Jessica Norton When people think of Johnny Cash, they usually picture the hills of Tennessee or the stage lights of Nashville. But in the 1980s, Cash developed a surprising connection to the Jersey Shore, investing in and spending time in the seaside city of Asbury Park, New Jersey. The town, famous for its boardwalk and musical history, became a seasonal retreat and a place where Cash could both relax, perform, and support a local revitalization effort. Read on to learn more about Johnny Cash’s involvement with the city of Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Investing in the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel
In 1983, Cash joined forces with Asbury Park businessman Henry Vaccaro and television personality Ernie Anastos to purchase the historic Berkeley‑Carteret Hotel, which is now known as the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel, located at 1401 Ocean Avenue. Cash reportedly contributed around $250,000 of his own money, making him a key backer of the project and the first investor. The goal was to breathe new life into the hotel and the surrounding boardwalk area, which had fallen on hard times in the decades prior.
In the documentary Asbury Park Storytellers (Episode 1): Henry Vaccaro Sr. – The Johnny Cash Story, Mr. Vaccaro shared intimate stories of his relationship with Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and how their partnership came to be.
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Mr. Vaccaro, who owned the Berkeley‑Carteret Hotel, had admired Johnny Cash for years as a fan and first met him backstage at the Garden State Arts Center, known today as the PNC Bank Arts Center, in 1977. Their meeting sparked a friendship, and Mr. Vaccaro eventually persuaded Cash to become an investor in the hotel project. June Carter Cash had been familiar with the resort community from her parents raving about how wonderful it used to be, and she was interested in helping to bring it back to life.
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“Johnny Cash did more for helping Asbury get redeveloped than Springsteen or Bon Jovi did, they came to town and did stuff but he would actually put his money into town and wanted it known that he was going to live here,” Mr. Vaccaro shared in the documentary, “After being inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night at The Waldorf Astoria, he came to Asbury Park to go to church with me the next day at Mount Carmel Church.”
Cash and June were often seen walking the boardwalk, dining at local restaurants, attending church, antiquing, and engaging with fans.
To honor Cash’s involvement, the hotel created a penthouse suite for him and his wife. The suite became a seasonal home away from home, decorated with personal antiques and mementos, and offered a quiet place for Cash to write, rest, and reflect. Even after the hotel changed ownership, locals continued to refer to the space as the “Johnny Cash Suite” or “the former Johnny Cash room.”
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During the summer of 2020, Albie and Chris Manzo, the sons of Caroline Manzo from The Real Housewives of New Jersey, partnered with the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel to reimagine the hotel’s dining, event spaces, and the coffee and pizza shop, rather than purchasing the entire property outright.
In a nod to the hotel’s history, the Manzos named one of the first-floor event and entertainment spaces “Johnny & June’s.” The space has been a revolving door of different projects since then and is currently going by the “Berkeley Backyard”, but its corresponding restrooms still have signs on the doors for “Johnny” and “June” as well as Johnny Cash wallpaper in the hallway.
Bringing Music to the Shore
Cash’s ties to Asbury Park weren’t limited to real estate. In October 1985, he performed two shows at the Paramount Theatre on the boardwalk as a tie-in to the opening of the hotel. The shows drew a devoted crowd and demonstrated Cash’s commitment to the city beyond his financial stake.
A concert he had at the Paramount theater on July 28, 1990, is immortalized in an album called The Great Lost Performance, and features classics like Ring of Fire and Folsom Prison Blues.
“Good night, Asbury Park, I’ll see you at church tomorrow,” he says during I Walk The Line at the end of the concert (at the 2:05 mark on Spotify – if you want to hear for yourself!)
Legacy in Music and Imagery
Though Asbury Park was never a permanent home for the iconic singer, the town offered him creative respite, community connection, and a space to recharge between tours. Cash’s willingness to invest his own resources and spend personal time there set him apart from other visiting music icons. His engagement went beyond performance to genuine participation in the town’s revitalization.
In her 1987 autobiography, From the Heart, June Carter Cash wrote about their Asbury years: “There is no way to explain how Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash got involved in restoring Asbury Park, New Jersey. When I try to explain it, nothing makes sense. It has something to do with giving back some glory to a place that deserves it, but you really have to be there to understand.”
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