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Bennie Wheels and Sweetwater Municipal Band to bring Johnny Cash to life |
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Written by Kimberly Gray
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 |
If you never saw Johnny Cash live, then you could catch the next best thing at the Sweetwater Municipal Auditorium Friday, March 26 – tribute artist Bennie Wheels and Walkin’ the Line Band. He will also be performing with special guest, Sweetwater Municipal Band.
The Municipal Band will open up the concert at 7:30 p.m., playing the Big Band numbers they are most known for. They will also accompany Wheels on three Cash songs, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” Ring of Fire,” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”
Wheels began his entertainment career as an Elvis tribute artist, and was very successful, winning many national contests. However, he began to learn that the Elvis tribute business was an “over-flooded market.”
After the movie about Johnny Cash’s life, “Walk the Line,” came out, he was inspired to become a Johnny Cash tribute artist as well. “I was drawn to the story and music of the legendary Johnny Cash,” he said.
In 2006 he picked up a guitar and began learning how to play. When he first took the stage as Johnny Cash, he discovered portraying Cash came easily to him, almost natural. Bennie’s vocal registry was very similar to Cash’s. Even his normal speaking voice sounded similar.
To make the show even more realistic, Wheels’ wife, Renee, performs as June Carter Cash in his act. They do duets together like the famous pair did. “Renee looks and sounds incredibly like June herself,” Wheels pointed out.
Even someone who would know said Renee was very comparable to June Carter Cash. Wheels said W.S. “Fluke” Holland, Cash’s drummer for over 30 years, said that Renee was “June all over again.”
Wheels explained that being a tribute artist is considered very different than performing as an impersonator. “I consider myself a tribute artist because I am a huge fan first and foremost, and what I do is not a cheap impersonation, but rather a sincere and respectful salute to a music legend that serves to be honored for his legacy,” Wheels said.
Wheels said he studied hours and hours of Cash’s performances and strives to resemble and reflect every facial expression, mannerism, etc., that he can. He likes putting a “visual effect” into his tribute to Cash. “You can go to a lot of bars and hear a group do pretty covers of his music, but if you don’t want the smoky and depressing atmosphere of a bar, and would like to experience a re-creation of Johnny Cash in his ‘Folsom Prison’ 1968 prime, then we are definitely the show for you.”
Wheels has done shows in Sweetwater before, the last of which was in October 2008 with Al Nelson. He said he loves performing in Sweetwater because the people are “such great people to entertain” and visit with. He added, “Larry Ludlum and staff at the Municipal Auditorium have treated us so well there, and I always appreciate the opportunity to return.”
Everyone is invited to come out to the show Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Auditorium for not only a great show, but also a chance to “take in the history of your beautiful venue.” Wheels points out about the auditorium, “It almost feels like you’ve stepped through a portal into the 1940s or 1950s when you walk through the door.”
Sweetwater Municipal Band director, Billy Weems, said, “Bennie does a great job and it should be a very entertaining night.”
Tickets are $10 for general admission or $15 for reserved seating on the main floor. They are available at the Chamber of Commerce, 810 East Broadway. You can also call the Chamber at 235-5488. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 March 2010 )
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