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Wednesday, January 26,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Newbury’s trilogy
RONDARICH
Columnist
Perhaps you remember
a line from Waylon
Jennings’ career-making
hit, “Luckenbach, Texas”,
that tips the cowboy hat
to “Hank Williams pain
songs and Newbury train
songs.”
Everyone knows Hank
Williams but only admir
ers of songwriters and
music aficionados know
Mickey Newbury, a song
writer who had a similar
intellectual depth to Kris
Kristofferson (a Rhodes
scholar) before anyone
knew Kristofferson.
Newbury died in 2002
of emphysema
(Southerners always need
to know what ‘kilt’ a per
son) at the young age of
62. Behind him, he left a
road filled with remark
able songs, many of
which mentioned trains or
used the sound of a train
whistle or a locomotive
moving down the track in
the background of a song.
In a message board
post, his daughter, Laura,
wrote, “My dad had a lyr
ical obsession with trains.
Some of his fondest
memories were of hop
ping a train to ride from
city to city.”
Romantical idealism
often embeds in a story
teller and makes him a
memorable writer like
Mickey Newbury.
In Don Reid’s “The
Music of the Statler
Brothers: Anthology of
Music”, he told about the
time that the Statlers and
Newbury were staying in
the same motel in
Nashville. The Statlers
were there to sing back
up on the Johnny Cash
Show. It was a motel
where songwriters and
singers stayed when they
came to Music City. It
was 1968.
In Don’s recollection,
Newbury received a roy
alty check while there for
a massive hit he had writ
ten for Kenny Rogers and
the New Edition, called
“Just Dropped In (To See
What Condition My
Condition Was In.) Don,
always discrete and a true
Southern gentleman,
wrote that he wouldn’t
tell how much the check
was but Newbury was
crazy with excitement
and so happy that he took
everyone out for a steak
dinner and picked up the
tab.
A few months after
reading the book, we
were having dinner at the
Reids’ home. Ten people
gathered around the table,
clattering away. I was
seated down to Don. I
leaned over and reminded
Don of that story in his
book.
“Do you remember
how much that check
was?”
Don nodded and
winked. You know I can’t
stop there so I asked,
“How much?”
He told me down to the
dollar. I will keep his dis
cretion but know this, my
mouth dropped open and
I hung onto my chair to
keep from falling off.
“What??? Seriously? In
1968?”
With that one check,
Newbury and his family
were set for life. It didn’t
slow him down. He kept
churning out poetic songs
and wrote four number
one records in 1968.
Perhaps his longest
lasting musical contribu
tion is not a song he
wrote but, rather, one he
arranged by taking bits of
three of very old songs
that are in public domain.
Now, public domain takes
claim to a song 75 years
after the death of the
songwriter, a law created
about 25 years ago to
ensure that a songwriter’s
children and perhaps
grandchildren could
receive royalties before it
lapsed into public owner
ship (no residuals are
paid).
By taking the battle
songs from the Civil War:
“Dixie” (Confederates)
and “Battle of Hymn of
the Republic” (the Union)
then sandwiching
between them an African
American spiritual (origi
nally Bahamian),
Newbury created “An
American Trilogy.”
Elvis Presley heard the
medley on a Newbury
album and immediately
claimed it for his concerts
and made a hit record for
RCA. Elvis’ huge musi
cal arrangements with
flutes, trumpets, Southern
gospel piano and extraor
dinary background vocals
(in concert, J.D. Sumner
and the Stamps and the
Sweet Inspirations would
add dynamic effects.) It is
powerful.
Elvis Radio uses it fre
quently in its playlist, it is
available on recording, on
Elvis’ Aloha Special and
YouTube.
As an arranger of pub
lic domain songs,
Newbury received a roy
alty (less than original
songs) but, more impor
tantly, he left a powerful
legacy.
And, too, “American
Trilogy” has probably
made many more royal
ties than that enormous
check he received in
1968.
Ronda Rich is the best-sell
ing author of What Southern
Women Know (That Every
Woman Should). Visit www.
rondarich.com to sign up for
her free weekly newsletter.
FROM 1B
Girls
remain tied until Porter’s
final shot.
Her last-ditch effort,
and the raucous reaction
from the crowd, would
not have been possible
without the team coming
together and settling
down when they were
faced with a large deficit.
“If this was us last year,
we would have pan
icked,” sophomore guard
Morgan Chester said.
“This year [we] are a lot
more calm because we
finally found each other.”
The Lady Tigers play
their next game at home
against Gilmer County on
Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6
p.m.
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1
Rio White Dawson County News
Kirklyn Porter makes a three-point shot to win the game for the Lady Tigers
in overtime.
FROM 1B
Boys
Rio White Dawson County News
Zach Holtzclaw attempts a three point shot dur
ing Friday's game against East Forsyth.
After a quick layup by
DCHS, the Broncos
turned over the ball in
haste and allowed senior
forward Lane Perry to
break away. He made the
most of his opportunity,
leaping into the air to slam
an emphatic dunk to give
the Tigers a 10-point lead.
While that impactful
moment sparked all-0
run, the Broncos would
score several times to
remind the Tigers that the
game was not quite over.
In the end, the earlier
push would prove enough
for the Tigers to win.
“The past couple games,
our fourth quarters haven’t
been too great,” senior for
ward Luke Mulberry said.
“We trust in each other,
got open shots...it really
came together in the end.”
For a team with only
four wins this season,
there is no shortage of
effort and trust within the
squad. Even on the side
lines, the players on the
bench are in constant
vocal support of their
teammates. These traits
are of critical importance
to Cottrell.
“These guys, their effort
and attitude all year has
been fantastic,” Cottrell
said. “A lot hasn’t gone
our way...but I still think
we’re an outstanding bas
ketball team with a lot of
room to improve.”
The Tigers will play
their next game against
Gilmer County on
Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m.
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