David James’ opening line makes it clear that he’s not a Johnny Cash impersonator but a tribute artist.
“Hello,” James promised he’d say. “I’m almost Johnny Cash.”
After the Walk the Line movie motivated James to cover Cash’s songs (since he found he sounded like Cash anyway), James has been performing as a Johnny Cash tribute artist for about a decade.
The Nov. 10 Dekker Centre show, featuring the band Big River, consists of covers and interesting bits about Cash’s life. James said he’s done a lot of research in the past ten years. Some info caught James’ attention, like the fact that Five Feet High and Rising is based on actual events in Cash’s life, as well as the amount of misinformation written about Cash, particularly by ex-wives.
James said he favourite era is the Sun Records era.
“It was innocent and raw,” James said. “The train beat is unmistakable.”
The set also features songs from the American Recordings, which was how many young people became familiar with Cash. Older people, meanwhile, are usually more interested in Cash’s earlier songs, James said. Regardless, Cash’s music appeals to “punk rockers, metal heads, rednecks and farm folk.”
James said the setlist isn’t necessarily performed in choronological order, and some nights songs are played according to themes, such as prison songs, love songs, and cowboy songs.
Whatever the setlist is, James promises “a barnburner near the end of the night.”
The show begins at 8:00 on Friday, Nov. 10. Advance tickets are $35.99 plus GST, while tickets at the door are $39.99 plus GST.
