Michael Nesmith
Encyclopedia
Robert Michael Nesmith (born December 30, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees
and star of the TV series of the same name. Nesmith is notable as a songwriter, including "Different Drum
" sung by Linda Ronstadt
with the Stone Poneys
, and as executive producer of the cult film
Repo Man. In 1981, Nesmith won the first Grammy Award
given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts
.
in 1942.
He was an only child; his parents, Warren Audrey Nesmith and Bette Nesmith Graham
, divorced when their son was four. He and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas to be closer to her parents, sister, aunts and grandmother. Bette took temporary jobs ranging from clerical work to graphics design, and developed very good secretarial skills, including shorthand, and, auspiciously, touch typing. When Nesmith was 13 his mother invented a typewriter correction fluid
later known commercially as Liquid Paper
. Over the next 25 years she built the Liquid Paper Corporation into a multimillion dollar international company which she finally sold to Gillette in 1980 for 48 million USD. She died a few months later at age 56.
In 1949, Nesmith, at the age of six, was enrolled in the Dallas public school system. An indifferent student, he nevertheless participated in choral and drama activities during his years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas. He began to write verse poetry. When he was 15 he enrolled in the Dallas Theater Center teen program, where he featured in several plays.
Before graduating from high school, Nesmith enlisted in the United States Air Force
in 1960. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base
in San Antonio, Texas, was trained as an aircraft mechanic at Sheppard Air Force Base
in Wichita Falls, Texas, and then permanently stationed at a Strategic Air Command
base near Elk City, Oklahoma
. While in the Air Force, Nesmith obtained a G.E.D. and was discharged under honorable conditions in 1962. He enrolled in San Antonio College
, a community college in San Antonio where he met John Kuehne (later to be known as John London
) and began a musical collaboration. The duo won the first San Antonio College
talent award performing a mixture of standard folk songs and a few of Nesmith's original songs. He met another SAC student, Phyllis Ann Barbour, whom he later married.
While in college Nesmith began to write more songs and poetry and after his marriage to Phyllis in 1963 the two of them decided to move to Los Angeles so Nesmith could pursue his songwriting and singing career. At the time Phyllis was pregnant with their first child Christian
DuVal. Nesmith began singing in folk clubs around Los Angeles and had one notable job as the "Hootmaster" for the Monday night hootenannie
s at The Troubadour, a West Hollywood night club that featured new artists. Here Nesmith met, socialized, and performed with many different members of the burgeoning new music scene in Los Angeles. Randy Sparks
of the New Christy Minstrels
fame offered Nesmith a publishing deal for his songs. It was while working at this publishing house that Barry Friedman, also known as the Rev. Frazier Mohawk
, brought the ad for Monkees auditions to Nesmith's attention. In 1965, Nesmith landed the role in the Monkees pilot, which was filmed in October 1965.
When the Monkees show ended in 1968, Nesmith enrolled part time in UCLA and studied American History and Music History. Michael and Phyllis's second son, Jonathan, was born in February 1968. Nesmith's third son, Jason, was born in August 1968 to Nurit Wilde
, whom he met while working on the Monkees. In 1969, Nesmith formed the group First National Band
with Kuehne, John Ware and Red Rhodes. Nesmith wrote most of the songs for the band including a single titled "Joanne" that received some airplay and was a mild chart hit for seven weeks during 1970, rising to number 21 on the Billboard Top 40. The First National Band has been credited with being among the pioneers of country-rock music.
Phyllis's third child, and Nesmith's fourth, daughter Jessica, was born in September 1970. Circa 1972, Nesmith started the record label Countryside Records with Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records. Also, in 1972, Nesmith and Phyllis were divorced and he moved to Carmel, California. In 1974, Nesmith started Pacific Arts Records
and released what he called "a book with a soundtrack" entitled "The Prison" as the company's first release. In 1976, he married Kathryn Bild. In 1988, following the ending of this second marriage, he returned to Los Angeles where he had met Victoria Kennedy. They moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1992 and then returned to Carmel, California in 2000. They were married in April 2000 in Monterey, California.
, he was given a guitar as a Christmas present from his mother and stepfather. Learning as he went, he played solo and in a series of working bands, performing folk
, country
, and occasionally rock and roll
. His verse poems became the basis for song lyrics, and after moving to Los Angeles with Phyllis and friend John London
, he signed a publishing deal for his songs. Nesmith's "Mary, Mary" was recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band
, while "Different Drum
" was recorded by Linda Ronstadt
and the Stone Poneys
. "Pretty Little Princess", written in 1965, was recorded by Frankie Laine
and released as a single in 1968 on ABC Records
. Later, "Some Of Shelly's Blues" and "Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care)" were made popular by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
on their 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
.
Nesmith began his recording career in 1963 by releasing a single on the Highness label. Later, in 1965 with a one-off single released on Edan Records before he followed with two singles recorded—one titled "The New Recruit"--under the name "Michael Blessing", released on Colpix Records
—coincidentally also the label of Davy Jones
, though they had not met.
, created for the television situation comedy
of the same name. The only Monkee to learn of the audition from the famous press advertisement asking for "four insane boys", Nesmith won his role largely by appearing blasé when he auditioned. He further distinguished himself by carrying a bag of laundry to be done on the way home, and wearing a wool cap
to keep his hair out of his eyes, riding his motorcycle to the audition. Producers Bob Rafelson
and Bert Schneider
remembered "Wool Hat", and called Nesmith back.
Once he was cast, Screen Gems
bought his songs so they could be used in the show. Many of the songs Nesmith wrote for The Monkees, such as "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Mary, Mary", and "Listen to the Band" became minor hits. One song he wrote, "You Just May Be The One", is in mixed meter, interspersing 5/4 bars into an otherwise 4/4 structure.
The Gretsch
guitar company built a one-off natural finish 12-string electric guitar for Nesmith when he was performing with The Monkees (Gretsch had a promotional deal with the group). He earlier played a customized Gretsch twelve-string, which had originally been a six-string model.
As with the other Monkees, Nesmith came to be frustrated by the manufactured image of the whole project. He was permitted to write and produce two songs per album, and his music was frequently featured in episodes of the series.
The Monkees succeeded in ousting supervisor Don Kirshner
(with Nesmith punching a hole in a wall, to make a point with Kirshner and attorney Herb Moelis), and took control of their records and song choices, but they worked as a four-man group on only one album. The band never overcame the credibility problems they faced when word spread that they had not played on their first records (at Nesmith's instigation, calling the band's first non-studio press conference, where he called More of The Monkees
"probably the worst record in the history of the world"). However, their singles and albums continued to sell well, until the disastrous release of Head.
Nesmith's last Monkees commitment was a commercial for Kool-Aid
and Nerf
balls, in April 1970. (Fittingly, the spot ends with Nesmith frowning and saying, "Enerf's enerf!") With the band's fortunes continuing to fall, Nesmith asked to be released from his contract, and had to pay a default: "I had three years left... at $150,000 a year", which he had to pay back. He continued to feel the financial bite for years afterwards, telling Playboy
in 1980 "I had to start telling little tales to the tax man while they were putting tags on the furniture." Indeed, while Nesmith had continued to produce his compositions with the Monkees, he withheld many of the songs from the final Monkees' albums, only to release them on his post-Monkees solo records.
