By Larry Pruner/Black Press
In the moving, fact-based 2005 movie, actor Joaquin Phoenix walked the line mighty fine portraying late country music artist Johnny Cash.
Now, Gary Kehoe is towing it.
With more than 600 performances to his credit, Kehoe has become the longest-running Johnny Cash tribute show in Canada.
Revelstoke residents will get the chance to witness Kehoe’s accomplished man-in-black act firsthand when he performs Aug. 20 and 21 at the Revelstoke Street Fest in Grizzly Plaza.
“I have always been a songwriter and lyrics are important to me,” Kehoe said in a 2011 interview. “Johnny’s songs were really stories put to music and I found that very appealing. The stories were also about every facet of life and so there was always lots of variety.”
Raised on a ranch overlooking the Okanagan Valley and now a Surrey resident, Kehoe began playing country, folk and rock music before eventually graduating to run his own Grande Ole Opry Show, in which he paid tribute to numerous popular country artists.
“At the resurgence of Johnny’s music in 2005, it was a perfect time to devote a tribute show specifically for him,” Kehoe explained. “The past 600-plus shows have predominantly been outside B.C. [and] we are currently trying to rectify that situation.”
Kehoe calls the movie Walk the Line simply “great” and enjoys expanding his repertoire to include some interesting, lesser-known historical facts about Cash and a full audio-visual element.
The free shows run from 6:30–9:30 p.m.