Mediaboss Marketing

Johnny Counterfit hopes to relaunch his comedy, singing career after the coronavirus shutdowns forced him to get a job as a forklift operator.

Somewhere inside a warehouse in Nashville, the forklift operator sings under his breath.

His co-workers don't know much about who he is. They may not be able to hear him singing. He's a 65-year-old man, practicing, ever so slightly, the voice of Johnny Cash.

Someday, he doesn't want to be a forklift driver anymore.

Johnny Counterfit (his stage name), an impressionist, singer, comedian, wants to re-appear inhonky tonks, theaters and on TV stations, a life he once knew.

He wrote me a couple of letters that sounded so fun. Heopened for Dottie West and Brenda Lee, he appeared on The Nashville Network and he performed at the White House.

The pandemic took a knife to Johnny Counterfit'scareer. Suddenly, a performer with 40 years experience, was looking for gigs in places that stopped hiring acts like his. He got the warehouse job so he could stop tapping into his savings.

Now he's got his eye on a comeback.

Johnny Counterfit was born Ronald DeMoor in Omaha in 1956.

He said he first noticed his particular skill at a very young age. He could impersonate the cartoon characters he saw on TV.

"I did Yogi Bear and Wally Gator," he said.

When he was 9, his parents got a stereo console and vinyl records. His impersonations expanded after listening to Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Buck Owens. By junior high school, he was doing Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como.

The Type Set: The perfect song for Johnny Cash

He sang their songs and told jokes in their voices.

In a 7th grade talent show, he did some of the voices he saw on the television program "Hee Haw."

"The audience applauded, and I was infected," he said. "The bug really bit me. I love making people laugh."

In his early 20s, Ronald DeMoor was trying to think of a stage name inspired by his bestimpression: Johnny Cash. What's the opposite of cash?

Counterfeit money.

But, he said, Johnny Counterfeit was one letter too long to fit on a marquee. So he decided on Johnny Counterfit.

His family had moved to Oregon, and he performed "A Boy Named Sue" at an open mic night at a place called "Nashville West."

"The audience just loved it," he said.

He kept doing free performances until he figured out that he was getting popular. He was hired for six nights per week and $100 per night at a club called "The Bridge Keeper" in Canby, Oregon.

Johnny Counterfit appeared on a CBS Christmas special doing the voice of Thurston Howell III (from "Gilligan's Island") in 1986. He was on ABC in 1987 doing stand-up on "America's Funniest People."

In 1993, Johnny Counterfit moved to Nashville. Within a year, he appeared on The Nashville Network.

The Type Set: Johnny Cash loved bacon, strummed guitar all the way until the end

The two highlights of his career came at the White House during the Clinton Administration. A talent booker he knew introduced Johnny Counterfit to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

He shook hands with the President and introduced himself using Clinton's raspy voice. Then he turned to Hillary and struck up a quick conversation with her using the voice of former President Ronald Reagan.

They must have loved him because they asked him to come back.

In 2000, Johnny Counterfit was on the White House lawn singing "I Walk the Line" as Johnny Cash.Clinton sat in the first row of seats. For the second verse, he sang as Clinton.

"That knocked him out," he said.

In the last 20 years, Johnny Counterfit didn't have any problems booking shows. He said he is loved by the 55+ crowd who rememberall the characters from the 1960s and 70s.

And then in March 2020 the stages went dark, and so did his career.

He said he had 12 gigs lined up for 2022, but he had to have surgery and was forced to cancel.

He got the warehouse job to stay afloat until the gigs come back.

"I switched gears and got to work," he said. "I told myself, 'Get your rear end back to work.'"

He has hope for a summer gig. Just before the pandemic, he was in talks to perform at a dinner show in Nashville.

"I'm hoping the ember of that idea is still there," he said.

Until then, Johnny Counterfit will be moving boxes.

And singing Johnny Cash songs under his breath to get ready.

Reach Keith Sharon at 615-406-1594 or ksharon@tennessean.com or on Twitter @KeithSharonTN.

This story is part of Project 88, which is named for the 88 characters produced on a Smith-Corona typewriter. The Tennesseans Keith Sharon types letters on his 1953 typewriter and mails them to people all over the world with an envelope and stamp so they can write back. This story originated with a letter Keith received. The question Project 88 is trying to answer is: Will people communicate the old-fashioned way, through heartfelt letters about the best and most challenging days of their lives. This project is not for political rants, and any kind of snail mail letter (typed, hand-written or computer printout) is acceptable. Please include a phone number.

You can be part of Project 88 by writing to:

Keith Sharon

The Tennessean

1801 West End Ave.

16th Floor

Nashville, TN 37203

Read more from the original source:
How a Johnny Cash and Bill Clinton impersonator ended up as a Nashville forklift driver | The Type Set - Tennessean