Johnny Cash

By the early 1990s Johnny Cash had been dropped by his label and was seen as a nostalgia act. Producer Rick Rubin, known for the Beastie Boys and Slayer, recorded him alone with an acoustic guitar for American Recordings (1994), then had him cover songs by Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden and Depeche Mode. Rubin supplied the setting and repertoire; Cash supplied the gravity. His version of Hurt, released months before his death in 2003, made him an icon to a generation born after his peak.