(who played on some of the earliest pre-Monkees Nesmith 45s as well as numerous Monkees sessions) and had 45s produced by Nesmith for the Dot label
in 1969. Ware wanted Nesmith to put together a band. Nesmith said he would be interested only if noted pedal steel
player Orville "Red" Rhodes
would be a part of the project, and a long musical partnership was born that would continue until Rhodes' untimely death in 1995. The new band was christened Michael Nesmith and the First National Band
and went on to record three albums for RCA Records
in 1970.
Nesmith has been considered one of the pioneers of country rock
. He also had moderate commercial success with the First National Band. Their second single, Joanne
hit No. 21 on the Billboard chart & No. 17 on Cashbox, with the follow-up "Silver Moon" making No. 42 Billboard/#28 Cashbox. Two more singles charted ("Nevada Fighter" No. 70 Billboard/#73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" No. 95 Cashbox) and the first two LP's charted in the lower regions of the Billboard album chart. No clear answer has ever been given for the band's breakup.
Nesmith followed up with The Second National Band
, a band that besides Nesmith, consisted of Michael Cohen (keyboards and Moog
), Johnny Meeks (bass), jazzer Jack Ranelli (drums) and the always present Orville Rhodes (pedal steel), as well as an appearance by singer, musician, and songwriter José Feliciano
on congas. The album, Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1
, was a commercial and critical disaster. Nesmith then recorded And the Hits Just Keep On Comin, featuring only him on guitar and Red Rhodes on pedal steel.
Nesmith got more heavily involved in producing, and was given a label of his own through Elektra Records, Countryside. It featured a number of artists that were produced by Nesmith, including Garland Frady and Red Rhodes
. The staff band at Countryside also helped Nesmith on his next, and last, RCA album, Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash.
In the mid-1970s, Nesmith briefly collaborated as a songwriter with Linda Hargrove, resulting in the tune "I've Never Loved Anyone More
", a hit for Lynn Anderson
and recorded by many others, as well as the songs "Winonah" and "If You Will Walk With Me" which were both recorded by Hargrove. Of all three songs, only "Winonah" was recorded by Nesmith himself. During this same period, Nesmith started his multimedia company Pacific Arts, which initially put out audio records, 8-tracks and cassettes, followed in 1981 with "video records." Nesmith recorded a number of LPs for his label, and had a moderate worldwide hit in 1977 with his song "Rio", the single taken from the album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing. In 1983, Nesmith produced and directed the Lionel Richie
music video All Night Long
. In 1987, he directed the Michael Jackson
music video The Way You Make Me Feel
.
for the Nickelodeon
cable network. In 1980, Nesmith's Pop Clips
was sold to Time Warner
/Amex
consortium. Time Warner/Amex developed Pop Clips
into the MTV network. Nesmith also won the first Grammy Award
(1981) given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts
and also had a short-lived series on NBC inspired by the video called "Michael Nesmith in Television Parts
". Television Parts concept however included many other artists who were unknown at the time but who went on to become major stars in their own right. Jay Leno
, Jerry Seinfeld
, Garry Shandling
, Whoopi Goldberg
, Arsenio Hall
all became well known artists after their appearances on Nesmith's show. The basic concept of the show was to have comics render their stand-up routines into short comedy films much like the ones in Elephant Parts. Nesmith assembled writers Jack Handey
, William Martin
, John Levenstein, and Michael Kaplan
; Directors William Dear
(who had directed Elephant Parts) and Alan Myerson, and Producer Ward Sylvester to create the show. The half hour show show ran for 8 episodes in the summer of 1985 on NBC Thursday nights in prime time.
market, producing and distributing a wide variety of videotaped programs. Pacific Arts Video eventually ceased operations after an acrimonious contract dispute with PBS over home video licensing rights and payments for several series, including Ken Burns
' The Civil War
. The dispute escalated into a law suit that went to jury trial in Federal Court in Los Angeles. On February 3, 1999, a jury awarded Nesmith and his company Pacific Arts $48.875 million in compensatory and punitive damages
, prompting his widely-quoted comment, "It's like finding your grandmother stealing your stereo. You're happy to get your stereo back, but it's sad to find out your grandmother is a thief." PBS appealed the ruling, but the appeal never reached the court, and a settlement was reached with the amount paid to Pacific Arts and Nesmith results kept confidential.
, and Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, as well as his own solo recording and film projects. In 1998, Nesmith published his first novel, The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora. His latest album, Rays
was released on April 4, 2006.
During the 1990s, Nesmith, as Trustee and President of the Gihon foundation, hosted the Council on Ideas, a gathering of intellectuals from different fields who were asked to identify the most important issues of their day and publish the result. The Gihon ceased the program in 2000 and started a new Program for the Performing Arts.
In 1992, Nesmith undertook a concert tour of North America to promote the CD release of his RCA solo albums (although he included the song "Rio", from the album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing
. The concert tour ended at the Britt Festival in Oregon. A video, Live at the Britt Festival, and a CD, Live at the Britt Festival
were released capturing the 1992 concert.
, released in 1996. He also wrote and directed a Monkees television special, and briefly toured the UK with the band in 1997.
Nesmith's first novel The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora was developed originally as an online project and was later published as a hard cover book by St Martin's Press. Nesmith's second novel The America Gene was released in July, 2009 as an online download from Videoranch.com.
Nesmith spent a decade as a board of trustees member, nominating member and vice-chair of the American Film Institute
and is currently President and chairman of the board of trustees of the Gihon Foundation.
Nesmith's current project is Videoranch 3D, a virtual environment on the internet that hosts live performances at various virtual venues inside the Ranch. He performed live inside Videoranch 3D on May 25, 2009.
In the early 1980s, Nesmith teamed up with satirist P. J. O'Rourke
to ride his vehicle Timerider in the annual Baja 1000
roadrace. This is chronicled in O'Rourke's 2009 book Driving Like Crazy.
as a taxi driver in the Whoopi Goldberg
film Burglar
.
Nesmith had cameo appearances in his own films including Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (Race Official) and Tapeheads
(Water Man).
In a promotional video to support Pacific Arts' video release of Tapeheads
, Nesmith was introduced with a voice-over making fun of his Monkees persona. The narration teases Nesmith, who approaches the camera to speak, poking fun at his "missing hat".
An opportunistic lookalike from the US cashed in on his similarity to Nesmith by appearing on talk shows and doing interviews in Australia during the 1980s. The scam was successful, the lookalike being far enough from America to avoid detection as a fraud (which is less likely in the US, where the real Nesmith has made many media and show-business acquaintances). An entertaining interviewee, the impersonator's charade was not discovered until after he had vanished from the public eye. The imposter, Barry Faulkner, who had pulled various fraudulent scams for forty years, was finally apprehended and sent to jail in 2009.
