10 Amazing Final Albums From Legendary Artists

Gravelly voiced, dressed in black and with an air of reckless abandon that you can't help but be drawn to, there's a reason why people that would never dream of categorising themselves as a country fan find themselves entranced by Johnny Cash.

A troubadour and a rebel despite the fact that he was once seen as wholesome enough to merit his own variety show, Cash's turbulent life is absolutely fascinating and is openly documented throughout his immense discography. With that said, it's hard to think of an era of his career more revelatory than his 'American Recordings' series.

The resurgence of his career after a commercial and critical lull, Cash teamed up with super-producer Rick Rubin to produce some of the most wholly engaging work of his career. Recording over 60 songs in the months after his beloved wife June died and before his own passing no more than a few months later, American IV Is arguably the pinnacle of this period in his career.

Featuring the version of 'Hurt' which prompted Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor to proclaim the song to be no longer his own alongside tear-inducing re-imaginings of Lennon/McCartney's 'In My Life', Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water' and old standards such as 'Danny Boy', Cash possessed an uncanny ability to deliver every word as though they'd been forged in his mind.

Whilst other posthumously released albums have been released since, American IV simply cannot be equalled by any newly unearthed material from this period.