Rosanne Cash

Who Is Rosanne Cash?

Rosanne Cash, the eldest daughter of iconic country musician Johnny Cash, carved her own path in the music industry, establishing herself as a respected singer-songwriter. After graduating from high school in 1973, Cash toured with her father, initially as a background singer and wardrobe assistant. Her debut album, Rosanne Cash (1978), was released in Germany and, while it did not make a significant impact in the U.S., it laid the foundation for her eventual success. The album helped her secure a contract with Columbia Records in Nashville, where she released Right or Wrong (1980), her first U.S. album, which achieved commercial success. Her follow-up album, Seven Year Ache (1981), produced a #1 hit of the same name, further cementing her place in country music. In 1985, Cash won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her hit single “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me.”

Early Life

Born on May 24, 1955, in Memphis, Tennessee, Rosanne Cash was raised in a musically rich environment as the daughter of Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto. Cash was the oldest of four children, and her family moved to California in 1958, following her father’s growing success in the music industry. However, after her parents divorced in 1966, Cash and her siblings relocated to Ventura, California, to live with their mother.

Growing up surrounded by music, Cash developed a deep passion for it, following in her father’s footsteps. After graduating from high school in 1973, she joined Johnny Cash’s tour as a wardrobe assistant and background singer. Following her time on the road, Cash spent a year in London working for CBS Records, and later enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. However, her desire to pursue a career in music led her to leave college and study method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in California.

In 1978, Cash’s musical career took off when she recorded a demo with renowned producer and songwriter Rodney Crowell, who would later become both her musical collaborator and romantic partner. With Crowell’s help, Cash signed with the German-based Ariola label and traveled to Munich to record her self-titled debut album. Although the album was not released in the U.S., it helped establish her presence in the industry and led to her signing with Columbia Records in Nashville, where her career truly flourished.

Country Star: A Legacy in Music

In 1979, Rosanne Cash married country singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell. Cash joined Crowell’s band, The Cherry Bombs, performing in California clubs while simultaneously recording her debut U.S. album, Right or Wrong (1980). The album was a commercial success, though Cash refrained from extensive touring due to her pregnancy with her first child. Despite this, she continued to record music and, in 1981, moved to Nashville with Crowell to work on Seven Year Ache. The album, produced by Crowell, went gold and charted at No. 22 on the Billboard Pop Chart.

The title track, Seven Year Ache, became Cash’s first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Chart, establishing it as her signature song. The album also produced two other No. 1 hits: “My Baby Thinks He’s a Train” and “Blue Moon with a Heartache.”

In 1982, Cash released Somewhere in the Stars, which featured the singles “Ain’t No Money, I Wonder” and “It Hasn’t Happened Yet.” Though it did not match the commercial success of her previous albums, it still secured a spot in the top 100 of the Billboard Pop Chart.

Despite her rising career, Cash faced personal challenges, including struggles with substance abuse. She sought treatment in 1984 and soon released Rhythm & Romance (1985), which produced two No. 1 hits: the Grammy-winning “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me” and “Never Be You.” The album also included the top 10 hits “Hold On” and “Second to No One.” In 1985, Cash received her first Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me” and, in 1987, won the Robert J. Burton Award from BMI for “Hold On” as the Most Performed Song of the Year.

Commercial Success

In the 1980s, Cash temporarily put her touring career on hold to raise her three children with Crowell. However, she continued recording, releasing King’s Record Shop (1987), her second gold album. The album produced four No. 1 hits, including “Tennessee Flat Top Box,” a cover of her father Johnny Cash’s song, as well as “The Way We Make a Broken Heart,” “If You Change Your Mind,” and “Runaway Train.”

In 1988, Cash and Crowell released the duet “It’s Such a Small World,” which became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Chart. Cash was also named Billboard’s Top Singles Artist of the Year for 1988.

In 1989, she released Hits 1979-1989, which featured new singles like “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” and “Black and White.” “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart, while “Black and White” earned Cash her fifth Grammy nomination.

In 1990, Cash released Interiors, an album influenced by her marital difficulties. The album, which included the top 40 single “What We Really Want,” was highly praised for its raw emotional honesty and garnered Cash a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Writing and Recording

Following the release of Interiors, Cash relocated to New York City. In 1992, Cash and Crowell divorced. The following year, she released The Wheel (1993), which received critical acclaim but did not achieve commercial success.

In 1995, Cash married producer John Leventhal. She signed with Capitol Records and released 10 Song Demo (1996), a collection of stripped-down home recordings.

Cash also began exploring literature. In 1996, she published Bodies of Water, a collection of short stories that was well-received, earning her an honorary doctorate from Memphis College of Art. She also became involved in college master classes in writing and frequently spoke at women’s groups.

In 1998, Cash began working on Rules of Travel, an album she could not complete due to a pregnancy and a polyp on her vocal cords, which prevented her from singing for over two years. During this hiatus, Cash wrote her first children’s book, Penelope Jane: A Fairy’s Tale, which included an exclusive CD. The book was published by Harper Collins in 2000.

Cash resumed working on Rules of Travel in 2003. The album featured guest appearances by artists like Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, along with a duet with her father Johnny Cash on the song “September When It Comes.” Rules of Travel was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

In 2005, Legacy Recordings reissued several of Cash’s key albums, including Seven Year Ache, King’s Record Shop, and Interiors. The collection The Very Best of Rosanne Cash highlighted her career from 1979 to 2003.

Rosanne Cash’s legacy is marked by her ability to blend personal narrative with universal appeal, solidifying her place as one of country music’s most influential artists.

Later Work

In 2006, Rosanne Cash released Black Cadillac, an album deeply influenced by the profound personal losses she had experienced in recent years, including the death of her father, Johnny Cash, and her stepmother June Carter Cash in 2003, followed by the passing of her mother, Vivian, in 2005, during the album’s recording. The album was met with critical acclaim and was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by several prestigious outlets, including The New York Times, Billboard, PopMatters, and NPR. Cash was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. In the same year, documentary filmmaker Steve Lippman released Mariners and Musicians, a film inspired by the album and featuring interviews with Cash, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In 2007, Cash underwent a complex brain surgery to treat a Chiari malformation, a serious condition that can lead to a range of life-threatening complications. As a result, she was forced to cancel the remainder of her Black Cadillac tour and promotional commitments. Fortunately, she made a full recovery and resumed her music career, continuing to record and write.

In 2008, Cash began writing a column for The New York Times, contributing to their songwriter-focused series, Measure for Measure. The following year, she released The List (2009), an album inspired by a list of the 100 greatest country songs that her father had given her when she was 18. In 2013, Cash contributed a performance to Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a musical collaboration between rock singer John Mellencamp and novelist Stephen King.

Cash’s next studio album, The River & The Thread (2014), received widespread critical praise for its focused, evocative storytelling and musicality. The album won a Grammy for Best Americana Album, with the track “A Feather’s Not a Bird” earning two additional Grammys for Best American Roots Song and Best Roots Performance.

In addition to her music career, Cash has been a passionate advocate for various charitable causes. She is an active member of PAX, an organization dedicated to preventing gun violence among children, and serves as an ambassador for SOS Children’s Villages, which provides housing and care for orphaned and abandoned children. Cash also sponsors children through Children, Incorporated, an organization focused on supporting and educating children globally.