An Echo Bay man will be rolling round the bend into Sault Ste. Marie this December to revive the musical stylings of Johnny Cash in a one-night, two-hour salute to the country icon.
When Jeffrey Wright picked up a guitar for the first time as a teenager, some of the first songs he learned to perform came from the “Man in Black.”
Now 20 years later, the local singer-songwriter is ready to walk the line between the megastar’s younger and older personas when he performs a self-written show called “Hurt: A Tribute to the Legend, Johnny Cash” at the Moose Lodge next month.
“Johnny Cash has been a huge influence on my life,” he told SooToday. “I started learning a lot of his stuff when I was younger because ‘Hurt’ had recently come out. When I heard that song, I really got into it, so I kept learning his songs and it fit my voice registry.”
Playing mostly solo gigs as a young adult, Wright took an extended break from music to focus more on his artwork. But in recent times, the musician rediscovered his calling to music, which was highlighted last March when he played the role of Johnny Cash in the West End Theatre Project’s spin on the famous Million Dollar Quartet recording session.
“From experiencing everything that’s gone on more recently, I was hooked,” he said. “That show was such a positive experience, and the guys were amazing.”
Soon after the show, Wright joined forces with fellow cast members Liam Seymour, Marshall Jaaskelainen, and Jaime Jacques to form “The Way Backs” – one of the Sault’s newest bands.
That group will provide musical backing for the upcoming tribute, while Chelsea Vossos will play Johnny Cash’s partner June Carter. Wright’s dad George, meanwhile, will play the older version of Johnny Cash.
Crediting his musical abilities to his father, a Great Northern Opry inductee who had songs on both radio and television, Wright is looking forward to having his dad join him on stage.
“My dad got me my first guitar when I was about 14 from Case’s Music,” he said. “I originally wanted to be a drummer because I thought it was such a cool instrument. But they’re really expensive and loud so my parents would never buy it.”
“He’s 70 now, but me and him still enjoy going out and playing music together,” he added. “When I put on these bigger shows or do a gig, I don’t see him very much because he’s in the audience. But my wife says he has this big proud grin across his face. He’s kind of living through me.”
Similar to Million Dollar Quartet, Wright explains the Johnny Cash show will include some dialogue in addition to providing attendees with a mashup of theatre and live music.
While he’s comfortable hitting the country legend’s low notes, preparing for the role is not something Wright takes for granted.
“I’m always studying up on old videos of his live performances and his talking in between,” he said. “I keep having to go back to those things to maintain that level of precision with the role. I’m re-enacting someone, so it takes that extra level to become Johnny Cash.”
“There are a few songs that get pretty low, so I practice those a bit more,” he added. “His style fits my voice, so I just try to absorb all his music I can.”
Squeezing 28 songs into two hours, the baritone vocalist wrote and crafted the show’s entire script himself – something he never imagined doing when he was learning how to strum a guitar in the 1990s.
“I’ve always enjoyed entertaining,” he said. "I'm always trying to find creative ways to bring people joy," he said. "These aren’t necessarily happy times, so people need positive things right now. I love bringing smiles to people’s faces.”
Aiming to contribute to a musical culture that embodies positivity, Wright is looking forward to seeing audience members tap their feet and sing along to the legend's greatest hits.
“I want to see people putting an emphasis on entertainment and realize how much we actually need community,” he said. “The more we do shows like this, we can really bring people together to appreciate the effort that goes into things like this, and you can sit with people and get to know them and be a part of something bigger.”
“Hurt: A Tribute to the Legend, Johnny Cash” will take place on Dec. 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Moose Lodge on Trunk Road. Tickets are $25 for the general public and $20 for seniors 65+ and children 12 and under.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Moose Lodge, Long & McQuade, or from The Way Backs band members. For more information, readers can email Wright at [email protected].