Dave Gibbs of Carmel, Indiana, felt moved to pay homage to Deddington following a four-day trip there six years ago.

He was moved to make the journey because his late father had expressed a regret that although he had visited England, he had not made it to the village of his forefathers.

"I met a lot of wonderful people and they were very kind to me," he said.

"It had been 130 years since a member of my family had set foot in the village and I got very emotional when I first got off the bus.

"It felt good to be 'back', like finding an old precious room in a house that had been sealed up with time."

The track Deddington features on Mr Gibbs's debut album Welcome to Tomorrow, which was released in December on his own label Folk Pop Records Inc after taking five years to record.

The Dylan-esque acoustic guitar and harmonica-based song was aired for the first time in the UK on Fox FM on Monday. It was played by afternoon DJ Dan Mills who received an email from Mr Gibbs about the track, which is not planned for single release.

"We played a bit of the track on the air and then held a text vote to see if people wanted to hear more," he said.

"The people of Deddington loved it and seemed quite proud and the vote came back 72 per cent in favour so we did. He's got a unique sound, though I'm not sure it will top the charts."

Mr Gibbs, 42, stayed in Holcombe Hotel in High Street. He met village historical society member Moira Byast who helped him trace his family tree.

His great-great grandparents Henry and Emma Gibbs lived in the Turnpike House, Hempton Road.
Henry was a carpenter and agricultural labourer and Emma a straw bonnet maker. Henry emigrated to New York in 1870 and a year later sent for Emma and their five children, but only son William and daughter Catherine survived to adulthood.

William became a bookseller in Missouri and had a son called John who became a farmer and raised John Jr, Mr Gibbs's father, a Second World War veteran and a newsman with an illustrious career in TV.
The male Gibbses had lived in Deddington for generations, with Mr Gibbs tracing forefathers Zachariah and Richard back to 1700.

Mrs Byast spent an afternoon with him, driving him round some of the local villages. "He was very friendly, enthusiastic and polite. A very nice guy and fascinated by his history and the local villages," she said.

A direct connection with current Gibbs families in Deddington was not found but Mrs Byast said there could well be one, and coincidentally where Turnpike Cottage may have stood is builders HR Gibbs and Sons.