Photo Credit: Belmont University
Johnny Cash’s personal archive will be housed at Belmont University in a partnership with the Cash family and the John R. Cash Revocable Trust.
A collection from Johnny Cash’s personal archive will be permanently housed at Belmont University. The archive will serve as a centerpiece of a new Johnny Cash Learning Center at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business’ forthcoming Music Row building. This collection spans the legendary artist’s life and career.
The $8.6 million acquisition was made possible in part through the support of Scott and Sandi Borchetta, Mike and Linda Curb, and the Harper House Music Foundation. The deal is part of a partnership among the Cash family, the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, and Belmont University.
“We are thrilled that our father’s archive has found a home at Belmont University. An enormous body of his work, including unpublished writings, will now be available for scholars and students to more intimately connect with the foundational elements of his artistry for years to come,” said the Cash family.
Belmont will undertake a digitization process to catalog and preserve the collection ahead of the Johnny Cash Learning Center’s opening in an effort led by Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel. Dr. Pethel will serve as director of the Center in partnership with Belmont University Special Collections.
“There is no parallel for what this means for our students and scholars,” added Brittany Schaffer, Dean, Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. “Direct access to the personal papers and lyrics of one of the most important artists in American history is something most institutions can only dream of. The Johnny Cash Learning Center will be a place where his story is not just preserved, but experienced.”
“As Trustee, it’s been an honor and pleasure to work with the family to find a home for this archive,” concluded Catherine Sullivan, John R. Cash Revocable Trust. “As a lifelong resident of Nashville, Tennessee, I’m proud to know that generations of Belmont students will be able to study Johnny’s legacy.”
