It’s funny how the most random places and moments can flood memories back to us. And for someone with a storied and fascinating past in the music industry, it happens a lot more often than not. For Rodney Crowell—who not only wrote dozens of No. 1 hits for other artists but also had an illustrious career himself—those memories often involve some of the most beloved and legendary figures in country music.
A recent stroll by Central Park triggered a special memory for Crowell about his very first No. 1 song that he both wrote and performed.
“About 40 years ago, I was staying in Johnny Cash and June Carter’s penthouse at 59th and 5th,” said Crowell, who was married to their daughter and fellow country star Rosanne Cash. “I was by myself and went to a play called Nine. I was so inspired by the writing that I came back, sat staring out through the picture window at Central Park, and wrote It’s Such a Small World—my first No. 1 record as a recording artist. I’d written songs before that were No. 1, but this was my first as an artist, a duet with Rosanne Cash. Funny to think that 40 years ago I was up there writing a song, and today.”
The two were married from 1979 to 1992. In an interview with Catalyst, Crowell once admitted that commercial success ultimately took a toll on what he called their “storybook romance.”
His first meeting with his idol—and future father-in-law—didn’t exactly go according to plan either. In an interview with Clint Black for Circle Country, Crowell recalled that he “got off on the wrong foot with him ‘cause I was living out of wedlock with his daughter in Hollywood. That didn’t go over so well for a while.”
Despite that rocky start, Crowell and Cash went on to work closely together for years. Johnny recorded several of Crowell’s songs, including “One Way Rider,” “I’m Never Gonna Ride Again,” and “Bull Rider.” Even after Crowell and Rosanne divorced, the creative connection remained—he later collaborated with Johnny on a reimagining of the Man in Black’s iconic hit, aptly titled “I Walk the Line (Revisited),” according to American Songwriter.
