A significant relic in country music history has made its way to the Ryman Auditorium. Recently, one of Johnny Cash‘s tour buses known as JC Unit One traveled to the Ryman where it will remain on display outside of the venue until spring 2024.
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According to Creative Mobile Interiors, the company that restored the bus, Cash used the JC Unit One from 1979 up until his death in 2003. The bus features custom details including walnuts taken from Cash’s Tennessee farm. Cash allegedly purchased it for more than $500,000 from Custom Coach Corporation in Ohio. The bus has been on display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2007.
The “Ring of Fire” singer wasn’t the only country-rock royalty to step foot on the vehicle. The bus was used to transport Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson on the 1991 Highwaymen Tour in support of their 1990 album Highwayman 2 which reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
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“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Rock Hall and honored to have ‘JC Unit One’ at the Ryman,” Ryman Auditorium General Manager Gary Levy says in a press release. “Johnny Cash is a music icon with significant ties to this building. It was here that 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 Johnny Cash Show was filmed at the Ryman for two seasons from 1969 to 1971 and aired on ABC. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young were among the other icons who appeared on the show.
JC Unit One was loaned to the Ryman by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2022, the Ryman was designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark for the countless rock artists who have graced the stage in its more than 130-year history.
Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
