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Touring performer keeps alive Johnny Cash’s music, spirit
Scott Moreau scheduled to bring tribute show to Peoria
Posted
I was totally hooked. I bought that record when I left work that day, bought ‘American IV’ when it came out, and then just started buying all of his back catalogue in an obsessive way.”
Scott Moreau
IF YOU GO
What: “Walkin’ The Line,” Scott Moreau’s Johnny Cash tribute show
When: Jan. 29-Feb. 21
Where: Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria
More Information: 623-776-8400 or visit azbroadway.org, or visit scottmoreau.com
Arizona Broadway Theatre 7701 W. Paradise Lane Peoria, AZ
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Live performers no doubt are looking forward to brighter days in 2021, and that definitely includes Scott Moreau.
A native of Litchfield, Maine, Mr. Moreau has seen his performing career take him from his home state to Osaka, Japan, in productions ranging from “Oliver!” to “Guys and Dolls” and to portraying Johnny Cash on the first national tour of the Tony-award winning musical “Million Dollar Quartet.”
The music of Johnny Cash has always hit a high note for Mr. Moreau.
“I was working at record store in my home state of Maine called Bull Moose Music in the early 2000s when a coworker said he had something to play me in the store,” he recalled over email, adding that he had grown up with the music of his parents’ era like Johnny Horton, The Everly Brothers, The Beatles, and, in his words, “a bit of Johnny Cash.”
“(My coworker) mentioned Johnny, and I said that I didn’t like country music at all (because I am NOT a fan of ‘modern’ country). He said that I should give it a try….I still don’t remember if it was ‘American Recordings’ or ‘Unchained (American II)’, but it didn’t matter; I was totally hooked. I bought that record when I left work that day, bought ‘American IV’ when it came out, and then just started buying all of his back catalogue in an obsessive way.”
His career blossomed into starring in tribute shows to celebrate and keep alive the music and spirit of The Man In Black.
He’s scheduled to bring his tribute show, “Walkin’ The Line,” to Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria, from Friday, Jan. 29 through Feb. 21. Tickets are tentative, waiting to see if coronavirus precautions prevent the event.
That’s been a familiar refrain for Mr. Moreau in an unpredictable 2020.
“To be honest, all of my bookings are gone,” he said. “To date, I’ve lost about seven months of shows that I had booked, whether it be the musicals I generally perform or my Johnny Cash tribute shows. I’ve lost thousands of dollars, my health insurance…it’s been extremely bleak.”
He had just finished a week of performing in San Antonio and south Texas when the shutdown initially happened, although Mr. Moreau did get married in September, “which has really been the only bright point in 2020” he adds.
In the meantime, he had performed some live-streamed concerts from his New York apartment, and is considering launching more soon.
Assuming the Peoria shows go on as scheduled, audiences will be able to relive the music catalog of Johnny Cash, from classics like “Folson Prison Blues,” “Ring Of Fire” and “A Boy Named Sue,” accompanied by a live country band.
Steve Stockmar has been with the Independent Newsmedia team since 2017. An NAU alum and Peoria resident, Steve’s community journalism pursuits focus mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference. In his spare time Steve plays in a vintage baseball league using uniforms and rules from the 1860s, and also acts (badly) in community theater. In addition, he has an unhealthy obsession with baseball and the Chicago Cubs.