On March 12, 2016, I attended a performance by singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash at the Eli & Edythe Broad Stage.

The Americana singer/songwriter graced the stage with her husband, producer- guitarist John Leventhal. At first glance, one can tell she is a humble and affable performer, willing to allow the audience to see all of her.

Photo courtesy of George W. Harris

Her storytelling and camaraderie with her husband, pulled the audience in even more. Leventhal was impressive. His ability to carry the show with one acoustic guitar (with our without Cash’s playing) was quite extraordinary. Cash joked that she experienced a thirty year wait between grammys and played an assortment of hits as well as some oldies too. Her humble attitude towards her music and the music business was quiet refreshing.

One of the best moments of the show was when she revealed the story behind one of the cuts off her latest CD The River & the Thread. It was originally an entirely different song written for Emmy Lou Harris. She overhead her husband John Leventhal and her ex-husband Rodney Crowell writing the song and fell in love with it. She loved it and begged for them to let her sing it…to no avail. As is custom in the music industry the song never did get recorded. It was then that she would ask to put her own words to it. At the time her son was doing a Civil War project for school and the singer decided to search for her family ancestry history online. She found Cash ancestors on both sides of the Civil War. Cash dove deep into the genealogy and found inspiration from her relative Mary Ann Cash…this was the basis for her lyric to accompany the beloved melody which would later become the song When the Master Calls the Roll.

She peformed a touching rendition of “Sea Of Heartbreak” and “Etta’s Tune,” offering a lovely mix of both her earlier and current work. All in all, Roseanne Cash and John Leventhal delivered a wonderful performance. At the finale, the audience jumped to its feet.

Photo by Clay Patric kMcBride

I have only good things to say about the Eli & Edythe Broad Stage. I have attended shows before here and love the venue, which has a wonderful sound system. The location, (1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401) is also easy to get to and the free parking is one more benefit to the venue. http://www.thebroadstage.com