Rosanne Cash to Host Fourth Annual Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle

JONESBORO - The Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home has announced the line-up for the Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle. Rosanne Cash will return for the fourth year as the curator and host of the event and will be joined by Ruthie Foster and Rhett Miller, with accompaniment by John Leventhal.

The event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Riceland Hall at Fowler Center on the campus of Arkansas State University. Tickets for the concert will go on sale later this summer. 

According to Rosanne Cash, “I’m excited and delighted to be back in Jonesboro for the fourth annual Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle. Every year has been so special, and this year also promises to be a rare treat. My friends Rhett Miller and Ruthie Foster will join me and John Leventhal for an evening of songs and collaboration. The three of us have never performed together before. They are both superb songwriters, singers and performers, and if you don’t know their work, I promise you will fall in love. Please join us on September 19.”

Arkansas State University awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Cash on May 7, 2022. 

Grammy-winning blues and folk artist Ruthie Foster trusts that no matter what happens, she will always find her way. Foster first pursued a career in music after fulfilling her tour of duty as part of the U.S. Navy.

She was signed to a major label until her mother fell ill in 1993. Foster subsequently abandoned her recording contract to take care of her mom until her death. Shortly after, the singer decided to find a path back to music as an independent artist. Her latest album, "Just Say Yes," is out Friday, Aug. 28, via Sun Records, which was Johnny Cash’s original Memphis label.

Rhett Miller is a revered singer-songwriter known for his more than three decades fronting the popular rock band Old 97’s. Cash presented the 97's with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2025 Americana Awards at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

After two independent releases, Miller and the 97’s signed to Elektra Records and released the critically acclaimed "Too Far to Care." Their 13th studio album, "American Primitive," was released on ATO Records in the spring of 2024. Between projects with the Old 97’s, Miller has released eight solo albums, most recently 2025’s "A Lifetime of Riding by Night."

Full biographies for Cash, Foster and Miller can be found here. 

The Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle expands Johnny Cash’s musical legacy by recognizing world-class songwriters and performers. Each year, the Songwriting Circle invites artists to share the stage for an evening of music and storytelling. Proceeds benefit ongoing preservation and operation of the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home.

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. In 2017, the festival was relocated to the grounds of the Boyhood Home in Dyess and expanded beyond music to include programs about the New Deal heritage that is part of the Dyess and Cash family stories.

The extended Cash family has been dedicated to the restoration and instrumental in the planning and performing in the festivals from the inception of the project. Performers have included: Rosanne Cash, John Carter Cash, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell, Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, The Gatlin Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Marty Stuart, various members of the Cash family, and more.

In 2023, the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home started the Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle to build on the success of the festival. The Songwriting Circle expands Cash’s musical legacy by recognizing world-class songwriters and performers. Since its inception, the Songwriting Circle has featured: Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, Sarah Jarosz, John Hiatt, Brandy Clark, and Trisha Yearwood.

It is the highlight of an annual series of cultural events, including exhibitions, performances, lectures, workshops, and special events presented by the Arkansas State University Heritage Sites program.