There are hundreds of Elvis tribute artists in the world, a fair number of Beatles imitators and a good supply of AC/DCs. But few men have the looks and voice to pay tribute to John Denver, the cheerful folk/rock singer who had a string of hits in the 1970s.

With his long hair and round glasses, Ted Vigil is a dead ringer for Denver.

And when Vigil starts to croon “Annie’s Song” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane” in a high nasal tenor, he sounds amazingly similar to Denver, too.

The past few years, Vigil, 45, has built up a career as a Denver tribute artist, with gigs around the West. The Woodland resident has a July 23 show in Cougar.

Along with his hits, Denver’s good looks and chipper personality brought him numerous appearances on TV, including hosting the “Tonight Show” and Grammy Awards. He died in 1997 when the experimental plane he was piloting crashed off the California Coast.

Vigil performed most of Denver’s best-known songs when he played during the Go4th Festival in Longview before a spare audience on a sweltering afternoon earlier this month. Vigil’s “groovy set” included “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and the “supergroovy set” had “Sunshine on My Shoulder.” For his finale, Vigil donned a straw hat and sang the wholesome “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”

Though he grew up in Olympia, Vigil said he really is a country boy. “I love to hike,” he said during an interview after the show. “I love to hunt and fish.”

Vigil used to commercially fish in Alaska and drove a truck for a living while playing in a variety of rock and country bands.

For years, people have told him he looks like Denver “even when I’m wearing a baseball cap and a T-shirt,” he said. For shows, he wears Western shirts and round glasses like Denver did in his younger years.

“I’ve always had long hair,” Vigil said. “All the way through school I was a hippie dude.”

In 2006, Vigil won a talent show in Laughlin, Nev., singing Denver songs. “Everyone in the hall said, ‘You look like John Denver,” he said.

“I met people who knew John and they asked me to consider doing” a tribute to the man he never heard live. “It just kind of happened.”

At the time, Vigil didn’t know many songs by Denver. “I had to study. It really took a lot of time,” Vigil said.

“I do the hits but I also do some of the more obscure songs,” such as “The Eagle and the Hawk.”

He doesn’t claim to be anywhere as good a guitar picker as Denver, but alternates between 6- and 12-string guitars during his shows.

Vigil often gets booked in casinos and Eagles and Moose lodges. Sometimes he shares the stage with people portraying Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash for a triple dose of tribute.

Vigil and his wife, Tamie, spend a lot of time on the road in their RV. “We’re kind of gypsies,” he said. They also keep an apartment in Woodland. “I just think it’s a cool place,” Vigil said. “I like to jog on the dike all the way out to the Columbia River.”

Denver’s upbeat songs are finding new fans, Vigil said. “There’s a whole new group of people. You can hear all the words and it talks about family and relationships.”

He’s happy to share the “far out” experience, as Denver used to exclaim.

“I’m loving it. I can’t think of anything better to do.”

Upcoming shows

Ted Vigil will perform his John Denver tribute show at 7 p.m. July 23 at the Lone Fir RV Park in Cougar. Admission is free.

He’ll play Aug. 7-8 at the Ocean Park Moose Lodge.