Mickey Newbury

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Mickey Newbury (May 19, 1940 - September 29, 2002) was an American singer and songwriter.

Born Milton Sim Newbury, Jr. in Houston, Texas, he sang with a vocal group in high school, and after his military service returned home where he began writing music and singing in local clubs. In 1964 Wesley Rose signed him to a songwriting contract with Acuff-Rose Music to work in Nashville, Tennessee. His compositions did well in many genres of music but he is most remembered for his creation of An American Trilogy, a medley that was recorded by many, including symphony orchestras, but most notably by Elvis Presley.

As a successful songwriter, he also had a long-lasting professional relationship with Kenny Rogers. Notable songs he wrote for him include Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) from 1968. Rogers also covered his 1969 tune "San Francisco Mabel Joy" in 1978 with a slightly different lyric.

Mickey Newbury was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.

A friend and admirer of the music of Townes van Zandt, Newbury recorded more than a dozen albums of his own that received critical acclaim but had only modest sales success.

In 1974, he moved to a house on the McKenzie River in Oregon with his wife, Susan and new born son, Chris where they welcomed three more children over the years. He died of a prolonged battle with lung disease on September 29, 2002.