Photo Credit: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Cash wrote in his 1997 autobiography, “I have a home that takes me anywhere I need to go, that cradles me and comforts me, that lets me nod off in the mountains and wake up in the plains: my bus, of course. We call it Unit One. I love my bus. It really is my home, too.”
Fondly referred to as ‘Unit One,’ Cash’s 1979 bus, a sleek 40-foot ebony and silver home away from home, served Cash, June Carter Cash, and their son, John Carter Cash while on tour. Cash purchased the shell of the bus from MCI; the same frame was used by many Greyhound buses from the era. He took the frame to Land Cruiser Customizer in Columbus, Ohio—which at the time was known as the largest luxury motor coach customizer in America. It’s estimated that Cash spent more than $553,000 on the Unit One coach.
Johnny, June and John all had their own compartments in the bus—each unique to their individuals tastes. June decorated her compartment in hues of blue, which mirrored the parlor of her childhood home. Johnny’s compartment has a hickory table, made of the wood from the family home in Tennessee–the same home that served as headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant’s headquarters during the Civil War. And John’s compartment at the rear of the bus has double blue velvet couches and a large television and stereo.
Cash sold the bus in 2003 for $30,000, just two months after June Carter Cash passed away, and two months before he himself passed. Eldon Wright, gospel singer and guiding light of the American Heritage Music Foundation, bought the bus. “Johnny couldn’t stand to have the bus once June was gone,” Wright said. “It was filled with so many memories of her.” Wright gave the bus as a gift to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Heading downtown to see Million Dollar Quartet? You can check out the Johnny Cash tour bus, parked outside of the Palace Theatre an hour before showtime Tuesday, October 18 through Sunday October 23.
Tags: Cleveland, Johnny Cash, Million Dollar Quartet, PlayhouseSquare, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
