Where else but Missouri Valley during the annual "Bluegrass Festival" would you expect to see a powerful tribute to the late Johhny Cash? It'll happen here Sept. 1, during the festival which runs Aug. 29-Sept. 4 at City Park.
When Cash died, he was busy working on 'new' music. Music he had never ventured to experiment with before. Acoustic music. He disposed of his thunka-thunk thunka-thunk sound, and entered into a musical genre, very close to, and realtive to, classic and golden country music. One of his greatest recent works, "Hurt" is so powerful, so potent, that anyone who listens to it, does so with tears in their eyes.
When Bob Everhart, the president of the National Traditional Country Music Association, was talking with Dennis Devine, Council Bluffs, the number one Johnny Cash fan, and a personal friend, about where Johnny Cash was with his music when he passed away, Dennis immediately started the fire burning to do a tribute to Cash, but do it in such a way that the legacy of his music, might live on.
The first person Devine contacted was Sharon Graves in Grand Island, Neb. Sharon is the person who purchased the Johnny Cash acosutic guitar at auction from Southbys Auction House for $131,000. Her first reaction was, "yes, let's pursue this adventure." She has promised to bring this very famous and expensive guitar to the festival, now in it's 30th year. Thousands of people will enjoy performances from ten sound stages and 600 performers through the seven days, but on Thursday, Sept. 1, a special "Tribute to Johnny Cash" will be staged. An all acoustic music happening, never before contemplated, or presented.
Once the 'guitar' of Johnny Cash was established as the headliner, Everhart and Devine set about filling the program with performers that might be interested in playing on this expensive acoustic guitar and this wonderful tribute show. The fulfillment of the legacy left by Cash was well under way.
The program, as put together by Everhart and Devine, is a monument to Cash. Dennis Devine, will serve as host and emcee. The line-up looks something like this: Bill Dewey, a native Iowan, will begin the program playing his favorite Cash songs, on an acoustic guitar; Kent Thompson a popular disc jockey on KOIL Radio in Omaha, will not only sing some of his favorite Johnny Cash songs, he will be inducted into America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame, for his involvement in playing Cash music on his radio station, as well as his performance of those songs, again....acoustically; Peggy Knight served as the housekeeper for Johnny Cash for 33 years. She too, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and will have an opportunity to talk about her days in that very private world of the Cash's personal life; Sharon Graves, the inspiration for the acoustic idea, will have the Cash guitar on hand for anyone to use on the show, and she will also be awarded the "Rising Legend" award from the National Traditional Country Music Assn.; Terry Smith is the songwriter of "Far Side Banks of Jordan" which Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash recorded for the successful movie "The Apostle," which Robert Duvall produced and directed; Marvin Rainwater, a successful recording artist in his own right (Gonna Find Me A Bluebird), was a close personal friend of the Cash's, and will also be performing his favorite Cash songs acoustically; Sherwin Linton from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is perhaps the best Johnny Cash impersonator alive today. His renditions of the great Cash songs acoustically, should bring magic to the air, and with him, 12-year old Taylor Marshall, another Johnny Cash songster; Don Acuff (a cousin to Roy Acuff) was Johnny Cash's personal antique dealer. He will be doing songs by his cousin as well as Cash; Robert Simek is flying all the way from Slovakia to be on this show, and promote his newest CD which has been released in Europe, entitled "Hello I'm Not Johnny Cash,"; Skip Segatto, an Omaha musician and performer has the largest Johnny Cash repotoire in the midwest, and will close the show.
TOMMY CASH LIVE
The show stopper however, will be Tommy Cash, Johnny's brother. Tommy has been successful with his own career, recording such hits as "Six White Horses," and "The Gypsy Woman," and he joins this tribute show to launch his own "Tribute to Johnny Cash" as he travels around the country, keeping his brother's music alive and well in America. He will also be inducted into America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame.
"One of the most amazing tribute shows ever put together to honor one of our own, as well as a superstar from Nashville," is how Everhart describes this program. "No one is being paid to actually perform, and part of the Thursday gate receipts will provide funding for America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame, of which Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash were made members back in 1996. On display in the Hall of Fame, is Johnny Cash's harmonicas, he used to play the "Orange Blossom Special" and June Carter Cash's fingerpicks she used to play the autoharp with. A massive number of LP's, photos, and rare documents are also on display in the Hall of Fame. We're determined to carry on where Johnny Cash left off, and it will be a rare experience to see these great artists help us do that."
More information on the festival, and/or the Tribute to Johnny Cash can be obtained by calling 712-762-4363, or writing P. O. Box 492, Anita, IA 50020
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