COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- JC Unit 1, Johnny Cash's tour bus that's "been everywhere," will take its place in history at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Originally built and restored in Ohio, the coach comes full circle when it also takes its final resting place in Ohio. Cash used the vehicle for all his tours, including the 1991 Highwayman Tour, where the vehicle also ferried Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. Johnny sold the bus three months before his death in 2003 to the American Heritage Music Foundation in Blytheville, Arkansas.
They in turn sold it to MotoeXotica in St. Louis, Missouri, who auctioned it on e-Bay in 2005. The bus was purchased by Dave Wright, a collector of vintage motor coaches. Wright had Creative Mobile Interiors, a custom conversion specialist in Grove City, Ohio, restore the bus. Before donating the coach to the Hall of Fame, he loaned the coach to The Tennessee Three, Cash's band, for a cross-country tour. After the tour, the bus went to Fender Museum of Music and the Arts in California for a short visit before coming back to Ohio. The bus is again at Creative Mobile Interiors for some final sprucing up before heading up to Cleveland.
The bus was originally built in Columbus, Ohio in 1979 at Custom Coach.
"This is a rolling monument to Johnny Cash, a lot of music was created and played on this bus," said Wright, a Cash fan. From June Carter's blue velour upholstered furniture to a coffee cup ring Johnny left on a table, you feel their presence when you walk on the bus. The vehicle has four separate rooms decorated mainly in black. There's a center galley with sink, stove, refrigerator, freezer and dinette. The rear stateroom has two sleeper sofas and was built with walnut from Johnny's farm in Tennessee, which was used by Ulysses S. Grant as his headquarters during the Civil War.
CMI was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Grove City, Ohio. The company specializes in converting motor coaches, Sprinter vans, trailers and mini-coaches into luxury, commercial and specialty vehicles outfitted with custom top-of-the-line amenities and electronics. CMI can be reached at 614-539-4600, or at http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/.
Creative Mobile Interiors
CONTACT: Owen Connaughton or Donna Ruckel, Creative Mobile Interiors,
+1-614-539-4600
Web site: http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/
