Theme from Z-Cars the 1960s. Sunderland A.F.C. were also known to have played the song as their players ran out to the field during their days playing at Roker Park. Theme from Z-Cars "Theme from "Z-Cars"" was the theme tune to the long-running BBC television drama "Z-Cars". Based on the traditional folk song "Johnny Todd", which was in a collection of traditional tunes by Frank Kidson dated 1891 called "Traditional Tunes: A Collection of Ballad Airs". Kidson's notes for this song say: "Johnny Todd is a child's rhyme and game, heard and seen played by Liverpool children. The air is somewhat pleasing, and
Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground and his inspired guitar playing". Johnson's music experienced a revival in the 1960s thanks in large part to the efforts of blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis. A highly regarded figure within the burgeoning New York folk scene, Davis gave copies of Johnson's records to young musicians and taught them to play his songs. The Soul Stirrers, Staples Singers, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Peter, Paul & Mary all covered Johnson. In 1969, the English folk-rock band Fairport Convention released the album "What We Did on Our Holidays" which included a song inspired by "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" called