NASHVILLE, Tenn., – Sept. 3, 2015 – Rosanne Cash explored her musical history, in reverse, during the opening night of three special performances as the 2015 artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
As Museum Chief Executive Officer Kyle Young explained in his introductory remarks, each of Cash’s performances will be unique, with different songs, different band members, and different guests. For her first concert, she focused on her Grammy-winning 2014 album, The River and the Thread. “We’re going to perform the album in sequence,” Cash said, “which is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
The second segment of the concert drew on Cash’s hits, mixing in a few special cover tunes. Surprise guest appearances by Tony Joe White, Lucinda Williams, and Cory Chisel drew enormously positive responses from the CMA Theater crowd. For a complete wrap-up of last night’s show click here.
Established in 2003, the museum’s artist-in-residence program annually honors a musical master who can be credited with contributing a large and significant body of work to the canon of American popular music. Honorees are given a blank canvas and are encouraged to lend their own creative brushstrokes to an up-close-and-personal musical experience. Previous Artist-in-Residence honorees include Cowboy Jack Clement, Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, Connie Smith, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, and Alan Jackson.
Cash proudly pointed out she was only the second female on the residency list, “after the magnificent Connie Smith,” Cash said. “I’m thrilled and completely honored.”
Cash returns for her second program tonight (Sept. 3). It will also feature Lucinda Williams as a guest, as well as Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris. A third program, featuring Cash with her husband, producer, guitarist, co-writers, and creative partner, John Leventhal, is set for Sept. 24 in the museum’s intimate, 213-seat Ford Theater. Both programs are sold out.