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
and star of the TV series of the same name. Nesmith is notable as a songwriter, including "Different Drum
Different Drum
"Different Drum" is a 1966 song written by Mike Nesmith and originally recorded by the northern bluegrass band the Greenbriar Boys and included on their 1966 album, Better Late than Never!. The song tells of a pair of lovers, one of whom wants to settle down, while the other wants to retain a sense...
" sung by Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
with the Stone Poneys
Stone Poneys
The Stone Poneys were a folk-rock trio formed in Los Angeles, consisting of Bobby Kimmel , Kenny Edwards , and Linda Ronstadt . Their recordings include Linda Ronstadt's first hit song, a cover of Mike Nesmith's "Different Drum"...
, and as executive producer of the cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Repo Man. In 1981, Nesmith won the first Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts is a collection of comedy and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, former member of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts, using money he inherited from his mother, the inventor of Liquid Paper...
.
Biography
Nesmith was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston, Harris County, TexasHarris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
in 1942.
He was an only child; his parents, Warren Audrey Nesmith and Bette Nesmith Graham
Bette Nesmith Graham
Bette Claire Graham was an American typist, commercial artist, the inventor of Liquid Paper, and mother of musician and producer Michael Nesmith.-Biography:...
, divorced when their son was four. He and his mother moved to Dallas, Texas to be closer to her parents, sister, aunts and grandmother. Bette took temporary jobs ranging from clerical work to graphics design, and developed very good secretarial skills, including shorthand, and, auspiciously, touch typing. When Nesmith was 13 his mother invented a typewriter correction fluid
Correction fluid
A correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
later known commercially as Liquid Paper
Liquid Paper
Liquid Paper is a brand of the Newell Rubbermaid company that sells correction fluid, correction pen and correction tape. Mainly used to correct typewriting in the past, correction products now mostly cover handwriting mistakes.- Brand history :...
. Over the next 25 years she built the Liquid Paper Corporation into a multimillion dollar international company which she finally sold to Gillette in 1980 for 48 million USD. She died a few months later at age 56.
In 1949, Nesmith, at the age of six, was enrolled in the Dallas public school system. An indifferent student, he nevertheless participated in choral and drama activities during his years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas. He began to write verse poetry. When he was 15 he enrolled in the Dallas Theater Center teen program, where he featured in several plays.
Before graduating from high school, Nesmith enlisted in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1960. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located west-southwest of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
in San Antonio, Texas, was trained as an aircraft mechanic at Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base
Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Education and Training Command...
in Wichita Falls, Texas, and then permanently stationed at a Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
base near Elk City, Oklahoma
Elk City, Oklahoma
Elk City is a city in Beckham County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 11,693 at the 2010 census. Elk City is located on Interstate 40 and Historic U.S. Route 66 in Western Oklahoma, approximately west of Oklahoma City and east of Amarillo....
. While in the Air Force, Nesmith obtained a G.E.D. and was discharged under honorable conditions in 1962. He enrolled in San Antonio College
San Antonio College
San Antonio College is a community college that is a part of the Alamo Community College District. It is located on San Pedro Avenue, across from San Pedro Park, near downtown San Antonio. SAC is the oldest public two-year college in Texas...
, a community college in San Antonio where he met John Kuehne (later to be known as John London
John London
John Carl Kuehne , better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions...
) and began a musical collaboration. The duo won the first San Antonio College
San Antonio College
San Antonio College is a community college that is a part of the Alamo Community College District. It is located on San Pedro Avenue, across from San Pedro Park, near downtown San Antonio. SAC is the oldest public two-year college in Texas...
talent award performing a mixture of standard folk songs and a few of Nesmith's original songs. He met another SAC student, Phyllis Ann Barbour, whom he later married.
While in college Nesmith began to write more songs and poetry and after his marriage to Phyllis in 1963 the two of them decided to move to Los Angeles so Nesmith could pursue his songwriting and singing career. At the time Phyllis was pregnant with their first child Christian
Christian Nesmith
Christian DuVal Nesmith is a musician, and the eldest son of former Monkee Michael Nesmith and Phyllis Gibson. He has worked with his father , Michael Sherwood , Ty Tabor , Doug Pinnick of King's X and formerly Cindy...
DuVal. Nesmith began singing in folk clubs around Los Angeles and had one notable job as the "Hootmaster" for the Monday night hootenannie
Hootenanny
Hootenanny is an Appalachian colloquialism that was used in early twentieth century America to refer to things whose names were forgotten or unknown. In this usage it was synonymous with thingamajig or whatchamacallit, as in "hand me that hootenanny." Hootenanny was also an old country word for...
s at The Troubadour, a West Hollywood night club that featured new artists. Here Nesmith met, socialized, and performed with many different members of the burgeoning new music scene in Los Angeles. Randy Sparks
Randy Sparks
Randy Sparks is a musician, singer-songwriter and founder of The New Christy Minstrels and The Back Porch Majority. Prior to that, in the late 1950s he had a solo career and released two albums under the Verve label, a self-titled album in 1958 and Walking the Low Road in 1959...
of the New Christy Minstrels
New Christy Minstrels
The New Christy Minstrels are an American folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. They recorded over 20 albums and had several hits, including "Green, Green", "Saturday Night", "Today", "Denver", and "This Land is Your Land"...
fame offered Nesmith a publishing deal for his songs. It was while working at this publishing house that Barry Friedman, also known as the Rev. Frazier Mohawk
Frazier Mohawk
Frazier Mohawk is an American record producer and sometime photographer, publicist, circus owner and farmer....
, brought the ad for Monkees auditions to Nesmith's attention. In 1965, Nesmith landed the role in the Monkees pilot, which was filmed in October 1965.
When the Monkees show ended in 1968, Nesmith enrolled part time in UCLA and studied American History and Music History. Michael and Phyllis's second son, Jonathan, was born in February 1968. Nesmith's third son, Jason, was born in August 1968 to Nurit Wilde
Nurit Wilde
Nurit Wilde is an Israeli-born photographer and socialite. She was an occasional actress in the 1960s and 1970s, and was closely associated with the creative community of that era in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles....
, whom he met while working on the Monkees. In 1969, Nesmith formed the group First National Band
First National Band
The First National Band was a short-lived American collaborative band, led by former Monkee Michael Nesmith, which issued three albums in the country rock genre in 1970–1971.-Pre-First National Band:...
with Kuehne, John Ware and Red Rhodes. Nesmith wrote most of the songs for the band including a single titled "Joanne" that received some airplay and was a mild chart hit for seven weeks during 1970, rising to number 21 on the Billboard Top 40. The First National Band has been credited with being among the pioneers of country-rock music.
