Cash Back for Tasmania

It really will be a Cash bonanza for Tasmania when, for the third time in so many years, Daniel Thompson will bring his tribute show celebrating the life and music of Johnny Cash to the state.

Daniel says Tasmania is ‘a beautiful part of the world’ and that band member Stuie French is actually a real Tasmanian!

Daniel is also a big fan of The Theatre Royal where one of his performances will take place. Daniel says’ it’s a beautiful old theatre’ and is amazed by how close the audience are to the performers.

This year’s presentation will again feature all of Johnny’s big hits and with Daniel’s expert knowledge will also include some different songs from favourite catalogues, as Daniel says ‘There is no shortage of songs to select from’. Another addition this year will be Cash’s ‘Australian Songbook’. It may surprise that Johnny wrote a song about ‘Ned Kelly’ and did versions of ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ and ‘A Pub with no Beer’.

Daniel’s extensive research on the man in black, he believes is his responsibility and although the attention to detail doesn’t see him going overboard in attempts to look like Cash physically, he does believe there are expectations to be met, such as wearing the black suit and Daniel will only use the type of guitars that Cash himself used. Daniel also emulates how Cash held his guitar which Daniel describes as ‘a little bit differently ‘ and also affected his stance. Daniel has a deep voice like Cash but doesn’t believe he sounds that much like him but adds that members of the audience often say that if they shut their eyes they could imagine Johnny was singing himself. Daniel believes this is because the audience brings their own perception to the show and it’s up to them to interpret as they will.

Johnny Cash as Kris Kristofferson said was ‘truth and fiction’ and Daniel agrees with this statement. That sometimes Cash would emphasise the bad time he had in prison in an attempt to reach out and help those who also endured those conditions. Daniel says Cash was very upfront and didn’t try to hide ‘his battles with addiction and women’.

Daniel is a huge fan of Johnny Cash and says, that admiration grows, as he learns more about him as does his appreciation of the songs which are ‘hard to sing’ and that John was ‘a good singer and entertainer’. Daniel also believes that John and June were not as serious performers as many believed.

Fantastic old video shows Johnny in the background pulling ‘goofy’ faces and ‘making noise’s when June was singing to distract her and make her laugh. It’s to be noted that at all times the performance is respectful to John and June’s legacy.

An interesting piece of information that Daniel has come across in his research is that in the 60’s, at the height of his career, Johnny Cash performed in either Burnie or Devonport and surprisingly only 17 people attended! Whether it was because the event wasn’t advertised sufficiently or people didn’t believe it was the real Johnny Cash, Daniel has still to establish.

He does know he has met people who said they were at the concert and those that have attested as being there add up to more than 17!

You can see Daniel perform as ‘Johnny Cash the Concert: Golden Greats of the Man in Black’ the Theatre Royal on Friday 10th of October and at the Launceston Country Club on Saturday 11th of October.
Paula Xiberras