Rosanne Cash: Beatles fan for decades, now honored with John Lennon award
for her work
By LARRY MCSHANE / september 15, 2018
Rosanne Cash will be honored with the “John Lennon Real Love Award,” acknowledging her decades of work as both artist and activist. Michael Lavine
As a young girl, Rosanne Cash became a die-hard Beatles devotee — even serving as president of a Fab Four fan club.
Now the four-time Grammy winner will be honored with the “John Lennon Real Love Award,” acknowledging her decades of work as both artist and activist.
Cash, in an interview with the Daily News, said Lennon has remained a guiding light across the decades since she first saw him on “The Ed Sullivan Show” with his fellow moptops.
“He’s still alive in so many ways,” she said from Nashville. “Musically, as an activist, as just this enormous heart. That we got to be on the same planet at the same time as John, that in itself is a gift.
“He still resonates with so many of us today. He’s still a constant inspiration, from when I was 8 years old to right now.”
Country legend Johnny Cash’s eldest daughter will be honored at a Nov. 30 charity concert at Symphony Space, where she will be joined by Grammy winner Marc Cohn, rocker Willie Nile, ‘60s icon Jesse Colin Young and Rich Pagano, drummer for the renowned Beatles cover band the Fab Faux.
Tickets go on sale at 1 p.m. Friday via LennonTribute.org or by telephone at 212-864-5400.The 38th annual event is organized by Theater Within, with proceeds going to fund programs at Gilda’s Club NYC for people whose lives were impacted by cancer.
“I’m tremendously honored,” said Cash, 63. “I feel kind of unworthy. There are so many people who do so much more than I do, who are deserving.”
Cash said she was moved and surprised to learn of her selection. But no less an expert than Yoko Ono noted that Cash — given her “passionate voice as an artist and activist,” including her support of gun control — was the perfect choice.
“These are values that John would truly embrace, and I think it is beautiful that Theater Within is honoring Rosanne with this year’s award,” said Ono.
The event will make the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ “White Album,” including Lennon contributions like “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” “Revolution” and “I’m So Tired.” Cash will perform a set of her favorite Lennon and Beatles songs, although she’s still assembling the setlist — perhaps with a little help from John himself.
“I still think sometimes, ‘What would John Lennon do in this instance?’” she said. “I want to do something meaningful that’s appropriate for this kind of event.”
Cash is a longtime New Yorker who’s still reminded of Lennon while wandering the city where he lived with Ono and their son Sean and died outside their Upper West Side home.
“I walked by Strawberry Fields just the other day,” she said. “It never fails to move me still.”