Reawakening the Legends: Silver Stallion Channels the Highwaymen at Old Washington Music Festival

by Dave Parsons

On the late afternoon of July 17, 2025, the Guernsey County Fairgrounds found itself hosting the Old Washington Music Festival, and the second act of the day had more to prove than most.  The group was Silver Stallion: A Highwaymen tribute band.  I will admit, there are tribute bands in every state in the country, and usually aren’t covered when the real thing is available. But these guys were resurrecting the outlaw country legends who redefined American music. For a crowd steeped in tradition, it wasn’t enough to mimic them.  Since most of the crowd, judging by the median age, probably saw the real thing at some point, this group had better bring some authenticity.

What the crowd got was resurrection.

Silver Stallion hails from Kingsport, Tennessee, an Appalachian community where stories are passed down like heirlooms. According to their billing, they are the ultimate tribute to The Highwaymen.  They entered the festival with big shoes to fill: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson formed the original Highwaymen supergroup in 1985, legendary for their chemistry and outlaw spirit..

Fronted by Jeff Tankersley (Cash), Frank Perry (Jennings), Larry Walsh (Nelson), and Alan Tedders (Kristofferson), they don’t just sing the songs; they embody the personas, matching vocal tonality, phrasing, and even mannerisms and attire. Silver Stallion arrived at the Old Washington stage with something called intention, and the weight of legacy and respect for the source material.

Performing at 5 PM in the afternoon, as the lead act to the legendary Bellamy Brothers, they stepped on stage and jumped into Highwayman, sending the song across the fairgrounds, with the lyrics echoing ghosts of the times Cash, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Nelson did the same thing.

Jeff Tankersley channeled Johnny Cash’s baritone with uncanny skill. Raised on Man in Black records, he carries stories in his voice.  With good reason, as he’s performed at Legends in Concert and at the Carter Family Fold, sharing stages with real-life country kin like Tommy Cash and Sammy Kershaw.

Frank Perry’s Waylon Jennings came through in attitude and swagger. Having the mannerisms and look of Waylon was uncanny, and he more than aptly honored Waylon’s legacy and soulful delivery.

Larry Walsh brought Nelson’s spirit, if maybe a slightly younger version. Their website says he started doing Willie impressions in the ’80s, and never let the likeness fade, growing into the part. 

Alan Tedders took on Kristofferson, a voice that holds weight in hushed confessionals. With a songwriting tone born from theater and travel, he projected the depth of the man beyond impersonation. 

Having seen all 4 of these artists in concert before, I have to say they were all well represented by these 4 gentlemen. The setlist read like a walk-through of cultural memory. From Did Hank Do It This Way, Kristofferson penned, and done by all 4 of them at one point, Me and Bobby McGee, to the classic Always on My Mind, you could see the memories come flooding back in the audience as they sang along at the top of their lungs.

Good Ole Boys, the theme from The Dukes of Hazzard, was very well received, as it became obvious how many of these songs were being lost to the fates of time and not thought of as often, yet loved just as dearly.  Help Me Make It Through the Night, Luckenbach, Texas, and On the Road Again got the crowd on its feet.  A particularly moving rendition of Sunday Morning Coming Down turned introspective, and probably led to a few phone calls home to check up on mom.

The closer was Folsom Prison Blues, and you could tell everyone was right where they needed to be at that moment.  A lady who stood the entire 90-minute show came from Columbus to see the lineup yet to come. I asked her what she thought, and she confessed, We weren’t sure tribute bands could hit this hard. They played with our souls.

Silver Stallion setlist, July 17, 2025, Old Washington Music Festival

Highwayman

Did Hank Do It This Way

Me and Bobby McGee

Always on My Mind

Good Hearted Woman

Ring of Fire

Heartbreak Hotel

Stranger

Rainy Day Woman

Loving Her Was Easier

I Got Stripes

Good Ole Boys

If I Could Find a Clean Shirt

Big River

Rusty Cage

Help Me Make It Through the Night

Luckenbach, Texas

On the Road Again

Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Folsom Prison Blues