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It鈥檚 all thanks to Joaquin Phoenix.

David James and Big River鈥檚 tribute to Johnny Cash, in Yorkton on Oct. 17 at St. Mary鈥檚 Cultural Centre, started thanks to the film Walk the Line. James was watching it with his girlfriend at the time, and started singing along to Ring of Fire.
鈥淪he said, 鈥榞ood god, you sound better as Johnny Cash than him!鈥�

Already a musician, James was inspired to start singing like Cash, playing coffee shops around where he lived. It quickly started to get traction as people heard him sing, and how close to the original he was.

The band knows Cash inside and out, to the point where James doesn鈥檛 need to do a setlist anymore, they know the songs and the stories that go with them.

鈥淚鈥檒l just start telling a story, and they know what song it is by the story. Sometimes out of the blue I鈥檒l just go 鈥榳e鈥檙e doing this one!鈥欌��

The goal for James is to give people an authentic experience. That means the music, of course, playing a full set of Cash鈥檚 hits, but just as important when doing a Cash tribute is to get the stories behind the songs right and talk to the audience. James said that a friend of his went to a Bob Dylan concert and described it as 鈥榳atching concrete dry鈥� since he didn鈥檛 talk to the audience, not a danger when you go to one of James鈥� shows.

鈥淭hat didn鈥檛 happen at a Johnny Cash show and it certainly doesn鈥檛 happen at ours!鈥�

This year, James has added a second member of the Highwaymen to his portfolio, starting out his show with a full set of Waylon Jennings tunes. While friends for years, they鈥檙e different singers, but James says it鈥檚 not too difficult to play both right after another.

鈥淭he trick is to try to get a Texas accent going and then slip it over to Arkansas, and try not to mix the two up.鈥�

The Jennings part of the show is still fresh, and he believes he can do Jennings even better than Cash. One of the things that excites James about the role is that it鈥檚 a return to the electric guitar, since he played electric guitar player before he started playing as Cash.

鈥淲hen I got into Johnny Cash, your job is to strum鈥� Doing Waylon is a delight for me because I can do the electric guitar. My guitar player can smoke me off the stage any day of the week, he鈥檚 amazing, but I鈥檓 not too terrible!鈥�

Both men were interviewed many times over the years, and between autobiographies and their recorded music, James has a lot of material to work with when he鈥檚 putting together the show. Since he鈥檚 working hard to have an authentic show, he works hard to make it accurate.

Being Cash for ten years does have consequences, and James admits that it鈥檚 actually more difficult to sound like himself anymore. Talking to James on the phone, it can sometimes sound eerily like the ghost of Cash is speaking on the other end of the line.

鈥淚 went to the gym the other day and the trainer went 鈥榳here are you from?鈥� I said 鈥榬ight here鈥� and he said 鈥榶ou sound like you鈥檙e from the south!鈥欌��

In a decade of touring, James can remember exactly one person who didn鈥檛 like the show.

鈥淪omeone came behind and said don鈥檛 mind her, she hates everything!鈥