Mickey Newbury: Crystal & Stone

Rating:
Summary: Very comprehensive book, worth the money.
Review: Anyone reading Crystal & Stone should immediately get that Mickey Newbury's life was very complex, yet he maintained his basic values. The author obviously went into great detail in documenting Newbury's career, and that was no small job. Those of us who were Newbury fans should all be grateful that we now have a basis for understanding the basic facts about his life. His music speaks (wrong word?) for itself, and now we have a way to connect his music to his life. This is a very interesting read and worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: Crystal & Stone - Clear & Hard
Review: First, I must correct the lady from Richardson, Texas. Mickey Newbury had five children, not six...and she quoted lyrics from one of his songs that said, "Haley died in Corpus Christi...".
This was Newbury's line, not that of Mr. Ziemer. Corpus Christi translates into "The Body of Christ". Mickey was saying that Bill Haley died a Christian. Mr. Ziemer took the time to explain many of the hidden meanings in some of Newbury's songs, and this was just one that he didn't try to explain. To dig through and explain all of Mickey's writings, one would need a second book.

Ms Webb also seemed to take exception to the fact that Mr. Ziemer allowed many people who knew Mickey a place in the book to make a last statement to their friend. Perhaps she felt excluded. She also didn't care for the type face..that's reaching.

It is a well written, deeply researched effort by Mr. Ziemer that provides a revealing look into the life of one of the most talented American singer/songwriters who, by his own choosing, never received the recognition he deserved. He put his friends and family before fame and fortune. Mr. Ziemer has done an excellent job of providing the reader with the feeling of knowing the man through his writings.

The book is a "Clear and Hard" look at the music business as it existed in Nashville when Newbury, Kristofferson, Nelson and the other Outlaws roamed up and down 16th Avenue.



Rating:
Summary: Mickey Newbury, Crystal & Stone
Review: I am currently in my second reading of " Mickey Newbury, Crystal & Stone by Joe Ziemer.It chronicles the life and music of Milton Sims(Mickey)Newbury,Jr. It is the first book written about this American Treasure and will be the standard by which all subsequent writings will be judged.
I have been a fan of Mickey's music for thirty five years and a friend for the last few years of his life. On each page I could feel and hear Mickey reaching out to me. For anyone wishing to learn more about the greatests American songwriter/singer ever to draw a breath, it is necessary reading. What more can I say.

Rating:
Summary: Mickey Newbury, Crystal & Stone
Review: I am currently in my second reading of " Mickey Newbury, Crystal & Stone by Joe Ziemer.It chronicles the life and music of Milton Sims(Mickey)Newbury,Jr. It is the first book written about this American Treasure and will be the standard by which all subsequent writings will be judged.
I have been a fan of Mickey's music for thirty five years and a friend for the last few years of his life. On each page I could feel and hear Mickey reaching out to me. For anyone wishing to learn more about the greatests American songwriter/singer ever to draw a breath, it is necessary reading. What more can I say.

Rating:
Summary: Thumbs Up
Review: I knew Mickey Newbury for more than 20 years.

I "roared" with him, recorded with him, laughed and cried with him. His work touched my heart, changed my life, and I remain in contact with his family.

This book is an excellent attempt at capturing lightning in a bottle. The research is solid, thorough, honest, and respectfully portrayed.

If you are even vaguely familiar with Newbury, you will treasure the background presented here.

If not, this biography may just be the first step down an alternative road to understanding "popular" music.

Rating:
Summary: This book is possibly the greatest record review in history
Review: If you have some of Mickey Newbury's work, you Have to get this book... If you don't know Mickey Newbury, but you have heard of him because of Townes or Guy Clark or any other of his many "children" out there, you Have to get this book... Whatever IT is, IT begins and ends with Mickey Newbury... IT has Always been about Mickey Newbury since the early Sixties when he first picked up a pen and stepped up to a microphone... Believe me, I am not overstating this or engaging in the hyperbole that is the fashion of the day, when I tell you that this book may be your one chance to cut through all the junk that passes for information these days and find out THE TRUTH about the music that you and I have both come to love and worship... The only music that counts, the music from the heart, not for the cash, but for the art; the music and words that we would write if WE were artists... If we were only artists like Joe Ziemer and Mickey Newbury...

Rating:
Summary: I AM SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS-GET THIS BOOK!!!
Review: If you have some of Mickey Newbury's work, you Have to get this book... If you don't
know Mickey Newbury, but you have heard of him because of Townes or Guy Clark or any
other of his many "children" out there, you Have to get this book... Whatever IT is, IT
begins and ends with Mickey Newbury... IT has Always been about Mickey Newbury since the
late Fifties - early Sixties when he first picked up a pen and stepped up to a microphone...
Believe me, I am not overstating this or engaging in the hyperbole that is the fashion of
the day, when I tell you that this book may be your one chance to cut through all the junk
that passes for information these days and find out THE TRUTH about the music that you and
I have both come to love and worship... The only music that counts, the music from the
heart, not for the cash, but for the Art; the music and words that we would write if WE
were artists... If we were only artists like Joe Ziemer and Mickey Newbury...

Rating:
Summary: I AM SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS-GET THIS BOOK!!!
Review: If you have some of Mickey Newbury's work, you Have to get this book... If you don't
know Mickey Newbury, but you have heard of him because of Townes or Guy Clark or any
other of his many "children" out there, you Have to get this book... Whatever IT is, IT
begins and ends with Mickey Newbury... IT has Always been about Mickey Newbury since the
late Fifties - early Sixties when he first picked up a pen and stepped up to a microphone...
Believe me, I am not overstating this or engaging in the hyperbole that is the fashion of
the day, when I tell you that this book may be your one chance to cut through all the junk
that passes for information these days and find out THE TRUTH about the music that you and
I have both come to love and worship... The only music that counts, the music from the
heart, not for the cash, but for the Art; the music and words that we would write if WE
were artists... If we were only artists like Joe Ziemer and Mickey Newbury...

Rating:
Summary: For diehard Newbury fans only
Review: There is some good in "Crystal and Stone," facts about Mickey Newbury's life that his fans may not have known. Among other things, we learn that he lived in Oregon, had six children, and was married to the same woman for almost 35 years. There are some pictures of him as a child. At the end, there is an exhaustive discography, not only of Mickey's recordings, but also a long list of his songs that have been covered by other artists.

The cliché-ridden prose, however, is another matter. Typeset in Arial, it reads like a very ordinary first draft, complete with underlined magazine and newspaper titles. (Italic type is used for lyrics and record titles only.) The chapter, "Last Words," is not about Mickey Newbury's last words or last songs, but rather, eleven pages of quotes from what may be a website guestbook.

"Crystal and Stone" could have used some fact-checking by a sharp-eyed proofreader. For example, Bill Haley died in Harlingen, Texas, not Corpus Christi, 200 miles away. "Bill Joe" Shaver, "Gatesmouth" Brown, and "Sampson" (Bible strongman) are also mentioned. Curiously, the index lists many one-off entries of the names of music-biz hangers-on, but totally omits any reference to Mickey's wife, Susan, who is mentioned throughout the book.

Rating:
Summary: Most Comprehensive Bio I've Ever Read
Review: This book has it all: geneology, history, musicology, sociology and INSIGHT. Crystal & Stone is well researched, well written and well documented. And you know, it's great to see the good side of the force prevail for a change. Buy it. You'll like it.