Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, and Lucinda Williams Live at the Country Music Hall of Fame

It was a night not to be missed. While Rosanne Cash has long been friends with both Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris and has appeared with each of them, the three had never been together on the same stage before. So, Cash took the opportunity to rectify that on the second night of  performing as the artist in residency at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Before the show, there was a reception in the second floor lobby of the CMA Hall. I was a bit surprised not to see more illuminaries. But the Americana Music Association’s Jed Hilly was networking in the corners. Colin Linden was quietly making his way, with Reba McIntire and Trish Yearwood making last minute appearances. It was, thus, by far and away a night for true fans. I hung out with my traveling music buddy of many years and friends at CMT.

It was to be a night of songs and story swapping. While no secrets were revealed, it was an invigorating, if sometimes a bit ragged, singer-songwriters circle. Cash served as congenial host, emcee, and definitely the center of attention. She was also toned, relaxed, and a self-assured professional.

Well, there was one kind of secret: Even though Cash has told the story several times in performance, in her intro to “When the Master Calls the Roll,” she revealed to Harris the story behind the song. Rodney Crowell and John Leventhal wrote it and Cash wanted to perform it, but they begged off saying it was for Harris. Finally after several years of Harris not recording it, and after doing some family tree research where she discovered that Cash’s forefathers had fought on both sides during the Civil War, she asked once again. She also wanted to change the song a bit to incorporate this newly uncovered narrative. Only then did Crowell and Leventhal agree. Harris did, in fact, look somewhat surprised.

There were also stories to be told. A new story was about an older song, “Blue Moon with Heartache.” Apparently, it was the first song that Harris had personally acknowleged to Cash as being worthwhile. Cash did not forget that moment because even though she had spent a lot of time around Harris (as Crowell was in her band) and she had done several records herself, she was in awe of Harris and, perhaps, somewhat intimidated. Harris’ approval served as validation of her songwriting abilities. And as the intervening years have demonstrated, Cash has become one of our most gifted writers.

But Cash was not the only one with stories. While introducing a new song, “Ghost of Highway 20,” Williams revealed that the new album is almost completed.  This was greeted with a nice round of applause. Harris follwed with her lovely “Michelangelo” but prefaced it by saying that it too had a backstory, but she was not going to share it. This, of course, only increased our interest. We all have our suspicions.

It could have been a night of self-congratulation as these three artists are, of course, extremely talented. It was, instead, a public homecoming of sorts. Harris is the only one who lives in Nashville, Williams was once a next door neighbor to Harris, but now lives in L.A., and Cash grew up in L.A. and has lived in New York for over 25 years.

There was a lot of mutual admiration and affection readily apparent on stage. Williams, at two different times, became so overwhelmed that she was brought to tears. She explained that it was a result of getting older. It was also, I suspect, an open acknowledgement of appreciation to two of the artists who were her most loyal and ardent supporters early on in her career. 

While it was Cash’s night and Harris is the Queen, the audience was most responsive to Williams. Save for the closing songs, the most demonstrative audience reaction was to two new songs by Williams, i.e., “Ghost of Highway 20” and “When You Get There.” Additionally, Williams did affecting versions of “Jackson” and “Something about What Happens When We Talk.” She also revealed something that perhaps only Harris knew. It seems Harris had originally performed backing vocals on “Jackson,” but Williams felt that a male voice was a better fit, so Jim Lauderdale’s version was put on the album. As most of us know, Lauderdale was on the Rough Trade album so he was not an unknown factor.

There was only one unscripted moment, when Cash added “Girl from the North Country” to the setlist. Otherwise, Cash throughout the evening rolled with the punches, smoothed out some rough spots, and showed no undue surprise. Unlike, say, the time I saw her in a songwriters circle with David Byrne (and one other songwriter, whom I cannot remember) over 20 years ago in New York. Byrne was asked to do a song by someone he admired and chose, to Cash’s noticeable astonishment, one by Williams. It seems that she had also chosen a Williams song but was unaware of what Byrne was going to do. I took that reaction as her surprise that Byrne knew about Williams and her msuic.

There was, of course, the encore sung by all three. They wisely chose covers of not only songs by the two most invigorating artists of their genre, but arguably their finest songs: Townes’ “Pancho and Lefty” and Johnny Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone.” While it is not a secret, it is not that widely known that Harris once opened for Van Zandt in a New York Village cafe in 1968. And of all her father’s songs, the latter is the one I have seen her sing most often, including several times with Billy Bragg. The last time was at his set at 3rd & Linsdley during the 2013 AMA.

Lest I forget to acknowledge the band for the evening: John Leventhal, on lead acoustic guitar and piano, was his usual droll and efficient self.

Set List:

Red Dirt Girl 
(with Emmylou Harris)

Sweet Old World 
(with Lucinda Williams)

Etta’s Tune 

The Ship on His Arm 
(with Emmylou Harris)

Jackson 
(with Lucinda Williams)

Blue Moon With Heartache 

Prayer In Open D 
(with Emmylou Harris)

Ghost of Highway 20 
(with Lucinda Williams)

A Feather’s Not A Bird 

Michelangelo 
(with Emmylou Harris)

When You Get There 
(with Lucinda Williams)

Girl From the North Country 
(Bob Dylan cover)

My Name Is Emmett Till 
(with Emmylou Harris)

When I Look at the World 
(with Lucinda Williams)

When The Master Calls The Roll 

Boy From Tupelo 
(with Emmylou Harris)

Something About What Happens When We Talk 
(with Lucinda Williams)

Seven Year Ache 

Encore:

Pancho & Lefty 

I Still Miss Someone 
(Johnny Cash cover)