Johnny Cash’s Tour Bus Now At The Ryman In Nashville

Normally housed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Johnny Cash’s former tour bus, known as “JC Unit One” is now on display outside the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

“Johnny bought this bus in 1979,” says Shelby Morrison, Vice President of Curatorial Operations at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “It was the shell of an old Greyhound bus, and he spent the equivalent of a million dollars in today’s money to customize the inside of it.”

The work was done by a luxury coach designer in Columbus, Ohio. Since the Cash family would spend a lot of time onboard, Johnny and June wanted to make it feel like home.

“It has touches of wood and leather, and then June Carter Cash’s compartment, as well as the children’s section in the back, has the blue velvet plush and lace curtains inspired by the Carter family’s front parlor,” Morrison explains. “So, you really get the personality of the family with special touches like a rotisserie oven Johnny had installed to cook chicken.”

While the family spent a lot of time on board JC Unit One, the bus was also used for the 1991 Highwayman Tour and transported Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson from show to show.

Cash owned the bus from 1979 until the summer of 2003.

“He sold the bus two months after June passed because it was so full of memories of her,” Morrison says. “A gospel singer, someone who finds the heritage of music really important, purchased it and donated it to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

Those at the Rock Hall are happy to share the bus with the Ryman. It’s the latest step in a relatively new partnership. In 2022, the Ryman was designated as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame landmark.

“It’s a historical venue, as a space that made its mark and changed music history,” Morrison says. “And we have less than 20 of those designated around the country. Over 100 of our inductees have performed here, including Johnny Cash.”

Cash, more than most, had a strong connection to the Ryman.

“Johnny Cash is a music icon with a lot of ties to this building,” says Gary Levy, Ryman Auditorium General Manager. “It was here he graced the Grand Ole Opry stage for the first time, where he crossed paths with June Carter Cash, and where the iconic ‘Johnny Cash Show’ found its home.”

The bus moves back to Cleveland in the spring, but with Cash, an inductee of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, the long-term goal is to have it spend part of the year there and the other part of the year in Nashville.

There’s a practical side that helps make that work.

“It gets really cold in Cleveland in the winter,” Morrison says. “We get ice, we get snow, and we keep this out on our plaza during the spring and summer months, but then have to put it in storage. So, we’re hoping the Ryman becomes the new winter home of the Cash bus.”

Those who want to get an inside look can do so with the purchase of a regular Ryman tour admission ticket during the hours of 10am to 3pm.