The Future's Not What It Used To Be - Music

The Future's Not What It Used To Be by Mickey Newbury

Mickey Newbury

Artist Biography For Mickey Newbury

Mickey Newbury May 19 1940 - September 29 2002 Was An American Singer-Songwriter For Acuff-Rose Music A Critically Acclaimed Recording Artist And A Member Of The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Born Milton Sims Newbury Jr. In Houston Texas. As A Teenager Mickey Newbury Sang Tenor In A Moderately Successful Vocal Group Called The Embers. The Group Opened For Several Famous Performers Such As Sam Cooke And Johnny Cash. Although Mickey Tried To Make A Living Off Of His Music By Singing In Clubs He Put His Musical Career On Hold At Age 19 When He Joined The Air Force. After Four Years In The Military Mickey Again Set His Sights On Making A Living As A Songwriter. Before Long He Moved To Nashville And Signed To The Prestigious Publishing Company Acuff-Rose Music. For A Time He Was One Of The Most Influential Creative Minds In Nashville And It's Arguable That He Was The First Real "outlaw" Of The Outlaw Country Movement Of The 1970s. Ralph Emery Referred To Him As The First "hippie-Cowboy" And Along With Johnny Cash And Roger Miller He Was One Of The First To Rebel Against The Conventions Of The Nashville Music Society. After Being Disappointed By The Production Methods Used By Felton Jarvis On His Debut Album Mickey Got Himself Released From His Contract With RCA And Signed The First Offer He Received To Comply With His Condition That He Could Either Produce His Own Albums Or Hire A Producer Of His Choice. He Went On To Record Three Musically Revolutionary Albums In Wayne Moss's Garage-Turned-Studio Just Outside Of Nashville. The Influence Of The Production Methods Can Be Heard In The Albums Waylon Jennings Went On To Record In The 1970s With Instrumentation Highly Unconventional For Country Music And His Poetically Sophisticated Style Of Songwriting Was Highly Influential On Kris Kristofferson. Citation Needed It Was Newbury Who Convinced Roger Miller To Record Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee" Which Went On To Launch Kristofferson As Country Music's Top Songwriter. Newbury Is Also Responsible For Getting Townes Van Zandt And Guy Clark To Move To Nashville And Pursue Careers As Songwriters. However He Had No Desire To Cash-In On The Outlaw Movement. Citation Needed 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 Recorded Several Albums Throughout The 1970s For Elektra And ABC/Hickory All Of Them Critically Praised But Financially Unsuccessful. In 1980 He Was Given The Distinction Of Being The Youngest Songwriter Ever Inducted Into The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Although He Spent Much Of The 1980s Retired From Performing And Recording Music He Returned Both To Recording And Touring In The Late 1980s Before He Died Following A Prolonged Battle With Pulmonary Fibrosis On September 29 2002 Aged 62.