John Denver tribute artist Ted Vigil will perform Friday evening at the Struthers Library Theater. John Denver is pictured above.

Ted Vigil can’t help but speak of the late John Denver in the first person.

Vigil, who will bring his tribute performance to Denver to Warren on Friday, is one of those who keeps Denver’s music alive – and with it, a piece of the late artist as well.

“What a special, wonderful human being John is – and I say that because he’s still alive through his music and touching people all over the planet,” Vigil said.

Vigil’s performance Friday begins at 8 p.m. at the Struthers Library Theater. The musician grew up in the state of Washington, where he still lives. With a strong feeling of connection to Colorado, Vigil is familiar with the landscape written in Denver’s lyrics. Vigil is also no stranger to Pennsylvania, having played in cities across the state. Vigil said there is a large fan base in the eastern United States, likely due to Denver’s touring years which included much of the East Coast.

“In New Jersey, there’s this theater I sold out 10 years in a row,” Vigil said before mentioning Lancaster, Pa. “Amish country folks often enjoy this music, since a lot of it’s about farms and people, you know, real stories about people, and good wholesome music.”

Vigil said he always loved to sing from a very young age. His mother was a singer and piano player, and they sang at church together. He also learned to play drums around age 10 along with playing little stage bands throughout school. Playing with just about any kind of band he could, Vigil started a band in high school and played during his time in college as well. His main focus was first drumming and singing until he took up the guitar which he quickly grew to love.

Said to have an “uncanny” resemblance to Denver, fans often ask him if he had any work done and if his hair is real.

“I just came this way,” Vigil said.

HONORING JOHN DENVER

While Denver passed at age 53 and Vigil is a young-looking 62, the resemblance to the iconic musician brings fans reminiscing their youth. It’s not uncommon for people to meet Vigil in the lobby, take pictures and discuss their experiences with John Denver and his music. Vigil admits that some John Denver tributes look or sound more like John Denver or have better guitar skills, Vigil pointed out that he’s not trying to sound exactly like John Denver or to impersonate Denver either.

“What I want people to walk away from with my show is, ‘Oh, remember how cool John Denver was? Remember these awesome songs?’ But do they have fun? Yes. And I have a fan base all around the country that doesn’t compare me with those guys, because I’m just Ted Vigil,” the artist said. “So I think that’s a good way to approach it. But as far as I’m concerned, I think if John was here, he would be proud of what I do, because I’m honoring him and his music, and I’m not trying to be him.”

Vigil said he has occasionally been mistaken for Denver. When people who hadn’t yet known that Denver had passed, he was mistaken for Denver in Colorado. Dressed up and with the round glasses on, Vigil walked into a Starbucks, where a young person came up to him saying, “Mr. Denver, I’m a big fan. Can you hang on for a second? I’m gonna go get a pad and a pencil. I’d love to have your autograph.”

After running off to his car, when this fan returned, Vigil had to sorrowfully tell him that John passed, and that he was a tribute artist.

“It’s been a long time, but those that have met John, still say that they can’t believe the resemblance,” Vigil said.

Speaking of other similarities with Denver, Vigil shared that both of them are passionate about caring for the environment. He commented how Denver started the Windstar Foundation, promoting wind power and solar power. Vigil noted that Denver was a big part of the movement to take care of the planet, and on different boards across the world trying to educate people to preserve what we have.

“I try to do my best to work with people to talk about the environment and how important it is. I’m not an activist on the level he was, you know, with different people, but definitely an outdoorsy person, and I love nature, and I love people, and I love performing,” Vigil said.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Vigil said he usually performs one original song during concerts, a tribute to Denver called “Sing My Song” that tells the story of a musician’s life, and what it’s like to be on the road. Another is called “Blessings in the Skies,” about taking care of the planet. Vigil released an album in 2010, titled “Sing My Song,” that is available on several streaming platforms.

Vigil’s tours come in batches of roughly 20 cities at a time, though one of his favorite tours came in Australia over three years with an Australian band and three tribute acts.

Working with musicians and singers all over the country, Vigil said he has a core group that travels out of Seattle, Wash., but as far as the Warren show goes, Tim Dabbs, a guitar/banjo player who sings harmony and happens to be from Johnstown, Pa, will join Vigil.

“He came to my show, and he introduced himself after the show, and then through that we found this wonderful keyboard player who I tour with, who also lives in Johnstown, so it’s a big musical family,” Vigil said.

Each show is somewhat different, due to using different musicians, but if Vigil plays in Washington state, it is the same group of people. Other times, Vigil will perform with a bass player, a singer, a fiddle player, and a keyboard player for a big show. And, sometimes, Vigil takes a page from John Denver’s playbook and performs by himself.

“I do a lot of these 200-300 seat theaters just solo, like John did, and people love it. So that’s the beauty of this, if nobody else shows up, I can show up with my guitar and do a show.”

There are many favorite songs that Vigil plays at his shows with one of the top hits including “Country Roads” It’s the one that everybody knows and sings and Vigil said he often plays it right off the bat to get people going, and again at the end.

“Some people come earlier, but it’s a great way for people to leave the building, take me home, you know, they’re leaving there with that joy in their heart that they, you know, they get from the music,” he shared. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” and “Calypso” are both songs which people look forward to hearing.”

“Annie’s Song” was once forgotten at a show and Vigil said that a group of ladies from that show were disappointed that it was missed. Able to catch him after his performance, Vigil said he got his guitar out in the parking lot to play it for them.

“Sunshine on my Shoulders” is another constant, Vigil said.

When it comes to balancing his talent or craft with the nostalgic songs, Vigil strives to get close to doing the songs like Denver played in his singing.

“It is a challenge for me because I need to honor him and his music, and I want it to be a good experience for people, and so I really do try to play the songs and sing the songs like John did, and he was such a soulful singer. When he would sing “Sunshine (on My Shoulders), all that really nice vibrato, and just the way he would present the songs – I try to do that so that people get that feeling. It’s such a warm, loving feeling, like the way he sang to people was from his heart. You could feel the lyrics, not just hear it. It was an emotional and spiritual thing, and I think that I capture that with my performance, at least I try to,” said Vigil. “There’s never going to be another John Denver, and that’s what I tell people.”

When Vigil chooses his song set he said he does some studying of Denver’s later work that most people do not recognize. He commented that if he did not play “Leaving on a Jet Plane” he would wonder if he needed a new job. Remarking that the song was written under Denver’s given name, Henry John Deutschendorf, Vigil said that he enjoys telling the stories about the songs.

Asked if he could play just one song alongside John, Vigil said, “There’s a song, it’s not very popular, that didn’t get on the radio. It’s called ‘Like a Sad Song,’ and I can really relate to the song because it’s about having to be gone, but also the special feeling, like when I’m on the road and I miss my wife. Then when I come back home, that special feeling of how beautiful it is to be with her and how much it means to me.”