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What do Tom Jones, Joan Baez, John Denver, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, BB King, Manowar, Charley Rich, Linda Ronstadt, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Rodriguez have in common? Mickey Newbury. They recorded his songs. Matters of fact, nearly five hundred artists have covered Newbury’s material. That’s just about everybody. His inspirational ballad, “An American Trilogy,” has been recorded by more than 150 artists. It was Elvis’s showstopper. His “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)” is the generational rocker that launched Kenny Rogers into the stratosphere. Mickey Newbury, who grew up on Houston’s tough north side, is the only songwriter to place four top hits (three number ones and one number five) on four different charts simultaneously. The train hopper was instrumental in mentoring Kris Kristofferson, who says, “God, I learned more about songwriting from Mickey than I did any other single human being. He was my hero and still is.” Shotgun Willie Nelson adds, “He was one of the best writers we’ve ever had and one of the best friends I’ve ever had.” But that’s not all. Newbury’s twenty-five-plus albums enjoy extensive cult following. Peers consider him among the best of the best, and many refer to his albums as perfect. Some even call him a modern-day Stephen Foster. Why then is Mickey Newbury known only to insiders and a select few outsiders? A well-kept secret? Too good for the masses? Two truths can be stated: the man can’t be pigeon-holed, and he refused to sell out. Like crystal and stone, his story is clearly and solidly laid out. It may even change a few truths. Mickey wrote, “Time has a way of changing everything. Truth has a way of changing all the time.”
