Def Americans

After two theatre seasons centred on the iconic American Recordings, it’s time to press the accelerator a little harder. Plenty of room is being made for hits, band favourites and crowd favourites from the extensive repertoire of the legendary Man In Black. It’s good to be back on the Road Again!

More than half a century after Johnny Cash’s first hits, the Brabant lads of Def Americans Johnny Cash Tribute capture the swing, atmosphere and rebellion of a performance by the legendary American outlaw astonishingly well. The band name may not immediately suggest a Johnny Cash tribute, but to the seasoned music lover it’s obvious: at the time of Johnny Cash’s collaboration with Rick Rubin, Rubin’s label DefJam was renamed to the now well-known American Recordings.

The band has since built up an impressive live reputation on the club and festival circuit, along with several successful theatre tours across the country. Whether it’s Johnny’s work at Sun Records, the prison albums, gospel songs, duets with June Carter or the American Recordings series, Def Americans succeed in breathing new life into the songs that Cash himself performed with such love and passion. Cash’s work spans almost 50 years from start to finish, and in the hands of Def Americans it stands strong, its unmistakable sound delivered sincerely and authentically without losing sight of The Man In Black’s raw, rebellious edge.

Johnny’s younger brother Tommy Cash noticed this too. In 2013 he approached the band to back him during his ‘My Brother Johnny’ shows in the Netherlands. So Def Americans make an impression abroad as well, and the band crosses the border more and more often, for shows in Belgium, Germany, Norway and England, for example.

“Life and Love go on, Let the Music play” - Johnny Cash