Rosanne Cash & Ry Cooder

IN ROSANNE'S WORDS:
"When I was planning my residency at SFJAZZ, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ry (Cooder). He and I had only performed together a few times over the years, just a song or two on an awards show or tribute show, and it always left me wanting more. We stayed connected by email, sending old songs to each other and talking about music and politics, but I wanted to do a real show with him. Knowing his general reticence to perform just for the sake of getting on stage, and his impeccably high standards, I held back. I was nervous. Finally, I got up my courage and asked him if he wanted to make up a show together for SFJAZZ—anything at all—and I offered a few ideas. He brushed off my initial thoughts, and said, ‘What springs to mind is a show of your dad’s songs. What else can I say?’ I’ve spent almost 40 years avoiding that very thing, but when Ry suggested it, oddly, I didn’t even hesitate. I said, ‘Okay, let’s do Johnny.’ I told him that he was the only person on the planet I would do a show of Johnny Cash songs with. When I said that, I felt quite overcome with feeling. I knew I had waited for the right person, the right reason and the right place."

IN RY'S WORDS:
"I was in the 4th grade and things were not looking up. Then one day they played 'Hey Porter' on the aircraft worker’s radio station. In those days you heard Bob Wills and Webb Pierce, which was good, but Johnny was something different. It was like a hand reached out from my little Sears radio and grabbed me by the shirt and said, ‘you’re coming with me now.’ That was 63 years ago. So, when Rosanne said, ‘Okay, let’s do Johnny,’ I said, ‘I think I’m ready.’"