Mike Nesmith

Just a few weeks ago I saw on the Internet that Monkees member Mike Nesmith passed away which I was shocked to hear it as he has just done a tour with Micky Dolenz around the USA and it's a great loss to the music industry and to his family. He was born December 30th 1942 in Houston Texas son of Warren and Bette Nesmith and his parents divorced when he was 4. They moved to Dallas and it was Bette who invented liqud paper when he was 13 as Bette worked as an secretary at Texas Bank and Trust and eventually executive secretary and had own company which she sold it to Gilette in 1979 6 months before she passed away on May 12th 1980 from an stroke. Meanwhile Mike served in the Air Force and got an guitar after leaving the Air Force which he performed solo as well as bands doing folk, country and sometimes rock and roll and met John London at San Antonio College and won a talent quest as they were doing folk standards and original songs written by Mike. He moved to Los Angeles where he did worked at the Troubadour as the hootmaster and played around the clubs in Los Angeles. he released solo singles between 1963 and 1965 including 2 as Michael Blessing. It was in 1965 he auditioned for an upcoming TV show called the Monkees about an group and he wore the wool hat which he was known for that during the TV series which started September 12th 1966. He along with Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones also started recording as well which their first hit was Last Train To Clarksville written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1966 which was number 1 in the USA, number 23 in the UK and number 14 In Australia which had mainly studio musicians with Micky Dolenz on lead vocals and it was out at the time the TV series debuted. The first album the Monkees was released in October 1966 which went to number 1 in the USA and the UK and number 3 in Australia and it was on the album there were 2 nesmith compostions Papa Gene's Blues with Peter Tork on guitar and Sweet Young Thing with Gerry Goffin and Carole King. They performed their first live show in Hawaii December 3rd 1966 and then their second single I'm A Believer written by Neil Diamond was released which went to number 1 in the USA, UK and Australia. Their second album More of The Monkees was released on January 9th 1967 which went to number 1 in the USA and the UK and number 4 in Australia which had 2 Nesmith songs Mary Mary with Micky Dolenz which the Paul Butterfield Blues Band had done an version of it in 1966 and Run DMC an rap group had an minor hit in the USA and the UK in 1988 and the Monkees version was an hit in Australia in 1968 and the other song was the Kind of Girl I Could Love which he wrote that with Roger Atkins who wrote It's My Life which was the hit for the Animals in 1965. It was that second album that led to issues as the members was not aware of the album's release as they were on tour at the time and they were dismayed by the cover of the cover of them wearing JC Penney clothes and the liner notes by Don Kirshner and also by that time the group were getting concerned about their musical input as those first 2 albums were joined them singing lead with scattered instrument contributions. It was Nesmith who lobbied with the show's Creators Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson for the group to play on the records for future releases as well as given artistic control and it was an incident at the Beverley Hills Hotel during a group meeting with Don Kirshner and Herb Moulis who was an lawyer that Nesmith put his fist through the wall saying that could have been your face. Don Kirshner was ousted not long after that and the Monkees went on to have creative control which they did the album Headquarters as an band which they played their instruments and that went to number 1 in the USA for 1 week and for the remaining 5 albums the group went back to original formula of having hired musicians and songwriters became the norm again but the guys about 50 percent of the original compositions as well as Nesmith contributed more songs to the later albums as well as having the b side of Valleri called Tapioca Tundra going to number 34 in the USA and in 1969 2 songs written by Mike were A sides Listen to the Band number 63 in the USA, number 8 Australia and number 1 in Brisbane and Good Clean Fun going to number 81 in the USA, number 13 in Australia, number 9 in Brisbane and number 11 in Sydney. Mike left the Monkees in early 1970 and formed the First National Band which they released 2 albums as well as the singles Little Red Rider number 16 in Adelaide(1970), Joanne number 21 in the USA, number 3 in Australia, number 1 in Adelaide and Hobart, number 15 in Brisbane(1970), Silver Moon number 41 in the USA, number 11 in Australia, number 17 in Sydney, number 14 Melbourne, number 8 Hobart, number 12 Brisbane and number 4 Adelaide (1971)and Nevada Fighter 70 in the USA and number 28 Adelaide (1971). He had success as an songwriter with the Stone Poneys including Linda Ronstadt having the hit single Different Drum and formed the Second National Band after the First National Band broke up as well as involved with prodoucing Iain Matthews and Bert Jansch and writing the song I have Never Loved Anyone More with Linda hargrove for Lynn Anderson. In 1974 he launched Pacific Arts Corporation to manage and developed media projects as well as becoming an pioneer for the home video market producing and distrubting video tape programs and also pioneered the music video which he had the single Rio that went to number 28 in the UK and number 4 in Australia 1977 which helped him create Popclips and also won an Grammy Award for the Video of the Year for Elephant Parts as well as having the short lived series Television Parts from 1984-85 . He was'nt involved in the 1986 Monkees reunion tour but joined Micky, Davy and Peter at the Greek Theater September 7th 1986 and in 1989 played with the guys at the Universal Amphitheater as well as being inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame . In 1995 he along with Micky, Peter and Davy to do an album Justus which was released in 1996 and directed and wrote the TV special Hey hey It's the Monkees. They did an UK toured in 1997 which was to be the last time the quartet line up were together and Mike did not the USA with them. He started to write novels and in 2017 released his memoir Infinite Tuesday An Autobiographical Riff and continued to record until 2015. he was touring solo in 2012 in Europe and up to 2019 doing shows in the USA and joined up with Micky and Peter as the Monkees touring the USA in 2012. 2013 and 2014 as well as doing an show in 2016 and also did the album Good Times in 2016 for their 50th anniversary which did well going to number 14 in the USA, In 2018 did an album Christmas Party and Micky and Mike did shows in the USA in 2018 and 2019 as well as Australia and New Zealand and also did shows in 2021 in the USA. I got to see the Mike and Micky Show at QPAC concert Hall on Wednesday June 12th 2019 which they did 2 sets as they did most of the Monkees classics as well as Mike doing his solo song Rio and when they did Last Train To Clarksville Louie Shelton who lives on the Gold Coast joined them on stage which was great to see as well as Mike's son Christian playing on stage too. It was an FANTASTIC show and I am so glad that I got to see them as I thought to myself to go and see it as it might not happen again which I am glad that I did. Mike has left an great legacy of music from the Monkees and his solo work as well as an pioneer of music video an very talented man more talented then people realised for what he did which should never be ignored and let's hope for the Monkees to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame for the impact they made for rock and roll.