Blue to This Day is the final album Mickey Newbury recorded prior to his death in 2002 and was released posthumously in 2003 on Mountain Retreat. The album is a moving testament to the unique talent of one of America's greatest singer/songwriters and an almost superhuman achievement given the state of his health at the time it was recorded. Mickey Newbury was plagued in later years by chronic lung disease and often had an oxygen tank on hand during the sessions.