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FILE - In this Sept. 2, 1995, file photo, singer Johnny Cash performs during his segment of the Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland. The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas. The Arkansas House on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, gave unanimous final approval to a bill that would make Feb. 26 "Johnny Cash Day," sending it to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who plans to sign it. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

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FILE - In this Oct. 16, 1992, file photo, singers Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash perform at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas. The Arkansas House on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, gave unanimous final approval to a bill that would make Feb. 26 "Johnny Cash Day," sending it to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who plans to sign it. AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)

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FILE - In this 1999, file photo, the late country music legend Johnny Cash poses with his wife, the late June Carter Cash, in their Hendersonville, Tenn., home. The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas. The Arkansas House on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, gave unanimous final approval to a bill that would make Feb. 26 "Johnny Cash Day," sending it to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who plans to sign it. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey/File)

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FILE - In this Sept. 17, 1997, file photo, singer Johnny Cash testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on copyright infringement in Washington. The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas. The Arkansas House on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, gave unanimous final approval to a bill that would make Feb. 26 "Johnny Cash Day," sending it to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who plans to sign it. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds File)

Arkansas to honor country legend Johnny Cash with holiday

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 1:12 PM ET Apr. 21, 2021

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Man in Black is about to get his own day in Arkansas.

The Arkansas House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would make Feb. 26 “Johnny Cash Day," voting 92-0 to send the measure to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who will sign it, according to his office. The state Senate approved the bill earlier this month.

The day won't be a legal holiday but instead will be a memorial day marked by an annual proclamation from the governor.

It is the state's latest effort to honor Cash, who was born in Kingsland, a tiny town about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Little Rock. The Legislature in 2019 voted to replace its two statues at the U.S. Capitol with ones of the country music legend and of civil rights leader Daisy Bates. A fundraising effort is underway for both statues.