Update at 12:43 p.m. Sept. 10, 2026: Officials with the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home announced that the concert is cancelled due to an unexpected medical incident. Tickets will be automatically refunded to the original payment source. Details here.

Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – The fourth annual Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle concert is taking place later this month at Arkansas State University.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Riceland Hall of Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr. A reception will be held in the Grand Hall of Fowler Center starting at 5:30 p.m., which is open to all ticket holders.

“The reception will feature themed heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages based on Johnny Cash’s career,” said Adam Long, director of the Heritage Sites. “We will also have a silent auction with proceeds benefiting the ongoing operations of the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home.”

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This year, the concert will feature artists Ruthie Foster and Rhett Miller. The event is curated and hosted by Rosanne Cash, with accompaniment by John Leventhal.  

“The Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle is an intimate evening of songs and stories,” Long added. “We will hear some of the country’s best songwriters play their songs and talk about the process of creating them. All of the artists will share the stage, singing and storytelling in conversation with each other.”

This event expands Johnny Cash’s musical legacy by recognizing world-class songwriters and performers.

“Proceeds from this event fund the ongoing operations of the Boyhood Home, an important cultural institution in Northeast Arkansas,” Long continued.  

The Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home preserves the 1935 home of the Cash family in Dyess, Arkansas, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, and celebrates Johnny Cash’s life and music.

Restoration of the New Deal-era home was made possible through a series of music festival benefits held at Arkansas State University, beginning in 2011.

The Judd Hill Foundation, Jonesboro A & P Commission, and Sam and Molly Jackson are sponsors of the event.

Tickets ranging from $27.75 to $109.80 are available through Ticketmaster, at the central box office located near the red entrance of First National Bank Arena, 217 Olympic Dr., and by phone at 870-972-2781.

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