Phyllis's third child, and Nesmith's fourth, daughter Jessica, was born in September 1970. Circa 1972, Nesmith started the record label Countryside Records with Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records. Also, in 1972, Nesmith and Phyllis were divorced and he moved to Carmel, California. In 1974, Nesmith started Pacific Arts Records
Pacific Arts Corporation
The Pacific Arts Corporation, Inc. is a company formed by Michael Nesmith circa 1974 to manage and develop media projects, including the medium and the content. The company is associated with a "drawing" dove logo.-History:...
and released what he called "a book with a soundtrack" entitled "The Prison" as the company's first release. In 1976, he married Kathryn Bild. In 1988, following the ending of this second marriage, he returned to Los Angeles where he had met Victoria Kennedy. They moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1992 and then returned to Carmel, California in 2000. They were married in April 2000 in Monterey, California.
Early work
After a tour of duty in the Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, he was given a guitar as a Christmas present from his mother and stepfather. Learning as he went, he played solo and in a series of working bands, performing folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and occasionally rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. His verse poems became the basis for song lyrics, and after moving to Los Angeles with Phyllis and friend John London
John London
John Carl Kuehne , better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions...
, he signed a publishing deal for his songs. Nesmith's "Mary, Mary" was recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield was an American blues vocalist and harmonica player, who founded the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early 1960s and performed at the original Woodstock Festival...
, while "Different Drum
Different Drum
"Different Drum" is a 1966 song written by Mike Nesmith and originally recorded by the northern bluegrass band the Greenbriar Boys and included on their 1966 album, Better Late than Never!. The song tells of a pair of lovers, one of whom wants to settle down, while the other wants to retain a sense...
" was recorded by Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and the Stone Poneys
Stone Poneys
The Stone Poneys were a folk-rock trio formed in Los Angeles, consisting of Bobby Kimmel , Kenny Edwards , and Linda Ronstadt . Their recordings include Linda Ronstadt's first hit song, a cover of Mike Nesmith's "Different Drum"...
. "Pretty Little Princess", written in 1965, was recorded by Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
and released as a single in 1968 on ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
. Later, "Some Of Shelly's Blues" and "Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care)" were made popular by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
on their 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy is the 1970 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that contains the hit song "Mr. Bojangles". The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is notable for having many charting albums and singles. The album reached #66 on US charts. Three singles charted: "Mr...
.
Nesmith began his recording career in 1963 by releasing a single on the Highness label. Later, in 1965 with a one-off single released on Edan Records before he followed with two singles recorded—one titled "The New Recruit"--under the name "Michael Blessing", released on Colpix Records
Colpix Records
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia and Pictures . It was founded by Jonie Taps and Harry Cohn in 1958, and was based in New York City. Paul Wexler headed the label. Stu Phillips was in charge of A&R...
—coincidentally also the label of Davy Jones
Davy Jones (actor)
David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
, though they had not met.
The Monkees
From 1965 to early 1970, Nesmith and Jones were members of the pop rock band The MonkeesThe Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
, created for the television situation comedy
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
of the same name. The only Monkee to learn of the audition from the famous press advertisement asking for "four insane boys", Nesmith won his role largely by appearing blasé when he auditioned. He further distinguished himself by carrying a bag of laundry to be done on the way home, and wearing a wool cap
Tuque
A – variously known as a knit hat or stocking cap among other names – is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter...
to keep his hair out of his eyes, riding his motorcycle to the audition. Producers Bob Rafelson
Bob Rafelson
Robert "Bob" Rafelson is an Emmy Award winning American film director, writer and producer. He was an early member of the New Hollywood movement in the 1970s and is most famous for directing and co-writing the film Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson, as well as being one of the creators of...
and Bert Schneider
Bert Schneider
Berton "Bert" Schneider is an American movie producer, who was behind a number of important and topical films of the late-1960s and early-1970s. The son of Abraham Schneider, onetime president of Columbia Pictures, the younger Schneider tended toward the rebellious. He briefly attended Cornell...
remembered "Wool Hat", and called Nesmith back.
Once he was cast, Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
bought his songs so they could be used in the show. Many of the songs Nesmith wrote for The Monkees, such as "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Mary, Mary", and "Listen to the Band" became minor hits. One song he wrote, "You Just May Be The One", is in mixed meter, interspersing 5/4 bars into an otherwise 4/4 structure.
The Gretsch
Gretsch
The Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
guitar company built a one-off natural finish 12-string electric guitar for Nesmith when he was performing with The Monkees (Gretsch had a promotional deal with the group). He earlier played a customized Gretsch twelve-string, which had originally been a six-string model.
As with the other Monkees, Nesmith came to be frustrated by the manufactured image of the whole project. He was permitted to write and produce two songs per album, and his music was frequently featured in episodes of the series.
The Monkees succeeded in ousting supervisor Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner , known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees, Kansas and The Archies.-Early life:Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor,...
(with Nesmith punching a hole in a wall, to make a point with Kirshner and attorney Herb Moelis), and took control of their records and song choices, but they worked as a four-man group on only one album. The band never overcame the credibility problems they faced when word spread that they had not played on their first records (at Nesmith's instigation, calling the band's first non-studio press conference, where he called More of The Monkees
More of The Monkees
More of The Monkees is the second full-length album by The Monkees. It was recorded in late 1966 and released on Colgems label #102 on January 9, 1967. It was number one on the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks—the longest of any Monkees album. It also went to number one in the UK. In the U.S...
"probably the worst record in the history of the world"). However, their singles and albums continued to sell well, until the disastrous release of Head.
Nesmith's last Monkees commitment was a commercial for Kool-Aid
Kool-Aid
Kool-Aid is a brand of flavored drink mix owned by the Kraft Foods Company.-History:Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska, United States. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen. Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack...
and Nerf
Nerf
Nerf is a toy brand created by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. The acronym NERF stands for "Non-Expanding Recreational Foam". Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, but there are also several different types of Nerf toys, such as balls for sports like football,...
balls, in April 1970. (Fittingly, the spot ends with Nesmith frowning and saying, "Enerf's enerf!") With the band's fortunes continuing to fall, Nesmith asked to be released from his contract, and had to pay a default: "I had three years left... at $150,000 a year", which he had to pay back. He continued to feel the financial bite for years afterwards, telling Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in 1980 "I had to start telling little tales to the tax man while they were putting tags on the furniture." Indeed, while Nesmith had continued to produce his compositions with the Monkees, he withheld many of the songs from the final Monkees' albums, only to release them on his post-Monkees solo records.
Later career
As he prepared for his exit from The Monkees, Nesmith was approached by John Ware of The Corvettes, a band that featured Nesmith's friend John LondonJohn London
John Carl Kuehne , better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions...
(who played on some of the earliest pre-Monkees Nesmith 45s as well as numerous Monkees sessions) and had 45s produced by Nesmith for the Dot label
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
in 1969. Ware wanted Nesmith to put together a band. Nesmith said he would be interested only if noted pedal steel
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
player Orville "Red" Rhodes
Red Rhodes
Rhodes played pedal steel on many country rock, pop and rock albums with The Monkees, James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, The Carpenters and many other groups. He is most often remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's first solo albums in the early 1970s...
would be a part of the project, and a long musical partnership was born that would continue until Rhodes' untimely death in 1995. The new band was christened Michael Nesmith and the First National Band
First National Band
The First National Band was a short-lived American collaborative band, led by former Monkee Michael Nesmith, which issued three albums in the country rock genre in 1970–1971.-Pre-First National Band:...
and went on to record three albums for RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in 1970.
