Doug Benson was born in the wrong decade. Instead of owning a hybrid car, he drives a 1964 pickup truck, and rather than singing Katy Perry songs, he plays his guitar to Johnny Cash tunes. In fact, Benson’s love for the bygone era of the ‘50s and ‘60s has manifested in the form of Johnny Cash cover band Cash’d Out.
Located in California, Benson and the other three members of Cash’d Out are making their way to Salt Lake City. With hopes of recreating an experience lived 50 years ago, the band will perform at the State Room this Friday.
As lead singer, Benson works to recreate the distinctive voice styling of Cash. To him, Cash represents rockabilly country, which he believes is a dying music genre.
“He was a true storyteller. It’s not just about keeping Johnny Cash’s music alive, but it’s also about keeping that style of music alive,” Benson said.
By living vicariously through the songs written and performed by Cash, Benson hopes to pay homage to the influential musician whose career skyrocketed in the ‘50s. He feels he and the band accomplished that goal when they played in front of Cindy Cash, daughter of Cash.
The night before Cash’d Out was set to play a show, Benson received a phone call from Bill Miller, who was one of Cash’s closest friends. Miller said Cindy Cash was going to attend the upcoming show. He then asked Benson to play the song “Cindy, I Love You.” After the phone call ended, Benson spent the whole night learning the track dedicated to Cindy Cash. Luckily, he and the other group members were able to pull off a flawless cover.
After the performance, Benson met Cindy Cash backstage. “I wasn’t expecting to see her. I turned around, and my eyes got real big,” Benson said. “She said to me, ‘I was 18 years old when my dad wrote that song for me. You made me cry.’ ”
When Cindy Cash told Benson of her appreciation, she placed a necklace that contained a lock of Cash’s hair around Benson’s neck. Since that night, Cindy Cash and Cash’d Out have kept in contact.
From meeting Cash’s family members to incorporating the artist’s sound, Benson infuses elements of Cash into his everyday life. Even his solo efforts highlight the sound Cash was famous for.
“I do a little solo thing to keep myself busy and to keep songs ingrained in my head. Even the songs I have written sound like Cash songs,” Benson said. “I like him so much, that’s kind of the way I taught myself to sing and play guitar.”
While in Salt Lake City, Benson hopes to remind people of how influential Cash was to the art of music. He is glad Cash’d Out keeps Cash alive. He also stressed that Utah has a big following of Cash lovers.
“People are really nice. Everybody is really cool, and the whole state is beautiful. You have everything there. You have the mountain and the deserts,” Benson said.
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