| ". . . has J.C.’s moves down, from the sweeping guitar spins to the odd angle of the head. And yes, he does sound like Cash, from “Folsom Prison Blues” to “Hurt." |
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David James always figured he'd end up being a country singer. He just didn't know the country singer would be Johnny Cash. The Vancouver Island-based vocalist has been performing under the pseudonym Almost Johnny Cash for the past two years and is already considered among the best Cash tribute acts in Canada. James does his best to look the part – black is the primary colour from his hair down to his shoes – but it's his uncanny vocal similarity to Cash that is most impressive. Even when he talks, James has the singer's low rumble down pat. |
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Jesse Ferreras - Walking Johnny Cash's line - Nanaimo musician earning praise for tribute to country legend
You can imitate, you can emulate, and then you can inhabit. Dave Pittet most certainly does the latter with Johnny Cash. A Nanaimo musician, Pittet doesn't just play the songs of the Man in Black. For the past three years now he has worked his damndest to evoke the country/rock legend as lead singer of Almost Johnny Cash's Big River . . .
The band is as much a musical performance as it is method acting, at least in the case of its frontman. With a gravelly, guttural voice that uncannily replicates Cash's, Pittet has put a mountain of effort into his performance. He has matched his hair, his posture and his clothing to his subject.
Most cover bands depend merely on nostalgia to draw an audience. Big River wants you to imagine the man is right there up on stage. |
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Steven Hill - Entertainment Reporter for the Question. When the deep and eerily familiar voice on the phone says, “Hello, this is… almost, Johnny Cash,” it takes a second to register that the person on the other end of the line is really David James and not the real Man in Black. James is the front man for Johnny Cash tribute band Big River, . . . and his performance is hailed as a dead-on and convincing impersonation of the country music icon. . . . “Some people have come up to me after the concert and said they closed their eyes and it felt like Johnny Cash was on stage,” he said. “Which, of course, is a huge compliment.” From Cash’s deep, baritone voice to his distinctive train-rhythm guitar style and even mannerisms and posture, James ... |
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Big River is as close as you’re going to get to the real deal—until, that is, you get to heaven, where you’ll spend every day doing bourbon shots not only with Johnny but with June, probably while singing “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”. |
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| René S. Garcia, Jr. | June 9, 2013 - Working Author Blog Movie - My Father and the Man in Black - Review David James also turns in a fantastic performance as the voice of Johnny Cash, lending his talent for letters and other material from Cash that must be read aloud to the audience. - See more at: http://www.workingauthor.com/my-father-and-the-man-in-black-2013-review#sthash.FmecpTkd.dpuf |
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With a career spanning 50 years – the rockabilly pioneer, country legend and American poet Johnny Cash left his mark upon many millions of fans. Among them are four western Canadian musicians who are driven to replicate his sounds, songs and recordings in a magnificent tribute entitled Big River – A tribute to the Man in Black. . . . Fronted by David James, Big River goes all the way in its shows, not content to just imitate, but rather bring the audience past the cover songs and into the world of The Man in Black . |
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Stella Stevens - Radio Host - 790 CFCW, Edmonton, Alberta |
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