The Man in Black may be gone, but he鈥檚 not forgotten.

And thanks to Nanaimo鈥檚 Dave Pittet, fans of the country legend can still hear him sing once in a while.

Well, sort of.

Pittet performs as Johnny Cash in Big River 鈥� a tribute to Cash and his music 鈥�  and he鈥檚 coming to 91原创鈥檚 Cascades Casino on Friday, June 10.

Strangely, perhaps, it鈥檚 not as though Pittet was a life-long fan of Cash. In fact, during his early days, the singer鈥檚 tastes ran more to good old fashioned 鈥�70s rock and roll.

鈥淭he stuff I loved 鈥� Led Zeppelin 鈥� I couldn鈥檛 sing that, not with my deep voice,鈥� said Pittet, over the phone.

It was about four years ago, after watching the Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix, that the idea for Big River started to flow.

鈥淚 was singing along to Walk the Line and my girlfriend said, 鈥榊ou sound more like Johnny than him,鈥欌�� he laughed.

As he chats, Pittet occasionally bursts into song to illustrate a point, and, yes, the similarity to the man who inspired him is more than a little striking.

Starting out Pittet, like most people, knew many of Cash鈥檚 more popular songs, but it was only through studying and reading about the artist that he became familiar with some of his lesser known work.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more to him. I love a lot of his obscure tunes,鈥� said Pittet.

And he鈥檚 happy to share them in concert.

鈥淚 do a few of those to pique people鈥檚 curiosity and educate them,鈥� he said.

He tells a few stories along the way 鈥� each one leading into another song.

For Pittet, Cash鈥檚 iconic driving beats are a huge appeal.

鈥淚 love that track beat stuff . . . it makes you want to get up and shake a leg.鈥�

Pittet and Big River have been touring across B.C. and Alberta for the last year and a half.

Over that time, as he鈥檚 looked out into the crowd, the singer has seen a bit of everything.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no one particular bunch of rednecks who listen to Johnny Cash,鈥� he said.

At unlicensed shows, he鈥檚 had audience members as young as nine, at others, people as old as 90.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had punk rockers and metal heads, the guy in the suit and little old ladies.鈥�

The reason for the broad appeal is simple, said Pittet.

鈥�(Cash) was reachable to anyone 鈥� he wasn鈥檛 about flash. He was a touchable guy; you could run into him at a movie theatre or walk up to him and say 鈥楬ow鈥檙e you doing?鈥欌��

鈥淗e was an ordinary fellow who had some dynamite songs.鈥�

And while Pittet is happy to give Cash鈥檚 fans a chance to relive a few memories through song, he鈥檚 not trying to fool anyone.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 pretend to be the man, but I can get damn close with my talking voice, and even closer singing.鈥�

For more on Pittet and Big River, go to www.johnnycashtribute.ca

Big River performs at Summit Theatre inside Cascades Casino on Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.)

Tickets are $24.50, available at www.ticketweb.ca and Casino Guest Services. Call  604-530-2211.