FEW tribute acts can hold their heads up and admit they have been endorsed by a member of their subject matter’s family. Yet that is an accolade Clive John and his seven-strong band that make up The Johnny Cash Roadshow can take pride in.

The band, which will visit Cwmbran and Cardiff in coming weeks, played a date in Manchester recently to which the grand daughter of Johnny Cash and June Carter–Cash, Caitlin Crowell, turned up and lavished the band with praise.

Caitlin described them as: “…absolutely authentic to the point where it felt as if it wasn’t a tribute, per se, it was a rock ’n’ roll gig. Given by some sincere rock ’n’ rollers.”

High praise indeed.

Leading the rock ’n’ rollers in the Johnny Cash Roadshow is singersongwriter Clive John, who embarked on getting his tribute act together after watching the film Walk the Line which retold The Man In Black’s excess lifestyle off stage as well as on.

“I was a fan anyway”, says Clive, 38, from Malvern, Worcestershire “I liked his music. To me, it’s countryish but it’s not country. It encapsulates rock ’n’ roll and folk and country too. He’s the only one to me who’s got that sound: he could have an orchestra backing him or nothing and because of his voice, the sound is always full.”

Clive was prompted to develop a tribute show to his music hero after performing a few Cash favourites in his solo show. “People used to say: ‘You sound more like Johnny Cash than Johnny Cash does’,” he says, before continuing: “I thought if I can do it, I’d like to do a proper quality show. Over the last eight years, I’ve been building it. I’ve now got a show that I’m happy with.”

The show features a spectrum of Johnny Cash hits, including San Quentin, Cocaine Blues, I Walk the Line and A Boy Named Sue. As well as this, Clive will also perform his own composition, The Spirit, which was awarded the Hotdisc track of the Year 2011. It spent eight weeks at No.1 in the UK British/Irish chart and four weeks at No.1 in the world chart.

His own musical merits aside, Clive is adamant that he should do his music hero justice.

“I don’t try to impersonate him,” he says. “I try to capture the essence, because I’ll put a suit on and the guitar I use is exactly the same. I don’t like to talk with an American accent – that would just sound awful.”

The Essence of Cash will also feature Jill Schoonjans re-creating the vocals of June Carter Cash, when the show visits St David’s Hall on January 31, as well as a talented band of performers re-creating the sounds beloved by millions. Johnny Cash fans can get a sneak preview of the show with video clips via johnnycashroadshow.com

● The Johnny Cash Roadshow takes to the stage at The Congress Theatre, Cwmbran on January 24 (contact box office 01633 868239) and St David’s Hall, Cardiff on January 31 (Contact box office 029 2084 8500).