Nesmith has been considered one of the pioneers of country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
. He also had moderate commercial success with the First National Band. Their second single, Joanne
Joanne (song)
Joanne was the only Top 40 single for Michael Nesmith as a solo artist. Nesmith released the single in 1970 from the album Magnetic South, the first album released by Nesmith and The First National Band after he left the Monkees. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Top...
hit No. 21 on the Billboard chart & No. 17 on Cashbox, with the follow-up "Silver Moon" making No. 42 Billboard/#28 Cashbox. Two more singles charted ("Nevada Fighter" No. 70 Billboard/#73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" No. 95 Cashbox) and the first two LP's charted in the lower regions of the Billboard album chart. No clear answer has ever been given for the band's breakup.
Nesmith followed up with The Second National Band
First National Band
The First National Band was a short-lived American collaborative band, led by former Monkee Michael Nesmith, which issued three albums in the country rock genre in 1970–1971.-Pre-First National Band:...
, a band that besides Nesmith, consisted of Michael Cohen (keyboards and Moog
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
), Johnny Meeks (bass), jazzer Jack Ranelli (drums) and the always present Orville Rhodes (pedal steel), as well as an appearance by singer, musician, and songwriter José Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
on congas. The album, Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1
Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1
Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1 is Michael Nesmith's fourth solo album during his post-Monkees career. Released in 1972, Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1 is the only album Michael Nesmith recorded and released with the Second National Band. An assumed sequel was said to have been recorded but was never...
, was a commercial and critical disaster. Nesmith then recorded And the Hits Just Keep On Comin, featuring only him on guitar and Red Rhodes on pedal steel.
Nesmith got more heavily involved in producing, and was given a label of his own through Elektra Records, Countryside. It featured a number of artists that were produced by Nesmith, including Garland Frady and Red Rhodes
Red Rhodes
Rhodes played pedal steel on many country rock, pop and rock albums with The Monkees, James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, The Carpenters and many other groups. He is most often remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's first solo albums in the early 1970s...
. The staff band at Countryside also helped Nesmith on his next, and last, RCA album, Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash.
In the mid-1970s, Nesmith briefly collaborated as a songwriter with Linda Hargrove, resulting in the tune "I've Never Loved Anyone More
I've Never Loved Anyone More
I've Never Loved Anyone More is a studio album by Country singer Lynn Anderson released in 1975. The album spawned two singles, the title song and "He Turns It Into Love Again". The title track reached No. 14 while, "He Turns It Into Love Again" reached No...
", a hit for Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
and recorded by many others, as well as the songs "Winonah" and "If You Will Walk With Me" which were both recorded by Hargrove. Of all three songs, only "Winonah" was recorded by Nesmith himself. During this same period, Nesmith started his multimedia company Pacific Arts, which initially put out audio records, 8-tracks and cassettes, followed in 1981 with "video records." Nesmith recorded a number of LPs for his label, and had a moderate worldwide hit in 1977 with his song "Rio", the single taken from the album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing. In 1983, Nesmith produced and directed the Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
music video All Night Long
All Night Long (All Night)
"All Night Long " is a hit single for Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down, it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This new, more dance approach proved popular, as the single reached number one on three Billboard charts...
. In 1987, he directed the Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
music video The Way You Make Me Feel
The Way You Make Me Feel
"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad. Written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones , the song is credited as being a pop and R&B...
.
Pop Clips and MTV, Elephant Parts and Television Parts
During this time, Nesmith created a video clip for "Rio" which, in a roundabout way, helped spur Nesmith's creation of a television program called Pop ClipsPop Clips
PopClips is a music video television program, the direct predecessor of MTV.Former Monkee Mike Nesmith conceived the first music-video program as a promotional device for Warner Communications' record division...
for the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
cable network. In 1980, Nesmith's Pop Clips
Pop Clips
PopClips is a music video television program, the direct predecessor of MTV.Former Monkee Mike Nesmith conceived the first music-video program as a promotional device for Warner Communications' record division...
was sold to Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
/Amex
AMEX
AMEX, AmEx or Amex may refer to:*American Stock Exchange*American Express, a global financial services corporation*American Express Community Stadium, association football stadium in Brighton, England, currently sponsored by American Express...
consortium. Time Warner/Amex developed Pop Clips
Pop Clips
PopClips is a music video television program, the direct predecessor of MTV.Former Monkee Mike Nesmith conceived the first music-video program as a promotional device for Warner Communications' record division...
into the MTV network. Nesmith also won the first Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
(1981) given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts is a collection of comedy and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, former member of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts, using money he inherited from his mother, the inventor of Liquid Paper...
and also had a short-lived series on NBC inspired by the video called "Michael Nesmith in Television Parts
Television Parts
Michael Nesmith in Television Parts was a summer TV series run by NBC in 1985. It was a 30-minute comedy-variety series created by Michael Nesmith as a sort of continuation of his Grammy Award-winning video production Elephant Parts, and earlier series PopClips. The first episode was a stand-alone...
". Television Parts concept however included many other artists who were unknown at the time but who went on to become major stars in their own right. Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, Garry Shandling
Garry Shandling
Garry Emmanuel Shandling is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for his work in It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show....
, Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994, and his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights.Hall is also known for his appearance as Alan Thicke's sidekick on the...
all became well known artists after their appearances on Nesmith's show. The basic concept of the show was to have comics render their stand-up routines into short comedy films much like the ones in Elephant Parts. Nesmith assembled writers Jack Handey
Jack Handey
Jack Handey is an American humorist. He is best known for his Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey, a large body of surrealistic one-liner jokes, as well as his "Fuzzy Memories" and "My Big Thick Novel" shorts. Although many people assume otherwise, Handey is a real person, not a pen name or ...
, William Martin
William Martin
-People born in 20th century:* Bill Martin , rugby league footballer of the 1960s for Great Britain, and Workington Town* Bill Martin , Scottish songwriter* William A. Martin , American computer scientist...
, John Levenstein, and Michael Kaplan
Michael Kaplan
Michael Kaplan may refer to:* Michael Kaplan , * Michael Kaplan , American movie costume designer* Michael Kaplan, American blogger and Unicode guru...
; Directors William Dear
William Dear
William Dear is a film director, producer and screenwriter known for directing Harry and the Hendersons, If Looks Could Kill, Angels in the Outfield, Wild America and Santa Who?....
(who had directed Elephant Parts) and Alan Myerson, and Producer Ward Sylvester to create the show. The half hour show show ran for 8 episodes in the summer of 1985 on NBC Thursday nights in prime time.
