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BIO

Born on a tobacco farm in Southern Maryland in the 1960's, Jed Duvall grew up with music all around him; from the hymns at church to the country music from the pickup truck radio. Jed can remember his dad singing country while working in the barn; Jimmy Rogers, Mac Wiseman, Eddie Arnold, and especially, Hank Williams.

When Jed was five when his father bought his mother a hi-fi record player for her birthday, and one of the first albums he remembers was "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison". "Even at that age, I remember the excitement from the recording", Jed recalls. "And Johnny; he was on fire that day."

Jed's own music endeavors, though, took back seat to his desire to be a professional actor. He was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and graduated in 1986. He worked odd jobs in New York to support himself, and even worked for a time as an Elvis tribute artist (something he still does today). But the electrifying performance of The Man in Black at Folsom Prison was never far from his mind. In 1989, he appeared on "The Vole Show", a cult New York television show, singing, "The Long Black Veil".

Returning to Maryland in the early '90s, Jed became a DJ at an oldies club in Ocean City, and studied computer animation at UMBC. It was then he met his wife Kim, and they married in 1996. Jed became an "instant parent" to Kim's children, and between work, kids, and responsibilities, Jed put aside his performing.

In 2005, Jed entered an Elvis competition, his first in 10 years, and started working again as an Elvis tribute artist. But things had changed in the years since he started. "Every time I turned around, there was another Elvis. I enjoyed impersonating Elvis because it was novel. But it's hard to be unique with some many others doing the same thing."

At the urging of a promoter, Jed performed as Johnny Cash at a benefit in 2007, and was excited about the prospect of playing the legendary performer. "I had people come up to me that day and say, 'I really enjoyed your Elvis, but your Johnny Cash just blew my mind.' It really was a thrill to move people that much."

"Johnny was such an interesting guy. He had a lot of demons to deal with, but unlike a lot of us, he really faced them and for the most part, chased them down. He fought hard for forgiveness, not only from those he hurt, but from himself. Forgiving yourself - that's got to be one of the hardest things a man has to do."

Jed and Kim still live outside of Baltimore, where they spend as much time as possible with their children, Kristi and Josh, and their grandchildren, Kylie and MaKenzie.

 

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