In 1992, Johnny Cash was battered and bruised. In constant pain through heart problems, broken bones and the aftermath of a second bout of drug addiction, his career wasn’t in much better shape than his body.

One of his last singles for CBS, before they dumped him in 1986 after nearly 30 years, had been ‘The Chicken In Black’ – in the video for which he appeared as a superhero fowl, dressed in cape, yellow shirt and tights. At the age of 60, all the signs were that Cash was ready for the muse...