home in Memphis, Tennessee. How did it feel to go back to your roots and revisit those very special places in your family’s history? 

Cash: Going down south so many times in the last few years for various reasons opened my eyes – and heart – to the understanding that home and geography and connection to the people in your past are very big concepts, not just a string of facts. These were life-changing experiences. And they felt deeply familiar and resonant. I realized I carried a bit of Memphis with me all the time. Both my parents are Southerners, and my musical connections also tie me there. But I've never considered myself southern because I grew up in a very different ‘South’ – Southern California. 

CDT: As a musician, what has recording music and performing for an audience done for you personally and professionally? What goals do you still hope to achieve?

Cash: This has been a great year for me. I feel I wrote my best songs, made my best record, and it has been received in a way that has been deeply satisfying. The shows have been special for me. On a personal front, my daughter Carrie got married this past year and it was one of the greatest days of my life! Looking ahead, I am collaborating on writing with different people, singing as a guest on some records, and I wrote a piece for National Geographic about the Sunken Lands, which should be out later this year.