A tribute to The Man in Black

With his striking resemblance, spot on mannerisms and baritone voice, Shawn Barker embodies the character and spirit of Johnny Cash.

Shawn Barker’s Tribute to Johnny Cash is an accurate and energetic recreation of an American music icon and it will come to the Newton Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at 7:30 p.m.

Whether it’s the full theater show with a professional band, the female singing group, The Sugarbelles, paying tribute to the Carter Sisters and Jessica Morales singing as June Carter. Or the raw, stripped down three-piece retro group, The Folsom Prison Blues Boys, the shows are bringing the legend back to life onstage for the fans of today and the next generation.

Born and raised in a working-class suburb of St. Louis, Shawn Barker took a schoolboy love for singing in church with his family and turned it into a career; a one-of-a-kind tribute to Johnny Cash, one of America’s greatest musical icons. Universally considered the pre-eminent Johnny Cash tribute artist, Barker has an uncanny resemblance to Cash. His strikingly similar looks, voice, and spot-on mannerisms revitalize the true character of Mr. Cash himself and have led Barker to an immensely successful career performing his tribute to the original “Man in Black.”

Having toured nationally and internationally for over a decade, Barker has delivered his one-of-a-kind show in 12 countries, performed over 1,000 shows, and sold more than half-a-million tickets over the course of his career. In addition to his own show, Barker has been invited to perform as Johnny Cash in “One Night in Memphis,” a four-part tribute show showcasing the major recording artists of Sun Records: Elvis, Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. He also regularly appears in the Legends in Concert series, known as the pioneer of live tribute shows and having celebrated 35 years of entertaining more than 30 million fans around the globe.