Johnny Cash tribute concert coming to Templeton Performing Arts Center

National touring show celebrates the “Man in Black” in song and story

– James Garner’s Tribute to Johnny Cash will be held at the Templeton Performing Arts Center on Sunday, July 14 at 3 p.m. The national touring show celebrates the “Man in Black” in song and story.

The event will take place at the Templeton Performing Arts Center, located at 1200 S Main St, Templeton. Tickets can be purchased at TempletonPerformingArtsCenter.com. The artist’s website is CashTribute.net.

The signature “boom-chicka-boom sound” of Johnny Cash will fill the Templeton Performing Arts Center with James Garner’s critically acclaimed tribute. Concertgoers can expect to hear familiar Cash favorites such as “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” and “A Boy Named Sue,” as well as songs from his historic At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin albums.

“We’re excited to bring our show to Templeton,” Garner said. “We’ve made several stops on the Central Coast over the years, but this is our first show in Templeton. We know there are a lot of Johnny Cash and classic country music fans in the area, so we look forward to seeing them.”

Garner and his band began touring with his tribute show in 2007, making a special trip to Folsom State Prison in 2008 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Cash’s infamous live album. That was followed by a performance at San Quentin State Prison in 2010.

Gene Beley, one of two reporters covering Cash’s historic 1968 Folsom Prison concert, has attended several of Garner’s Johnny Cash tribute shows. “Garner and his band give concertgoers their money’s worth,” Beley said. “This act will not disappoint the people who wish to resurrect that classic Johnny Cash voice and rhythm.”

Backing Garner is a group of musicians from northern California. Reggie Gay of Woodland plays guitar, Chris Akin of Stockton plucks the bass, and Nick Auriemmo of Lodi anchors the beat on the drums.

In addition to playing the Man in Black’s iconic songs, Garner is known for his engaging storytelling about Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three, and the important music they created. “Our concert is much more than just playing Johnny Cash’s hits,” Garner said. “There’s a lot of history infused in the show, so folks leave knowing more about the Man in Black’s life and his impact on American music and artists than when they arrived.”

Garner’s love of Johnny Cash’s music started at an early age while growing up in Hanford, California. “I was 12 years old when I heard my first Johnny Cash song as we drove on Highway 198 from Visalia to Hanford,” Garner said. “It was ‘Don’t Take Your Guns to Town’ and I was hooked. A few years later, I saw him in concert in Fresno and got to meet him backstage following the show. Shaking hands with Johnny Cash is something I’ll never forget.”

Three decades following the meeting with Cash, Garner continues to pay tribute to his musical hero. In addition to having played more than 700 shows across the country, Garner’s group has released three full-length albums, making them the most recorded and published Johnny Cash tribute show in the nation. Garner’s tribute show has also been featured numerous times live in concert on local PBS stations.

Tickets for James Garner’s Tribute to Johnny Cash at the Templeton Performing Arts Center start at $39 and are available at TempletonPerformingArtsCenter.com.