DESCRIPTION:
Mickey Newbury appears on TNN in 1992 where he sings BIRMINGHAM JAIL/DOWN IN THE VALLEY.. He then discusses introducing Kris Kristofferson to Ralph and answers a question about the origin of his arrangement of THE AMERICAN TRILOGY then in an additional clip performs it.He seems a bit testy in the discussion with Ralph.

A different date is given at his official web site www.mickeynewberry.com:

"Imagine merging Civil War era songs of the North, South and African-American slaves into one unified movement. On a starry evening in May of 1970 while appearing on stage at the Bitter End West, Newbury did just that. The impromptu arrangement just came together on that magical night and in one moment of brilliant inspiration. Since then, “An American Trilogy” has become one of the most interpreted pieces in history with 558 versions, ranging from the London Symphony Orchestra to Elvis Presley’s glitzy Vegas production, eagle cape and all. At the end of 1999, some 600,000 people in the U.K. selected Presley’s version of “Trilogy” as the number one American song of the millennium. That survey - a joint effort undertaken by HMV, Channel 4 and Classic FM - required 12 months to complete. And in 2008, a crowning benediction, England’s Whitehaven Male Voice Choir performed “An American Trilogy” for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Constructed of “Dixie” slowed to a quarter-time ballad (I wish I was in the land of cotton), “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Glory glory hallelujah) and “All My Trials" (So hush little baby / Don’t you cry / You know your daddy’s bound to die), the People’s Anthem binds century-old Southern, Northern and minority issues into a
common lament. The song, Brian Hinton wrote, has become “the ultimate example of Americana. It somehow evokes the birth of modern America.” Actually, the movement has grown. From America to South Africa, the song has become a pillar in the repertoire of church groups and male voice choirs the world over. "