An Evening With Rosanne Cash
"One of the best accounts of an American life you'll likely ever read" - Chicago Tribune
Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in the the Library Theatre - Reception follows.
Southern Voices warmly welcomes celebrated author/singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash to our conference. After the presentation, we invite you to join Ms. Cash on the Library Plaza for a reception, catered by The Wynfrey, and book signing. Books will be available for purchase.
Rosanne Cash is many things . . . daughter, wife and mother of five; celebrated singer, songwriter and acclaimed author.
The eldest child of country legend Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto, Rosanne was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but grew up atop a Southern California hillside with her three sisters. Her relationship with her father was a complicated one, fueled by his frequent absences and struggle with drugs.
After high school, Cash joined her father's road show for two and a half years, first as a wardrobe assistant, then as a background vocalist and occasional soloist. Opting for a change of venue, she moved to London, working at a recording studio for a short time. Cash then returned to Nashville, studying English and drama at Vanderbilt University, and drama later at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Hollywood, before focusing on her music. Her first album, recorded by a German studio in 1978, was never released in the United States.
In the 30 years since, Cash has released 14 albums, recorded 11 No. 1 singles, and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1985. Her most recent collection of songs, The List, was named Album of the Year at the 2010 Americana Honors and Award Show.
Cash’s writing abilities have not been limited strictly to music, however. Her highly personal, yet universally appealing style is also manifest in her prose career. She has published a collection of short stories, Bodies of Water; a children's book, Penelope Jane: A Fairy’s Tale, and her essays and fiction have appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and New York magazine. Her long-awaited memoir, Composed, was released last year to much critical acclaim. As one critic stated, “As moving, disarming, and elusive as one of her classic songs, Composed is Rosanne Cash's luminous testament to the power of art, tradition, and love to transform a life.”
Adriana Trigiani, best-selling author and Southern Voices alumnus, said of the book, “Rosanne Cash has written a lush and glorious memoir that is wise and knowing, humorous and full of hope. The scenes from her life play through like a song, with operatic twists and quiet turns that inevitably lead her home. Composed is powerful and whole and completely unforgettable.”
Join us to hear Cash discuss her life and memoir. Cash currently lives in New York City with her husband, producer and guitarist John Leventhal.