Pacific Arts and legal dispute
Pacific Arts Video became a pioneer in the home videoHome video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
market, producing and distributing a wide variety of videotaped programs. Pacific Arts Video eventually ceased operations after an acrimonious contract dispute with PBS over home video licensing rights and payments for several series, including Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' The Civil War
The Civil War (documentary)
The Civil War is a documentary film created by Ken Burns about the American Civil War. It was first broadcast on PBS on five consecutive nights from Sunday, September 23 to Thursday, September 27, 1990. Forty million viewers watched it during its initial broadcast, making it the most-watched...
. The dispute escalated into a law suit that went to jury trial in Federal Court in Los Angeles. On February 3, 1999, a jury awarded Nesmith and his company Pacific Arts $48.875 million in compensatory and punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
, prompting his widely-quoted comment, "It's like finding your grandmother stealing your stereo. You're happy to get your stereo back, but it's sad to find out your grandmother is a thief." PBS appealed the ruling, but the appeal never reached the court, and a settlement was reached with the amount paid to Pacific Arts and Nesmith results kept confidential.
Movies and books
He was the executive producer for the films Repo Man, TapeheadsTapeheads
Tapeheads is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman. The film stars John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, and Junior Walker. The movie was produced by Michael Nesmith, who is seen briefly in the film as a bottled water delivery man.-Plot:...
, and Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, as well as his own solo recording and film projects. In 1998, Nesmith published his first novel, The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora. His latest album, Rays
Rays (Michael Nesmith album)
Rays is an album by Michael Nesmith, released in 2006. 2000 limited edition numbered copies were produced of the album. Nesmith described the album as a cinematic journey of sound with elements of swing, jazz and instrumental funk that forms what he calls "New Century Modern".The album cover is a...
was released on April 4, 2006.
During the 1990s, Nesmith, as Trustee and President of the Gihon foundation, hosted the Council on Ideas, a gathering of intellectuals from different fields who were asked to identify the most important issues of their day and publish the result. The Gihon ceased the program in 2000 and started a new Program for the Performing Arts.
In 1992, Nesmith undertook a concert tour of North America to promote the CD release of his RCA solo albums (although he included the song "Rio", from the album From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing
From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing
From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing was released in 1977 and is the ninth album by Michael Nesmith and eighth studio album as a singer/songwriter during his post-Monkees career...
. The concert tour ended at the Britt Festival in Oregon. A video, Live at the Britt Festival, and a CD, Live at the Britt Festival
Live at the Britt Festival
Live at the Britt Festival is a live album by Michael Nesmith, released in 1999. It was recorded live at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, OR, in 1991. To prepare for the concert, Nesmith conducted a limited U.S...
were released capturing the 1992 concert.
Return to the Monkees
In 1995, he reunited with the Monkees to record their last studio album (and first to feature all four since Head) titled JustusJustus (album)
Justus is the eleventh and final studio album by The Monkees, recorded in celebration of their 30th anniversary. This album featured the return of Michael Nesmith. This was the first Monkees album since Head was released in 1968 to feature all four Monkees...
, released in 1996. He also wrote and directed a Monkees television special, and briefly toured the UK with the band in 1997.
Nesmith's first novel The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora was developed originally as an online project and was later published as a hard cover book by St Martin's Press. Nesmith's second novel The America Gene was released in July, 2009 as an online download from Videoranch.com.
Nesmith spent a decade as a board of trustees member, nominating member and vice-chair of the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
and is currently President and chairman of the board of trustees of the Gihon Foundation.
Nesmith's current project is Videoranch 3D, a virtual environment on the internet that hosts live performances at various virtual venues inside the Ranch. He performed live inside Videoranch 3D on May 25, 2009.
In the early 1980s, Nesmith teamed up with satirist P. J. O'Rourke
P. J. O'Rourke
Patrick Jake "P. J." O'Rourke is an American political satirist, journalist, writer, and author. O'Rourke is the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute and is a regular correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard, and frequent panelist on...
to ride his vehicle Timerider in the annual Baja 1000
Baja 1000
SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had...
roadrace. This is chronicled in O'Rourke's 2009 book Driving Like Crazy.
Other appearances
Nesmith had a cameo appearanceCameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as a taxi driver in the Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
film Burglar
Burglar (film)
Burglar is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson and distributed by Warner Bros. The film stars Whoopi Goldberg and Bobcat Goldthwait.-Plot:...
.
Nesmith had cameo appearances in his own films including Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (Race Official) and Tapeheads
Tapeheads
Tapeheads is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman. The film stars John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, and Junior Walker. The movie was produced by Michael Nesmith, who is seen briefly in the film as a bottled water delivery man.-Plot:...
(Water Man).
In a promotional video to support Pacific Arts' video release of Tapeheads
Tapeheads
Tapeheads is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman. The film stars John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, and Junior Walker. The movie was produced by Michael Nesmith, who is seen briefly in the film as a bottled water delivery man.-Plot:...
, Nesmith was introduced with a voice-over making fun of his Monkees persona. The narration teases Nesmith, who approaches the camera to speak, poking fun at his "missing hat".
An opportunistic lookalike from the US cashed in on his similarity to Nesmith by appearing on talk shows and doing interviews in Australia during the 1980s. The scam was successful, the lookalike being far enough from America to avoid detection as a fraud (which is less likely in the US, where the real Nesmith has made many media and show-business acquaintances). An entertaining interviewee, the impersonator's charade was not discovered until after he had vanished from the public eye. The imposter, Barry Faulkner, who had pulled various fraudulent scams for forty years, was finally apprehended and sent to jail in 2009.
