Festival celebrating Fife's link to Johnny Cash underway

A new music festival to celebrate the music of Johnny Cash is underway in Fife.

Cash, behind hits such as I Walk the Line, was a regular visitor to the village of Falkland following a chance discovery that his family name was indelibly linked to the area.

The American singer even played a special televised concert at Falkland Palace in 1981.

Cash Back in Fife is a new festival being held at the Woodside Hotel in Aberdour to mark the legacy of his music and celebrate his connection to the area.

It kicked off on Friday night and will run until Sunday.

Artists will be mostly performing their own material but tributes will also be paid to to classic Cash songs throughout the weekend.

Author Ian Rankin will also be speaking about his favourite songs by Fife musician Jackie Leven.

Speaking about his memories of the visit the crime writer said: “I remember as a kid being stunned when I saw photos of Johnny Cash in our local Fife newspaper, he was on a visit to Falkland and seemed to have been beamed down from another planet.

“As a long-time fan of his music it’s a distinct honour to be asked to participate in a festival celebrating the man and his music.

“The great Fife troubadour Jackie Leven was a fan of the Man in Black – so much so that he wrote a song about him and even called the subsequent album Elegy to Johnny Cash.

“I’ll be reciting my favourite lyrics by Jackie Leven.”

Woodside Hotel owner John McTaggart says: “We are very excited about hosting this festival, which ticks so many boxes for us, combining great music with Fife’s unique links with one of the world’s greatest musicians.”