Johnny Cash had fans everywhere, from San Quentin State Prison to the Grand Ole Opry. Fans of Shawn Barker’s Johnny Cash tribute are widespread as well, keeping the Man in Black’s music alive from Australia to Canada. Audiences’ heads will be buzzing with “A Boy Named Sue” and “Folsom Prison Blues” when Barker stops for two shows in Dover this weekend.
Musically, Barker performs songs from throughout Cash’s career. Physically, Barker stays in early Johnny Cash mode throughout the show.
“He was rowdy and rebellious and young and new to the scene, and I just really like that time in his life,” Barker said.
A four-piece band and two backup singers join Barker onstage to help fill out the sound and re-create Cash’s different eras in music. A few of them might do a number from Cash’s Tennessee Three days, then a female singer might join Barker at the front of the stage for a Cash-June Carter duet of “Jackson,” then Barker might delve into something from Cash’s Rick Rubin-produced later works, including covers of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails and “Rusty Cage” by Soundgarden. In total, the group will perform more than 30 songs with a short explanation of each and minimal downtime between the music.
Barker has spent long hours researching Cash’s mannerisms, look and voice. It was Elvis Presley who got Barker into the tribute show circuit, though. A local radio held a contest looking for an Elvis, so Barker put on an old Halloween costume and entered the contest at the prodding of his friends. He won, and started getting requests for private parties, birthdays and benefits. He auditioned for a Hollywood production of The Million Dollar Quartet, a tribute to Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, and found himself cast as Cash. That was the beginning of his new career as an old favorite.
In 2005 he started his tribute, “The Man in Black Show,” which sells out regularly; in Quebec alone Barker took the icon’s music to more than 50,000 people last year. The success of his show was helped by the release of “Walk the Line,” which buoyed Cash’s popularity.
Barker said although his stage behavior and look are tributes to Cash, he’s not trying to be an exact replica.
“We want people to associate the show as me, it’s more me and my band doing Johnny Cash’s music,” he said.
Sandra Conner, executive director of the Schwartz, said Barker’s talent was the selling point in booking his tribute, although the success of the Patsy Cline tribute during the past two seasons contributed to the decision.
“Johnny Cash is along the same vein and we were hoping that the audience that so appreciated the Cline tribute would respond well to the Cash tribute,” she said. “Shawn Barker is an amazing performer and we are so excited to have him here for two nights.”
Dover —