Singles
| Date | Label/Catalog # | Titles (A-side / B-side) | Billboard Top Singles | Cashbox | Billboard Adult Contemp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Highness HN-13 | Wanderin / Well Well | |
|
Credited as "Mike Nesmith." Vanity pressing. | |
| 1963 | Omnibus 239 | How Can You Kiss Me / Just A Little Love | |
|
Credited as "Mike & John & Bill." John London John London John Carl Kuehne , better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions... is the bassist, later of Nesmith's First National Band. Bill Sleeper is the drummer. (The trio broke up when Sleeper was drafted into the US Army.) |
|
| 01/1966 | Edan 1001 | Just A Little Love / Curson Terrace | |
|
A-side is same as Omnibus 239. B-side is credited to "Mike & Tony" and has no Nesmith involvement. | |
| 10/1965 | Colpix CP-787 | The New Recruit / A Journey With Michael Blessing | |
|
Credited to "Michael Blessing." | |
| 01/1966 | Colpix CP-792 | Until It's Time for You to Go Until It's Time for You to Go "Until It's Time for You to Go" is a song from the 1965 album Many a Mile by Canadian First Nations singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. It was never released by her as a single, but was a UK Top 20 hit for British group The Four Pennies in 1965, and for Elvis Presley in 1972, and a US Hot 100... / What Seems To Be The Trouble Officer |
|
|
Credited to "Michael Blessing." | |
| 04/1966 | RCA 47-8807 | Do Not Ask For Love / Buttermilk | |
|
Credited to "The New Society." A-side has no Nesmith involvement. B-side was verified by Bill Chadwick, member of the group, as having Nesmith as a background vocalist. | |
| 07/1968 | Dot 45-17152 | Tapioca Tundra / Don't Cry Now | |
|
Credited to "The Wichita Train Whistle." Group was created and led by Nesmith, though he does not appear on the recordings as either musician or vocalist. "Don't Cry Now" is edited from LP version. | |
| 07/1970 | RCA 47-9853 | Little Red Rider / Rose City Chimes | |
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." Until it's release as a bonus track on CD in 2001, non-LP 'B' side was a sought after collectable. | |
| 08/1970 | RCA 74-0368 | Joanne Joanne (song) Joanne was the only Top 40 single for Michael Nesmith as a solo artist. Nesmith released the single in 1970 from the album Magnetic South, the first album released by Nesmith and The First National Band after he left the Monkees. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Top... / One Rose |
|
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." | |
| 11/1970 | RCA 74-0399 | Silver Moon Silver Moon Silver Moon was the third single Michael Nesmith recorded as a solo artist and the second to reach the Billboard Hot 100. Silver Moon was released in 1970 from Nesmith's second solo album, Loose Salute. Nesmith recorded the song with The First National Band and the song reached 42 on the Top 100... / Lady of the Valley |
|
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." | |
| 04/1971 | RCA 74-0453 | Nevada Fighter / Here I Am | |
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." Issued with picture sleeve. | |
| 06/1971 | RCA 74-0491 | Texas Morning / Tumbling Tumbleweeds | |
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." Single released as promo with both songs on B-side and "Texas" only on A-side with release #SPS-45-263. | |
| 06/1971 | RCA 74-0540 | I've Just Begun To Care (Propinquity) / Only Bound | |
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." | |
| 01/1972 | RCA 74-0629 | Mama Rocker / Lazy Lady | |
|
Credited to "Michael Nesmith and the Second National Band." "Mama Rocker" is faded out early versus LP version. | |
| 08/1972 | RCA 74-0804 | Roll With The Flow / Keep On | |
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"Roll With The Flow" is edited from LP version. | |
| 1976 | RCA 447-0868 | Joanne / Silver Moon | |
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Reissue credited to "Michael Nesmith and the First National Band." Early pressings on red label, later pressings on black label. | |
| 03/1977 | Pacific Arts WIP6373 | Rio / Life, The Unsuspecting Captive | |
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| 06/1978 | Pacific Arts PAC-101 | Roll With The Flow / I've Just Begun To Care (Propinquity) | |
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Both songs are edited from the LP versions. | |
| 1978? | Pacific Arts PAC-104 | Rio / Casablanca Moonlight | |
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Issued with picture sleeve. | |
| 06/1979 | Pacific Arts PAC-106 | Magic / Dance | |
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| 08/1979 | Pacific Arts PAC-108 | Cruisin / Horserace | |
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| 1998 | Collectibles COL-4759 | Joanne / Silver Moon | |
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Reissue. |
Albums
| Date | Label/Catalog # | Title | Highest Billboard Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07/1968 | Dot 3861 (mono) / 25861 (stereo) | The Wichita Train Whistle Sings The Wichita Train Whistle Sings The Wichita Train Whistle Sings was the first solo album by Michael Nesmith and was recorded while he was still a member of the Monkees. It peaked at No. 144 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.... |
Nesmith does not appear on this album vocally or instrumentally. Album is credited to "The Wichita Train Whistle." Mono release is promo-only. | |
| 07/1970 | RCA LSP-4371 | Magnetic South (album) | Album is credited to "Michael Nesmith & The First National Band." Some copies came with a "Joanne" sticker on the shrink wrap. | |
| 11/1970 | RCA LSP-4415 | Loose Salute Loose Salute Loose Salute is the second solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith during his post-Monkees career. Released by RCA Records in 1970 and dedicated to Tony Richland, it peaked at No... |
Album is credited to "Michael Nesmith & The First National Band." Some copies came with a circular sticker on the shrink wrap saying "Contains the hit single 'Silver Moon.'" | |
| 05/1971 | RCA LSP-4497 | Nevada Fighter Nevada Fighter Nevada Fighter is the third solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith during his post-Monkees career. The album is also the third and final album with the First National Band. Released in 1971, it peaked at No... |
Album is credited to "Michael Nesmith & The First National Band." | |
| 02/1972 | RCA LSP-4563 | Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1 Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1 Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1 is Michael Nesmith's fourth solo album during his post-Monkees career. Released in 1972, Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1 is the only album Michael Nesmith recorded and released with the Second National Band. An assumed sequel was said to have been recorded but was never... |
Album is credited to "Michael Nesmith & The Second National Band." | |
| 08/1972 | RCA LSP-4695 | And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' is Michael Nesmith's fifth solo album during his post-Monkees career. Recorded and released in 1972, all ten tracks had been composed by Nesmith prior to and during his time as a member of The Monkees.... |
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| 10/1973 | RCA ALPI-0164 | Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash is American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith's sixth album of his post-Monkees career. Released in 1973, it did not chart.... |
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| 03/1975 | Pacific Arts PAC-101 | The Prison - A Book with a Soundtrack The Prison - A Book With A Soundtrack The Prison - A Book With A Soundtrack is Michael Nesmith's seventh solo album of his post-Monkees career and his first to be released under his own record label, Pacific Arts. It includes a novella meant to be read while listening to the album as its "soundtrack". In 1994 Nesmith recorded a... |
Issued with 48-page book to be read while the LP is playing, allowing for a "soundtrack" to the story. Original copies issued in a box cover, while later copies came in a cardboard slip jacket. Some of these later copies had two stickers on the shrink, one saying "Michael Nesmith" and the other "Contains Record and 48-page Full Color Illustrated Book." Record was also sold in book stores. | |
| 03/1977 | Pacific Arts PAC7-107 / Pacific Arts ILPA-9184 | From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing was released in 1977 and is the ninth album by Michael Nesmith and eighth studio album as a singer/songwriter during his post-Monkees career... |
Early pressings utilized the overseas catalog # ILPA-9184 used by Island Records. | |
| ??/1978 | Pacific Arts PAC7-113 | The Wichita Train Whistle Sings The Wichita Train Whistle Sings The Wichita Train Whistle Sings was the first solo album by Michael Nesmith and was recorded while he was still a member of the Monkees. It peaked at No. 144 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.... |
Reissue of 1968 Dot release with new album jacket design. | |
| ??/1978 | Pacific Arts PAC7-116 | And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' is Michael Nesmith's fifth solo album during his post-Monkees career. Recorded and released in 1972, all ten tracks had been composed by Nesmith prior to and during his time as a member of The Monkees.... |
