American country music icon Johnny Cash visited Israel five times. He first came in 1966 on a religious pilgrimage, and returned in 1968 with his new wife, June Carter Cash. 

This second trip inspired a Christian-themed concept album, “The Holy Land,” featuring tracks such as “Land of Israel,” “The Ten Commandments” and “Come to the Wailing Wall.”

Cash’s 1969 album, “Johnny Cash at San Quentin,” includes a segment in which Cash speaks of his experiences in Israel and introduces the song “He Turned the Water into Wine,” which he wrote on the way to Tiberias, said Shai Ben-ari, head of English online content for the National Library of Israel.

Cash returned in 1971 to work on the narration of the film “Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus.” This visit was highlighted by a VIP reception in Jerusalem. He was back in 1990 to film “Return to the Promised Land.”