Mickey Newbury, whose career began as a songwriter in the mid-sixties in Nashville, has been called a songwriter's songwriter, and with the likes of Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and John Prine singing his praises it's not hard to see why. Unfortunately for Newbury, he was something of a rebel in the country music scene, and didn't have quite the good fortune that other country "outlaws" (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, Jennings again) when it came to his recording career. Over the course of thirty years, Newbury released sixteen albums, only one of which reached the Billboard 200. He also only had two singles reach the Billboard Hot 100 (though he did have a number of hits on the country charts. Newbury, who suffered from depression and said that he wrote about his sadness, did have quite a few hits as a songwriter (Newbury was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame), and his influence on seventies country (he was mentioned in Jennings "Luckenbach, Texas" which was featured here on FNJ) is immeasurable. Sadly, Newbury passed away in 2002 at the all two young age of 62 from the effects of emphysema.
Fun Fact: In 1968, Newbury had a different top five single that he had written on the Pop/Rock, Easy Listening, R & B, and Country charts. He is the only songwriter ever to pull off this feat.
"An American Trilogy" was released in 1972 on Newbury's album, Frisco Mabel Joy. It would peak at #26 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album would be the only one of his career to hit the top 100 on the albums chart. Elvis Presley also had a minor hit with a live version he recorded a little after Newbury's original version.
"An American Trilogy" juxtaposes the southern anthem "Dixie" with a marching hymn of the Union Army, "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and closes with a lullaby from the Bahamas, "All My Trials." It's entirely possible I'm reading too much into Newbury's choice of these songs, but still I wonder if he wasn't projecting a battle we still fight today between those who see an America that never was (and was a much worse place than they'd be willing to admit) and the forces that seek to actually help America fulfill its promise. Closing with a lullaby wherein the hope is that all of life's troubles will soon be behind him is...perhaps wishful thinking? From a strictly musical standpoint, the deliberateness of Newbury's vocals and the empathy he instills in them are a wonder, while the instrumentation is stark--an acoustic guitar, a stand up bass (guessing), and a soulful harmonica at the song's end are all Newbury needs to evoke the sadness for the past with the perseverance for a better future that "An American Trilogy" symbolizes. Suffice it to say, it's a stunning effort from an overlooked genius, a powerful testament to what music can be.
Lyric Sheet: "So hush little baby/Don't you cry/You know your Daddy's bound to die/But all my trials, Lord will soon be over..."
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
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