Concert pays tribute to the 'Man in Black'

An activity director with a love for good ol’ rock and roll can’t bring the “Man in Black” to Okotoks, so she’s getting the next best thing.

Adele Mundell, with Okotoks entertainment company Rock A Billy, is inviting west coast Johnny Cash tribute band David James & Big River to sing some of the legend’s famous songs and tell stories at the Foothills Centennial Centre on Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

“People who are in their 60s and 70s, and even people in their 20s and 30s, love Johnny Cash,” said Mundell last week. “I’ve loved Johnny Cash’s music and watched him on TV years ago. His music just excites me. He was a legend.”

Mundell spent hours researching Johnny Cash tribute bands and when she came across David James & Big River, four musicians from the west coast of British Columbia, she knew she found the right group.

“When you close your eyes you are going to think Johnny is singing to you,” she said. “He’s high energy. He’s been performing for sold-out concerts.”

David James & Big River will start the concert off in the ’50s with some of Cash’s greatest early hits and fill the space between songs telling stories of the legend.

James knows what he’s talking about when telling stories about Cash, considering he was hired to mimic the legend’s voice while reading letters for the 2012 Canadian documentary My Father and the Man in Black.

“I learned a lot of extra stories through doing that movie,” he said. “I’ve got so many stories rolling around in my head.”

While sharing stories on stage, James will turn on the comedy.

“Johnny was known to do that, clown around with the crowd and the band,” laughed James. “We are going to make you laugh and we are going to make you cry. Even if you’re not a Johnny Cash fan and your mom drags you to the show when we’re done with you, you will be.”

Throughout the performance, David James & Big River will invite the crowd to sing along to such classics as Ring of Fire and Ghost Riders in the Sky.

James’ role as Johnny Cash began when singing along to the 2005 movie Walk the Line, a chronicle of the country music legend, and his girlfriend at the time stopped the movie and told him to sing again.

“At the time I was a guitar player and backup singer with a rock and roll band,” he said.

He decided to see if he could pull it off through his band.

“I started doing a couple of Johnny Cash songs with my rock band and the place just went nuts. I started telling people I was going to do it and they started laughing at me and I said, ‘Just you watch.’”

James began playing in coffee shops and pubs and now plays across western Canada and making his way east.

This month’s tribute concert is among many events Rock A Billy has brought to Okotoks. Others include a Halloween bash, harvest ball and sock hop.

Mundell said her love of music, particularly the rock and roll days of the 50s, 60s and 70s, connected her to numerous potential performers for future shows.

“I’ve got a list of entertainers that I’ve been in contact with that would love to work with me and I’m planning on bringing them to town,” she said. “I just like to make people happy and let people forget about their troubles and listen to some good old fashioned music.”

The audiences for Mundell’s acts are bringing to Okotoks are growing in numbers with each show, and she said if the success continues she would like to bring some big-name performers to Okotoks.

“Down the road I would like to bring the real thing, groups like ABBA,” she said. “They come to Calgary and they come to bigger centres, but I would like to bring bigger entertainment here so they don’t have to drive to Calgary.”

While Mundell is not there yet, she sees potential.

“It takes time to build them up,” she said, “When I walk into businesses they say, ‘Okay Adele, what are you going to bring us next?”

For Mundell it’s about bringing music into people’s lives.

“Music is so good or our soul no matter what kind of music it is,” she said. “I like to give back to the community.”

Tickets to see David James & Big River perform can be purchased at Okotoks Sobeys and Image Hair Design. Only cash will be accepted.

For more information go to www.facebook.com/rockabillyent