Barry Ferrier aka Dr Baz / Events / Ballina RSL Club

Ballina RSL Club

HEAVEN & HELL : THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE BIG O AND THE MAN IN BLACK

‘We became like brothers right from the start… and it stayed that way right to the end.’ Johnny Cash

Both of these wonderful music talents have left us now, and in this fantasy show, we meet our two legends in the Waiting Room at the Pearly Gates, where they discover that they each have serious misgivings about how they will be received by Saint Peter… They begin to recount stories of their lives, both men concerned at how the excesses of their youth will be measured in the Great Big ledger of Life…

Johnny Cash was a wild man in his youth, and with a deep dark voice and a penchant for women, drugs and drinking there is no doubt he had a devil to deal with.

Roy Orbison, with the voice of an angel was a different kind of man, and that contrast in singing style and lifestyle makes for a fascinating story.

It is not widely known that, at the time of Roy Orbison’s greatest personal tragedy – two of his three young sons were killed when his house burnt down while he was touring the UK – Johnny stepped in to help his friend who could not face returning to the scene of his loss and he bought the property from Roy and preserved it as a tribute to those lost innocents. In a macabre twist, Johnny later built another house on the property and it too was consumed by fire.

Thus this highly entertaining show (written by Barry Ferrier), weaves together two fascinating life stories and a series of wonderful songs which are amongst the most widely known and loved hit songs of popular music history.

With both performers being strong vocalists and possessing unique gifts as multi-instrumentalists, the show is presented with a cast of just two – Barry Ferrier and Slim Pickens, with live musical backing (no fake backing tracks). Slim plays Double Bass, Foot Stomp and sings harmonies to Barry’s highly skilled guitar in the Johnny Cash songs, and Barry plays Keyboards, Foot Drums and sings harmonies to Slim’s guitar in the Roy Orbison songs.