James Creek Cider House in Cameron presents Nashville singer-songwriter star Josh Phillips for a concert under the stars on June 21. The writer of the 2025 Academy of Country Music Award Song of the Year, “Dirt Cheap,” Phillips is the multi-platinum selling songsmith behind more than 100 other songs performed by today’s biggest artists. Grab a ticket, bring a chair or blanket, or take your pick of picnic tables to enjoy songs, sips, bites and a star-studded Sandhills’ summer night.
Country music big name Cody Johnson recorded “Dirt Cheap,” in 2024. He credited Phillips’ stellar songwriting in his acceptance of the Song of the Year award, an accolade given to both the creator and recording artist.
“I get to record the greatest songs in country music written by some of the best songwriters in the world,” Johnson said on the ACM stage. “Dirt Cheap” is a hit single on Johnson’s third major-label studio album, Leather, the Country Music Awards 2024 Album of the Year.
Described as urban country with a hip hop delivery, Phillips’s songs include “Can I Get an Outlaw,” “The Man He Sees in Me,” and “Angels Workin’ Overtime” for Luke Combs; “Bad Boy” and “Bury Me Upside Down” for Brantley Gilbert; and “Small Town Small” for Jason Aldean.
Phillips’ biggest hit to date, “Dirt Cheap,” showcases not only his songwriting but also storytelling, earning The People's Choice Country Awards 2024 Storyteller Song of the Year. For the Lee County, North Carolina, native, the lines he penned in this soulful song are personal. It’s the tale of slick-talking land developers angling for an aging farmer’s homeplace and farmland, a story inspired by Josh and his wife’s first homebuying experience. Just as the farmer’s flood of family memories led him not to sell, the Phillips couldn’t leave their “starter” house either. All the cumulative years of renovating and child raising in their first house sealed the deal for Josh and his wife, Jordan; they were staying. The takeaway: memories are worth more than money, and in Josh’s song-worthy words, “You can’t buy this kind of dirt, cheap.”
The son of Mickey and Kim Phillips of Sanford, Josh Phillips grew up on a 25-acre farm in rural Lee County, where he learned firsthand much of what he writes and sings about. A high school baseball standout, Phillips went on to play collegiately for North Carolina’s Pfeiffer University and Pitt Community College until knee injuries sidelined him. In exiting the game, he found new meaning in music, reinventing himself as a full-time singer, guitarist and songwriter who entertained across the state. Following his dreams, Phillips moved to Nashville and was signed to Big Machine Records. Today, he, his wife and three children live in a small town outside of Nashville—in that same house, an old farmhouse built in 1904 that needed a ton of work, he shared in an interview with Country Now™.
As songwriting takes centerfield these days, the versatile artist only performs a few times a year. James Creek Cider House is thrilled to welcome Phillips back home for an intimate concert filled with his followers, family and friends and new listeners, too. The award-winning cidery, voted as one of the top cider houses in the nation, an impressive #4, in USA Today Readers' Choice Awards, has been a venue for local bands and small sets; this concert scales their usual offerings.
“We are very excited to host a bigger concert event and have more people come out and just have the opportunity to see what we can do out here,” said Event and Tasting Room manager Mandy Marcum. “And we're glad that Josh is the one that's doing it; we'd like to give him a big hometown welcome.”
Marcum sees the June 21 event as a springboard for more concerts in James Creek’s future. “We would love next year to do a summer concert series and have other songwriters from Lee County and around the area. It would be nice to be able to do something like that, but this is our first venture (into concerts).”
Owned by Ann Marie and Dave Thorton, James Creek Cider House produces premium, harvest-based ciders from Southern heirloom and cider apple varieties. The ciders, and also wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks, will be available for purchase the night of the concert from the cider house tasting room. Poppy’s Backyard Grilling food truck will be on site with various dining options. General admission tickets are $40 and are available from Ticket Me Sandhills. The doors open at 3 p.m., rain or shine. First up is opener Hunter Grant, a classic rock acoustic solo performer with a local following who is making his second appearance at James Creek. Main attraction Josh Phillips, who takes the stage at 6 p.m., is performing with Nashville guitarist/singer Rontundo, an Ohio native and U.S. Army veteran.
For all details, see https://ticketmesandhills.com/events/.

(Photo courtesy of James Creek Cider House)