Johnny Cash

This page is dedicated to the Man in Black, Johnny Cash - 1932-2003

All black and white photographs are © Billy Crallan and used on this website with permission. They must not be used, or copied, in any way.

I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny Cash on many occasions during my time at the BBC. The very first time, which was well before my BBC days, was in 1966 at the Pickwick Club, in London, where a reception was held in his honour just before his first ever concert appearance in the United Kingdom. British pop singers Joe Brown and Marty Wilde were amongst the invited guests at the reception.

I met him again a year later – along with June Carter and Carl Perkins - at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, in London, when my lifelong friend Billy Crallan took these photographs. They were taken at a Press reception held by impresario, Mervyn Conn, prior to another UK tour for Johnny.

Johnny Cash did visit Britain early in the 1960's and appeared on the ABC television show "Wham!" He sang "Five Feet High And Rising" with British guitarist, Joe Brown providing the instrumental backing. Some time after his appearance Joe received a gift from Johnny - the tailor made cowboy boots that he had worn on the television programme. Joe had made a comment about "how much he liked them" and Johnny sent them to his home as a thank you present.

Johnny Cash died at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee on Friday, September 12, 2003 – he was 71. Johnny's wife, June Carter Cash, had died just four months earlier in May at the age of 73 following complications after heart surgery.

It was a great pleasure for me to have known Johnny Cash. As I mentioned earlier, I'd met him many times - in London, Sheffield, and Newcastle and in the United States. He was a kind and gentle person, always willing to spend time with his fans, and recorded several radio interviews with me. I will never forget meeting him in Nashville, Tennessee in 1974 when I walked into a room full of journalists, radio and television personnel. Johnny stopped his filming and interviews, looked towards the back of the room, spotted me and said: "Hi, Stan!" He then turned to the gathered pack of journalists and said "A friend of mine from England's just walked in!" I felt ten feet tall. There is more about Johnny Cash in my book "Chasing Fireflies" which can be bought on line from Trafford Publishing.

The webpage titled More Cash shows the complete collection of Johnny Cash photographs in their original state - uncut, unedited and untouched. We thought you would like to see them, as they were taken, before the internet and photographic technology came along. Some are out of focus but, as they are the originals from 1967, I am sure you will forgive us for that.

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