Johnny Cash tribute band plays Avon Saturday night

AVON, Colorado — Three-and-a-half years ago Doug Benson placed a classified ad that changed his life. He was searching for musicians for a Johnny Cash cover band and that’s just what he got. The San Diego-based band, called Cash’d Out, has spent the last few years channeling Cash’s spirit. Even better, Benson’s voice is nearly as deep and distinctive as ‘The Man in Black’ himself.

Benson, along with Kevin Manuel on lead guitar and harmonica, Sean Glithero on standup bass, George Bernardo on drums and Julie Crockett singing the part of June, will perform at Agave in Avon tonight. If you’ve got a hankering for a rowdy rendition of “Folsom Prison Blues” or “Ring of Fire,” check out Cash’d Out — according to the band, they’re “the next best thing” to the real thing.

Vail Daily: Why did you pick Johnny Cash to cover ?

Doug Benson: We all just love Johnny Cash, you know. I’ve been listening to Johnny Cash for a long time and I just like how he tells you a story every time, in every song. I like the way he writes simple, but artistic. I like the way he steals people’s songs. (Laughing). Nah, don’t say that.

VD: Why did you decide to be a cover band instead of playing original songs?

DB: I don’t know. When I put the ad in the paper to put this together I didn’t really have a thought of traveling around and doing it, I just thought it’d be a fun thing to do. Me and some of my friends could get together and laugh and sing. But it turned into something really good. The people that answered the ad were pretty much geniuses. Why they chose to stay with me, I have no idea, but it’s working out so far.

VD: When you put that ad in did you know it was for a tribute band or just a band?

DB: The ad was actually something like ‘Johnny Cash tribute band needs a guitar player. Must play like Luther Perkins.’ That’s the only reason Kevin answered the ad... He knew I was serious about doing it like Johnny Cash, or as close to Johnny Cash as we could possibly get.

VD: Why do you think you’re the only tribute band endorsed by the official Johnny Cash Web site?

DB: Somebody on the johnnycash.com forum had seen us and told (Bill Miller) about us on the forum. So Bill Miller [Johnny Cash’s best friend and owner of the site] looked at our Web site and he said he spent some time looking and listening to it and he could tell we weren’t really doing it to make a buck off of Johnny Cash, that we were doing it out of complete love and admiration for Johnny Cash. I don’t sound exactly like Johnny Cash, that’s one of the things he mentioned, but he said, ‘you come real close.’ And just the way the rest of the way the band is set up, like Kevin plays guitar like Luther Perkins closer than anybody that they’ve ever heard. Margie Perkins was Luther Perkins widow and she came to a show and she told him after the show that she’s never heard anyone else, including the guitar player that played with Johnny after Luther passed away, that has been anywhere as close to Luther as Kevin is. It’s not just the voice, it’s everybody put in together that just sounds like Johnny Cash’s band, like the Tennessee Three.

VD: Bill Miller, Johnny Cash’s best friend, asked you to perform at the opening of the Johnny Cash exhibit at The Fender Museum. Tell me about the show.

DB: We did the opening for it and we’ve been there a couple times since for a few different occasions. We played there this year for Johnny’s birthday celebration. John Carter Cash [Johnny Cash’s son] was there, Cindy Cash [Cash’s daughter] was there, Lou Robbins, Johnny’s manager was there, Bill Miller, was there of course, ‘cause he puts on the whole thing and Margie Perkins was there watching us.

VD: How was the show?

DB: It was pretty scary cause I’d pretty much lost my voice ‘cause I was really, really sick that day. We had just done a two-hour show in San Diego then drove up there. I could not even hardly speak. I was really torn up about it because it was probably the most important show we’ve ever played because of all the family members there. Bill Miller said ‘do your best and people will understand.’ We started in and sang a couple songs, I apologized for my voice being out and said ‘but I’ve been in puberty for the last 30 years.’ I tried to make them laugh as much as I could. We played for three hours straight. I told the crowd, ‘I’ll understand if you’re bummed out about my voice being messed up, but I respect Johnny and I know this is the way Johnny would have done it and we’ll keep playing and singing as long as you guys are out there.’

Larry Bagby, he played Marshall Grant in the “Walk The Line” movie, he actually got up and played bass with us for a song. It actually turned out to be a real great night.

VD: What’s Johnny’s best song?

DB: That’s a hard question. He did over 3,000 songs. Actually I probably haven’t even heard all of his songs... One of the favorites that we do the best is the song called “So Doggone Lonesome.” Then we love to do the “Wreck of the Old ‘97.” It’s a faster, upbeat song where we get crazy and do the train sounds like Johnny used to do, if my throat is holding up.

VD: Who would you be covering if it weren’t Johnny Cash?

DB: Nobody.

High Life editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 970-748-2984 or cschnell@vaildaily.com.

If you go ...

What: Cash’d Out, a Johnny Cash tribute band.

Where: Agave, Avon.

When: Saturday, 9 p.m.

Cost: $15 at the door.

More information: Call 970-748-8666.