Rosanne Cash to headline The Sunken Lands series on ASU campus

Rosanne Cash will headline a new performance series later this summer. The Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle will be held Aug. 12 in Riceland Hall at the Fowler Center on the Arkansas State University campus.

The event will be hosted by Cash along with performers Rodney Crowell and Sarah Jarosz. The Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle will expand Johnny Cash’s musical legacy by recognizing world-class songwriters and performers. Each year, three artists will be invited to share the stage for an evening of music and storytelling.

Proceeds will benefit the ongoing preservation and operation of the boyhood home.

“My father’s music began in the sunken lands in the Arkansas Delta and the gumbo soil stayed with him his entire life. I am excited to return to Arkansas to honor and continue his legacy,” said Cash. “I am especially excited to be joined by Rodney and Sarah along with John Leventhal. They are masterful songwriters and I look forward to an unforgettable evening.”

The new event will be the highlight of a series of cultural events including exhibitions, performances, lectures, workshops and special events presented by the A-State Heritage Sites program.

Cash has 15 albums, four Grammy Awards with 11 additional nominations, and is the author of four books and numerous essays in national publications. She is one of the family founders of the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival and a supporter of the restoration of the Cash home.

A native Texan, Crowell is a multi-Grammy Award-winning troubadour with 15 number-one hits. Over the course of his more than 40-year career, Crowell has blended his success as an artist with songs cut by artists Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Keith Urban, making him a master among his peers.

Crowell has written songs for artists including Bob Seger, Etta James and the Grateful Dead. Jarosz is a four-time Grammy Award winner and 10-time nominee. The Texas native started singing as a young girl and became an accomplished multi-instrumentalist by her early teens.

After releasing her full-length debut “Song Up in Her Head” at 18 years old, she would release four more albums. She is currently working on her next studio album.