Newbury first recorded "An American Trilogy" for his 1971 album
Frisco Mabel Joy, and the medley featured prominently on his first concert album,
Live at Montezuma Hall, released in 1973. The studio recording reached No. 26 on the charts in 1972, and No. 9 on
Billboard's
Easy Listening chart. Newbury's version was used during the nightly
sign-off sequences for American television stations
KTBS-TV (
Shreveport),
KLFY-TV (
Lafayette), and
WRBT (
Baton Rouge) beginning in the middle- to late-1970s. Presley began singing "An American Trilogy" in concert in January 1972; a live recording made the following month was released as a single by
RCA Records. Presley modifies Newbury's sequence by reprising after "All My Trials" both "Dixie" (in the solo flute) and with a bigger ending on "Battle Hymn". He performs the medley in the 1972 concert film
Elvis on Tour. Presley's version did not equal the US chart success of Newbury's single, reaching No. 66 late in 1972 and peaking at No. 31 on the Easy Listening chart. However, it was included in both versions of the widely-seen 1973 satellite telecast
Aloha from Hawaii. Presley's recording was more successful in the UK, where it reached No. 8. ==Other versions==