These pictures of Johnny Cash treading on the ground of his ancestors in Fife have been brought to life in colour for the first time.
The Man in Black was filming the Johnny Cash Christmas Show for American television in Falkland, Kinghorn and St Monans in October 1981.
The black and white photographs from DC Thomson’s archives have been newly colourised and enhanced using AI technology.
Here, we see them in a new light.
They are being shared to mark the 70th anniversary of his debut recordings.
The double A-side Hey Porter and Cry, Cry, Cry reached number 14 on the Billboard country chart and started Cash’s extraordinary 48-year recording career.
And what a career it was.
His biggest hits included Ring Of Fire, I Walk The Line, Orange Blossom Special, A Boy Named Sue and Folsom Prison Blues, which became his signature song.
The singer’s concerts at San Quentin and Folsom prisons are legendary.
Johnny Cash traced family tree back to Fife
Born in Kingsland, Arkansas, JR Cash was a true Fifer.
He decided to research his ancestral history after a chance encounter on a plane in the 1970s with the former laird of Falkland, the late Major Michael Crichton-Stuart.
Cash said he thought he had links to Scotland.
The laird replied: “Well, that is quite a coincidence because where I come from there are lots of places that still hold the Cash name.”
He told the singer that there were places called Easter Cash, Wester Cash, Cash Feus and Cash Mill in the Falkland and Strathmiglo area.
Cash began to investigate his family tree.
He visited Falkland Palace with his family while on holiday in Scotland.
The family traced its ancestry back 800 years to King Malcolm IV of Scotland and had links with the former country retreat of the Stuart kings at Falkland Palace.
It was a long way from the prairies and American landscapes he was singing about.
The American Cash connection came about in 1612 when mariner William Cash sailed from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts, with a boatload of pilgrims.
He later decided to settle in America.
His Scottish heritage became hugely important to him.
Cash sang Christmas carols in Fife church
Cash insisted on returning to Falkland for his 1981 Christmas in Scotland TV show and arrived in his trademark all-black wardrobe and leather boots.
He was joined by fellow American singer Andy Williams.
Cash was instantly recognisable.
He parked himself on a bench outside Falkland Palace during filming.
Lilian Jenkins was among those who got his autograph.
She said: “This has made my day.
“I’ve been a Johnny Cash fan for about 15 years and I have many of his records.
“He’s lovely.”
Cash was very down-to-earth.
He talked to all the locals who approached him.
He asked what they did for a living and took a genuine interest.
Falkland farmer John Duncan shook his hand and got his autograph.
Cash then returned to the serious business of pretending it was Christmas.
He recorded Footprints In The Sand at Falkland Palace.
Cash and Williams performed Greensleeves together afterwards.
Williams also sang The Village Of St Bernadette.
I could have shot my Christmas show anywhere in the world, but I chose Scotland because I just love the country,” Johnny Cash.
Cash was accompanied by his 11-year-old son John Carter Cash, who played draughts on the giant outdoor board at the palace.
Filming also took place on the beaches at Kinghorn, Anstruther and Elie.
John Carter sang Wee Cooper Of Fife at Pettycur Harbour.
His father played guitar.
Cash had taught his son the broad Scots song when he was a small child.
He delivered a word-perfect performance.
It marked John Carter’s professional debut as a singer.
The youngster was determined to make the most of his time in Fife.
He asked: “Is there anywhere around here I can go fishing?”
Cash and Williams later dined at the Covenanter Hotel in Falkland.
Why did Johnny Cash go to Fife in 1981?
Stan Harris directed filming, which moved to St Monans Parish Church.
Locals packed the church and Cash sang Christmas carols with pupils from St Monans Primary School including Silent Night and O Little Town of Bethlehem.
A performance at Edinburgh Playhouse was also filmed for the Christmas show.
Cash said: “I could have shot my Christmas show anywhere in the world, but I chose Scotland because I just love the country.
“I have been coming to Scotland for about 20 years to play at Edinburgh and Glasgow, which I have loved doing.
“I wanted to show American viewers the birthplace of my family centuries ago – the Kingdom of Fife.
“A Scottish genealogist traced my family tree back to the 12th Century for me and he found that my family originated in the Strathmiglo area.
“Ada, the sister of Malcolm VI, married a member of the Cash family and they lived on land known as Easter Cash while the king lived at Wester Cash.
“The stones from Cash Castle are now built into the watchtower at Strathmiglo.”
Cash was keen to discover more about his background during his stay.
“There are some gaps in the family tree which I would like to have filled in,” he said.
“Although I might not like what I hear, I suppose!”
Cash said he thought he had “40th cousins” in St Andrews.
How many watched the Christmas show?
The Christmas show was described as a “Highland fling for the whole family”.
It was shown on December 10 1981 and watched by 85 million people in America.
Channel 4 in the UK showed the special the following Christmas.
Unfortunately, many areas of Fife were unable to pick up a reception for Channel 4.
Cash returned to Falkland in 1982 with his wife where, the story goes, he stopped on the Falkland Hill road to help a young lad change the wheel on his car.
It summed up the magic of country music’s greatest outlaw.
In March 1991 Cash spent the better part of a week in the area with his sister.
They were told many stories of King Malcolm and his sister Ada.
His Fife roots also inspired him to create his own family emblem.
Beneath the hand-drawn crest he wrote: “Cash – originated in County Fife, Scotland, 1224. Cash progenitor: Ada, sister of King Malcolm IV”.
Cash visited Fife many times before he died aged 71 in Nashville in 2003.
Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, his eldest daughter, was another regular visitor over the years and headlined the Big Tent Festival in July 2010.
A bench in the village commemorates the family’s links to the area.
Like the rest of the world, Falkland won’t forget Johnny Cash, The Man In Black.
ALL IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE COPYRIGHT OF DC THOMSON AND HAVE BEEN COLOURED USING ADVANCED AI. COLOUR REPRODUCTION MAY NOT BE 100% AUTHENTIC. UNAUTHORISED REPRODUCTION IS NOT PERMITTED.
Conversation