Johnny Cash's First Grandson Is Talented Singer Who Sounds Eerily Like His Grandpa

May 29, 2020

Thomas Gabriel is Johnny Cash’s grandson. Although he looks nothing like the famed country singer, Gabriel’s singing voice sounds just like his late grandfather’s voice.

Recently, Gabriel performed Folsom Prison Blues, a classic tune Cash made famous.

A band begins to play Folsom Prison Blues. Then, some guy in with a black hat approaches the microphone. Both of his arms flash their tattoos as he cradles the mic. A lone man is set to sing a country song. By all appearances, he appears to be part of a standard karaoke session in a local bar.

Having a live band, however, is not such a common occurrence for such an event.

As Thomas Gabriel opens his mouth to sing, he gives no indication of the surprise that awaits. He takes a very low-key approach to his whole performance. There is absolutely no fanfare as he quickly walks to the front of the stage.

When Gabriel opens his mouth to sing, it sounds as if someone has put on a recording of Johnny Cash. But that happens sometimes. Lip-sync acts can be a part of karaoke night, too. A closer look reveals Gabriel is really singing. His voice is just uncannily like Cash’s. What did he do? Channel the late country great’s signature vocal sound? He is not just imitating Cash’s trademark sound. This young man is the real deal. He’s Johnny Cash’s grandson.

When Gabriel was 21 years old, Cash told the young man he had a talent in music and singing but encouraged him to follow a different career path instead.

“He said the writing’s good, your vocals are good, but you need to work on it,” Gabriel told Forbes in a 2018 interview. “In the meantime, I want you to leave it alone and get a back-up plan.”

According to Gabriel, his grandfather discouraged him from following a career in music in fear his grand-kid would be led astray by addiction – just like he did himself in the early days. Despite opting to go for a life in law enforcement instead of music, Gabriel ended up going down that road anyway. He would go on to struggle for years with addiction and would have many run-ins with the law, even serving a decade behind bars. 

That all took a turn for the better in 2015, however, when he received a call from retired businessman Brian Oxley. Oxley was fascinated with Johnny Cash, even purchasing his former farm in Bon Aqua, Tennessee, which he turned into an attraction. He started researched Cash's family when he eventually found out that his grandson, Gabriel, was struggling. The two talked for a while, and Gabriel disclosed that all he wanted was to get into music. 

“I said I just want to get back to music. I went to prison, wrote all these songs, they’re not doing anything, but sitting there and neither am I," Gabriel recalled saying. "I want to get back to my music.”

Oxley agreed to help, but only under the condition that Gabriel went to rehab and got his life back together. One year later, Oxley reached out again and helped Gabriel see his dreams come true by assisting him in getting his first album recorded.

Do you think Thomas Gabriel sounds a lot like his famous grandfather? Do you have any family members or friends who sound like a famous performer? What are your favorite Johnny Cash songs? Let us know and pass this stunning cover on to fellow Johnny Cash fans.