Johnny Cash Archives Move to Belmont Universitys New Learning Center

On July 22 2026, the Johnny Cash family announced that the singer’s personal archive will be permanently housed at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The collection will anchor a new Johnny Cash Learning Center at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, which is slated to open in the university’s forthcoming Music Row building.

The $8.6 million acquisition was made possible through a partnership that includes the Cash family, the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, and Belmont University. Support for the purchase came from Scott and Sandi Borchetta, Mike and Linda Curb, and the Harper House Music Foundation. The archive contains manuscripts, recordings, unpublished writings, and other materials that span Cash’s life and career.

Belmont will digitize and catalog the collection before the Learning Center opens. Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel will serve as director of the Johnny Cash Learning Center and will work with the university’s Special Collections staff to preserve the materials. The digitization effort is intended to make the archive accessible to students, scholars, and the public.

"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 An enormous body of his work, including unpublished writings, will now be available for scholars and students to more intimately connect with the foundational elements of his artistry for years to come," the Cash family said.

Brittany Schaffer, dean of the Mike Curb College, emphasized the significance of the archive for the university’s music‑business program. "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," she said.

Catherine Sullivan, trustee of the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, added that the partnership reflects the trust’s mission to preserve Cash’s legacy. "As a lifelong resident of Nashville, I’m proud to know that generations of Belmont students will be able to study Johnny’s legacy," she said.

The Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business is located two blocks from Music Row, the historic district that has long been the center of Nashville’s recording industry. The college’s new building will house the Learning Center and provide students with a direct link to the city’s musical heritage.

The Johnny Cash archive will complement Belmont’s existing Special Collections, which already preserve materials related to Nashville’s music history. By adding Cash’s personal papers, the university expands its role as a steward of American music heritage.

The Learning Center is expected to open in the next academic year. Until then, Belmont will continue to work on the digitization and cataloging of the archive, ensuring that the materials are preserved for future research and educational use.

The partnership between the Cash family, the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, and Belmont University represents a significant investment in the preservation of one of country music’s most influential figures. The archive’s permanent home at Belmont will provide a valuable resource for students, scholars, and fans of Johnny Cash’s music.