After being a fan of Johnny Cash's since the late fifties, I finally got to meet and have a conversation with him. When he appeared at the Derngate theatre in Northampton, England, my home town. At the time I was working on an archaeological dig, and as I had heard that Johnny collected historical artifacts and coins I managed to acquire two roman coins that I hoped to present to him on the evening of the Northampton concert.
I arrived outside the theatre around lunchtime, I learned from the road crew that they were expected to arrive at the theatre about 6-30pm. So I had a long wait, but it was worth it. Sure enough, the tour bus arrived on time and immediately Johnny was surrounded by dozens of fans. I stood to one side waiting for the opportunity to give him the coins. Then I realized that I was standing beside June. After getting her autograph I asked her if Johnny was still collecting coins, she said that he was and after I explained about the coins I had for him. She said to give them to him. By now the crowd had thinned out and I nervously handed him the box with the coins in and explained what they were. Initially he thought that I wanted to sell them to him, as he said that he didn't carry any money with him. But when I told him they were a gift for all the pleasure he'd given me for almost forty years. He was interested in where they came from and he asked me quite a lot of questions about the history of our area and as he was so interested in the subject I also gave him a book about the historical site that I was working on at the time. We stood talking for ten or fifteen minutes about history and I consider myself fortunate, that I was able to answer his questions. Because, I guess if I'd tried to talk about his music he would probably have heard it all before and I wouldn't have got to have such a lengthy conversation with him. When it was time for him to go to his dressing room, I got his autograph and had my picture taken with him and June, and she was such a nice lady. Before I went to meet my wife and take our seats for the show.
The date of this show was 23rd of November 1991 almost16 years ago, but it as it is one of the memories that I will always treasure.It is as fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday.
I'm a little long in the tooth for working these durn computers and I'm also a bit of a technophobe, but I'm going to try to scan the pictures I had taken that night and send them to you. If it fails this time I'll get someone who knows what they are doing and send them on to you at a later date.
I hope this account of one, elderly, fan getting to meet his hero after so many years of buying his records and seeing his shows, almost every time he came to England. Is of interest to other fans and no-one finds it too boring. I'll be in touch again, Thanks John Fortescue