The Johnnys riding into town

LIVING FOR JOHNNY: The Johnnys - Suzi Fray, Liala Gianstefani and Jo Taylor - say they love hearing their fans' personal stories about "The Man In Black" Johnny Cash.

Nelson muso and Johnny Cash fan Suzi Fray is looking forward to hearing more stories about "The Man in Black" when she and her band arrive in Masterton this weekend.

Fray is founder and lead guitarist of vocalist of The Johnnys, a three-piece, all-female covers band known for their renditions of tunes by country legend Johnny Cash.

The Johnnys will play at Saturday's Trust House A&P Show, followed by an evening gig at King Street Live from 8pm.

This will be the second Wairarapa trip for Fray and her bandmates, who played a near sell-out show at the King St venue in August last year - belting out classics like Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues and A Boy Named Sue.

"It was awesome - not bad for a debut gig in little old Masterton," said Fray. "I was actually really sick at the time. I had a bad flu. But we played for such a great crowd. We were rapt."

Fray, who worked in radio before forming The Johnnys, said the band's gigs are memorable because of fans' personal tales of the late Cash - such as those whose childhoods were dominated by his music and even who met him personally.

A "classic story", she said, came from a woman from Whataroa on the West Coast, who brought her husband to a Johnnys gig.

"She was in her 60s or 70s, and she had her husband Deano with her," said Fray. "Only thing was Deano was in a box. He had died and was cremated, so she brought his ashes along. Deano was a huge Johnny Cash fan when he was alive.

"We've also met a guy who was a driver for Johnny Cash and lots of people who've seen him in concert. Everyone's got a Johnny story of their own."

Cash's universal appeal is building The Johnnys a solid fan base, with devotees of all ages joining them on stage - from an 8-year-old in Walk The Line, to older people reduced to tears from fond memories.

"A guy requested we sing Hurt [Cash's cover of a Nine Inch Nails song], as it was his Dad's favourite. "His father had just passed away - so he came up on stage crying, and gave me a hug."

The Johnny's currently have a full schedule ahead of them: Touring with The Topp Twins for their "Grand Ole T'oppry" 2014 tour, performing with Elvis Costello and the Doobie Brothers at the Queenstown Blues & Roots Festival in April and the Bluff Oyster Festival in May.

The Johnnys will be playing at the Trust House A&P Show at 4.30pm on Saturday 15 February, at Solway Showgrounds. They will then be performing at King Street Live, beginning at 7pm the same day. To buy tickets, go to www.upwithpeople.co.nz.