This piece is a medley of three songs, an arrangement by Mickey Newbury, who
recorded it in 1971. The first song in the trilogy is "Dixie", which was written
by Daniel Decatur Emmett for a minstrel show in 1859 and became popular. It
became even more popular during the Civil War. (In 1943, Bing Crosby played
Emmett in the film "Dixie".) The second song is "The Battle Hymn of the
Republic". The lyrics to this song were written by Julia Ward Howe in December
1861 at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. It was at the suggestion of her
friend Rev. James Freeman Clarke. Ms. Howe used the melody of another song "John
Brown's Body". The title was given to the song by the editor of the "Atlantic
Monthly", which published it as a poem in February 1862 and paid Ms. Howe $5.00.
The author of the third song, "All My Trials", is unknown. It was recorded by
the Kingston Trio in 1959 under the title "All My Sorrow". Elvis' version of the
Newbury arrangement of these three songs, "An American Trilogy", was recorded
live in concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas on February 16, 1972. Musicians
were : James Burton (lead guitar), John Wilkinson (guitar) , Jerry Scheff
(bass), Ronnie Tutt (drums), Glen D. Hardin (piano), Charlie Hodge (guitar), and
the Joe Guercio Orchestra, conducted by Joe Guercio. Backing vocals were by: The
Sweet Inspiriations - Estelle Brown, Sylvia Shemwell and Myrna Smith; J.D.
Sumner & The Stamps Quartet - J.D. Sumner, Bill Baize, Ed Enoch, Richard Sterban
and Donnie Sumner; and soprano Kathy Westmoreland. The single "An American
Trilogy" was released in April 1972 with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
as the flipside. In the U.S.A. it peaked at #31 on easy listening chart and # 66
on the pop chart. In the U.K . it peaked at #8 on the in an 11-week run on the
pop chart.