She was driving through Cape Cod, en route to New York City but, despite her glamorous surroundings, Rosanne Cash had only one thing in mind her forthcoming visit to Fife!
Chatting to Rocktalk this week, the daughter of perhaps the most famous country musician who ever walked the planet was desperate for the time when she steps on stage at the Big Tent Festival in Falkland in three weeks.
It may seem a curious ambition at first glance. But, for Rosanne, it’s a sort of homecoming.
It’s been well documented but, for those of you who are unaware, Falkland Estate and the surrounding area in the Howe of Fife is the ancestral home of the Cash family. That pride has been passed on to Rosanne, who has visited the area frequently and has a deep and abiding affection and affinity for what she calls, “this special place”.
She also fully supports the efforts of current steward of charity Falkland Centre for Stewardship, Ninian Stuart, in restoring and safeguarding the House of Falkland and the estate itself for future generations.
She explained, “I’ve been trying to do this festival for a few years now but this is the first year I’ve managed to fit it in with my schedule.
“I’m very interested in what Ninian is trying to do and I’m very friendly with him. It’s a fantastic project and I hope I can help it grow. It’s great there’s a tiny shop in the grounds and when I was visiting I was able to buy organic produce from there.
“In New York there’s a great little greenmarket downtown near where I live and I go there all the time. It’s all local produce and that’s something that’s very close to me.
“My dad told me about Falkland and the family’s roots during the 80s but it was the early 90s before I was able to go over there and see it for myself.
“I fell in love with it. It’s just such a fantastic place and my husband John (Levanthal) and I visited it when we were going to Aberdeen to record a show for Celtic Connections.”
On that connections theme, Rosanne and John are bringing over two of their daughters for the festival, thus keeping alive the family’s historical and musical traditions.
Growing up in the Cash family during the late 50s and early 60s, Rosanne was surrounded by musicians from birth and immersed in both live performances and front porch rehearsals with the man in black and his fellow band members.
It’s no surprise, then, that she too pursued a career in music while resigning herself to always live in the shadow of her illustrious dad. But to her immense credit Rosanne has emerged as a Grammy Award-winning artist in her own right, releasing successful albums, writing books and gaining the respect of fellow musicians and the music industry.
She’s also recognised as one of the best singer-songwriters of her generation, having won a Grammy in 1985 for “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me” and has received nine other Grammy nominations. She has had 11 number 1 country hit singles in the States, 21 top 40 country singles and two gold records.
Despite that success, though, she remains refreshingly honest and admits, “I don’t think I will ever get to the point where people don’t want to talk about my father,” adding modestly, “but I have created a body of work that some people are familiar with.
“It’s part of my family’s musical heritage, it’s tremendous and it’s carrying on through my daughter who has just made her first album.
“I’m thrilled to visit Fife once again and delighted at last to be able to perform at the Big Tent Festival.”
Some of that huge and impressive body of work will be performed at the festival, including tracks from her latest album The List, released last October.
It’s her twelfth studio release, which was based on a personal list given to her by her father that he considered to be the “one hundred essential country songs”.
“But I’ll also be playing some of the older songs as well,” she added.
“Falkland is one of the most special places on earth to me and I look forward to meeting new friends and continuing my ancestral connection.”
This year is Big Tent’s fifth anniversary and it’s part of Celebrating Fife 2010. It promises to be even bigger and better than ever, with an extended and exciting programme of activities and entertainment now running over three days from 6pm on Friday, July 23, until 9pm on the Sunday.
Showcasing some of the biggest and best local and international music, the festival will also include performances from King Creosote, Aberfeldy, FOUND from the Fence Collective, Brazil! Brazil!, Session A9, Tunng, Das Contras, The Chair, Grassroots Zimbabwe, The Zawose Family, Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers and a host of other great music acts from around the globe.
There will also be children’s entertainment, lively debates, films, poetic recitations, alternative therapies, traditional arts and crafts workshops, a string heritage theme, cookery demonstrations and great local and organic food and drink.
The Big Tent Festival is also recognised for thought-provoking and inspiring green messages and family fun. It will tackle some of the world’s biggest ethical questions through poetry, demonstrations, debates, story-telling and much more.
For more information, including ways of gaining discounts on tickets, visit www.bigtentfestival.co.uk. You can also follow Rosanne on Facebook and Twitter.