In 2012, after 16 splendid years in Middle Tennessee, I returned to my Oregon roots to keep an eye on my aging parents. Since then, one particular query has been oft repeated, usually going something ...

Singer-songwriter Mickey Newbury, who wrote Kenny Rogers’ first hit and arranged “American Trilogy” as performed by Elvis Presley, died Sunday Sept. 29 of emphysema in Springfield, Ore. He was 62.

Elvis Presley’s performance of “An American Trilogy” in his groundbreaking 1972 global satellite concert and subsequent multi-platinum album Aloha From Hawaii helped bring one singer-songwriter to ...