Mickey Newbury : An American Trilogy

Mickey Newbury is a songwriter most famous for a song he arranged, but did not write. One night in Los Angeles, at a time of national distress over war and race issues in the U.S.A., Newbury spontaneously combined a southern anthem (written by a northerner, D.D. Emmett), a northern anthem (written by a southerner, William Steffe), and a third song that was originally a Jamaican slave song (All My Sorrows). In the audience that night were many celebrities, Odetta, Kristofferson and Streisand among them. The trio of songs brought tears to Odetta's eyes. It came to be called An American Trilogy, and would be adopted by Elvis Presley as the centerpiece of his later concerts. This clip is an extra from LIVE AT THE HERMITAGE, the new Mickey Newbury DVD, and features Marie Rhines on violin. The clip is uploaded with the permission of the Newbury family, and the DVD is available in the cd store at www.mickeynewbury.com

Mickey Newbury Websites:
www.mickeynewbury.com
www.myspace.com/mickeynewbury

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mickey
• Newbury
• An
• American
• Trilogy
• Marie
• Rhines
• paganmaestro

[paganmaestro]

Someone asked what year this performance is from. The performances on the DVD with Jack Williams are from 1994, but am not sure what year this performance with Marie Rhines is from. I'd say it's closer to the time of the release of In A New Age, sometime in the 1980s.

[Paxobo]

I love this guy for writing this song but i just think elvis does this song with a bit more passion with the trumpets etc.

[paganmaestro]

@Paxobo ... To each his own. Passion comes in many forms...

[tubapizza]

"Dixie's Land" was the original title...according to many sources, Pres. Lincoln's favorite song. Combining Dixie and Battle Hymn is commonly done, (I've done it for 30 years myself) but the third is genius, and this is an amazing version of them.

[paganmaestro]

It was during a period of racial and political tension - Civil Rights movement, Vietnam War, invasion of Cambodia, Kent State, national student strike, integration in schools in the South, etc - that Mickey first combined the three songs in a live performance at the Bitter End West in 1970. The owner, Paul Colby, fearing a riot, begged him not to do it - an indication that combining Dixie and Battle Hymn was viewed as a very uncommon and controversial act at the time.

[TheHobbgobblin]

i read that dottie west thought larry gatling looked like mickey when younger....both could a passed for brothers, she was right

[28091952]

Magificent. Captures the moment and the emtions precisely. I take my hat off to those who wrote this.

[apache6661]

History is written by the Victors and will always paint them in a good light and the vanquished in a jaundiced light. The Union portrayed that they fought the Civil War about Slavery, but i wonder, i was taught in London that it was fought over cotton taxes.

Lovely evocative song regardless.,.

[kanij87]

@CohensGirl4 I'd think he was, based on lines like "I believe that in his wisdom God set aside this time just to let us all go home to yesterday" (Breeze lullaby) and "Yes God made time to keep it all from happening at once" (Came to hear the music).

[CohensGirl4]

Can someone tell me if Mickey Newbury was Christian ??

[NathanMorganDotCom]

Love love love love me some mickey newbury, what an exceptional musician and storyteller

[cpnstav]

Absolutely stupnedous thanks for posting and Marie Rhines on the Violin was /is exceptional

[duke000222]

Lush

[Francesca75PARIGI]

sublime

[curioussandy]

I met Mickey Newberry back in the 70s and sat on this huge house boat with him and Jeannie Sealy and a few others and he sang this. He was one of a kind!