Reissue of 1972 RCA release with standard jacket (RCA release had gatefold jacket). | |
| ??/1978 | Pacific Arts PAC7-117 | Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash is American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith's sixth album of his post-Monkees career. Released in 1973, it did not chart.... |
Reissue of 1973 RCA release with standard jacket (RCA release had gatefold jacket). | |
| 05/1979 | Pacific Arts PAC7-130 | Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma is Michael Nesmith's ninth post-Monkees studio album and the third studio album from his own company, Pacific Arts. To continue developing Pacific Arts' multimedia projects, Nesmith originally developed the album as a "video album"... |
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| 06/1979 | Pacific Arts PAC7-1300 | The Michael Nesmith Radio Special The Michael Nesmith Radio Special In 1980, Pacific Arts issued "The Michael Nesmith Radio Special" to promote Nesmith's album Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma. Because Infinite Rider was originally designed as a multimedia project, the radio special was designed to increase awareness of Nesmith's audio-visual productions, as well as... |
Promotional LP featuring all the tracks from "Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma" as well as interview snippets | |
| 1992 | Pacific Arts/Island Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
Tropical Campfires Tropical Campfires "... Tropical Campfire's ..." is an album by Michael Nesmith, released in 1992 after Nesmith's 13-year hiatus from making studio albums. "..... |
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| 1994 | (Rio Records Pacific Arts Corporation The Pacific Arts Corporation, Inc. is a company formed by Michael Nesmith circa 1974 to manage and develop media projects, including the medium and the content. The company is associated with a "drawing" dove logo.-History:... ) |
The Garden The Garden (Michael Nesmith album) The Garden is Michael Nesmith's 11th full studio album and was released in 1994. The Garden is a companion release to Nesmith's 1974 album/book, The Prison. Both The Garden and The Prison are written to have the music complement a novel included in the release... |
Companion piece to The Prison - A Book with a Soundtrack The Prison - A Book With A Soundtrack The Prison - A Book With A Soundtrack is Michael Nesmith's seventh solo album of his post-Monkees career and his first to be released under his own record label, Pacific Arts. It includes a novella meant to be read while listening to the album as its "soundtrack". In 1994 Nesmith recorded a... |
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| 2000 | (Rio Records Pacific Arts Corporation The Pacific Arts Corporation, Inc. is a company formed by Michael Nesmith circa 1974 to manage and develop media projects, including the medium and the content. The company is associated with a "drawing" dove logo.-History:... ) |
Timerider: The Adventure Of Lyle Swann (Soundtrack) Timerider: The Adventure Of Lyle Swann (Soundtrack) The soundtrack for Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann was written and recorded by Michael Nesmith for the movie by the same name. The soundtrack represents the only music Nesmith recorded and released from the 1980's.... |
Soundtrack from the 1982 movie | |
| 2005 | (Rio Records Pacific Arts Corporation The Pacific Arts Corporation, Inc. is a company formed by Michael Nesmith circa 1974 to manage and develop media projects, including the medium and the content. The company is associated with a "drawing" dove logo.-History:... ) |
Rays Rays (Michael Nesmith album) Rays is an album by Michael Nesmith, released in 2006. 2000 limited edition numbered copies were produced of the album. Nesmith described the album as a cinematic journey of sound with elements of swing, jazz and instrumental funk that forms what he calls "New Century Modern".The album cover is a... |
music only, no vocals |
Live albums
| Date | Label/Catalog # | Title | Highest Billboard Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/1978 | Pacific Arts PAC7-118 | Live At The Palais Live At The Palais Live at the Palais is a live album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith, initially released in 1978.The material covered on the album was primarily derived from the half-dozen albums Nesmith did on RCA Records in the early 1970s... |
Some copies came with a 3" circular sticker on the cover itself proclaiming "Contains the hit single 'Roll With The Flow.'" | |
| 1999 | Cooking Vinyl | Live at the Britt Festival Live at the Britt Festival Live at the Britt Festival is a live album by Michael Nesmith, released in 1999. It was recorded live at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, OR, in 1991. To prepare for the concert, Nesmith conducted a limited U.S... |
Recorded live at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, OR, in 1991. | |
| 2010 | Road Goes on Forever Records (RGF/ZZBOX1974) | The Amazing ZigZag Concert The Amazing ZigZag Concert The Amazing Zig Zag Concert was a rock concert held at The Roundhouse on 28 April 1974 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Zig Zag Magazine. Described as "one of the gigs of the decade", the concert "has taken on legendary proportions over the years" and featured Michael Nesmith with Red Rhodes,... |
Disc 5 of 5CD Box set recorded in April 1974 |
Compilation albums
| Date | Label/Catalog # | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/1977 | Pacific Arts PAC7-106 | Compilation |
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| 1989 | (Rhino Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes... ) |
The Newer Stuff The Newer Stuff The Newer Stuff is a compilation album by Michael Nesmith, released in 1989. The album was released on vinyl, cassette and CD. The Newer Stuff was the first Nesmith album to be released on compact disc... |
Contains five new tracks and five tracks from "Photon Wing" and "Infinite Rider." CD release featured additional tracks from the LP release. |
| 1991 | (Rhino Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes... ) |
The Older Stuff The Older Stuff The Older Stuff: Best of Michael Nesmith is a compilation album by Michael Nesmith, released in 1991.... |
Greatest hits of RCA recordings. |
| 2008 | (Camden) | Magnetic South Magnetic South Magnetic South could refer to* Magnetic South Pole* South Pole* Magnetic South an album from Michael Nesmith... & Loose Salute Loose Salute Loose Salute is the second solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith during his post-Monkees career. Released by RCA Records in 1970 and dedicated to Tony Richland, it peaked at No... |
paired album release |
| 2008 | (Camden) | Nevada Fighter Nevada Fighter Nevada Fighter is the third solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith during his post-Monkees career. The album is also the third and final album with the First National Band. Released in 1971, it peaked at No... & Tantamount to Treason Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1 Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1 is Michael Nesmith's fourth solo album during his post-Monkees career. Released in 1972, Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1 is the only album Michael Nesmith recorded and released with the Second National Band. An assumed sequel was said to have been recorded but was never... |
paired album release |
| 2008 | (Camden) | And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' is Michael Nesmith's fifth solo album during his post-Monkees career. Recorded and released in 1972, all ten tracks had been composed by Nesmith prior to and during his time as a member of The Monkees.... & Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash is American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith's sixth album of his post-Monkees career. Released in 1973, it did not chart.... |
paired album release |
| 2008 | (Camden) | From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing was released in 1977 and is the ninth album by Michael Nesmith and eighth studio album as a singer/songwriter during his post-Monkees career... & Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma is Michael Nesmith's ninth post-Monkees studio album and the third studio album from his own company, Pacific Arts. To continue developing Pacific Arts' multimedia projects, Nesmith originally developed the album as a "video album"... |
paired album release |
| 2008 | (Camden) | The Wichita Train Whistle Sings The Wichita Train Whistle Sings The Wichita Train Whistle Sings was the first solo album by Michael Nesmith and was recorded while he was still a member of the Monkees. It peaked at No. 144 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.... & Timerider Timerider: The Adventure Of Lyle Swann (Soundtrack) The soundtrack for Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann was written and recorded by Michael Nesmith for the movie by the same name. The soundtrack represents the only music Nesmith recorded and released from the 1980's.... |
paired album release |
Video
- Rio and Cruisin (1981)
- Elephant Parts (1981) (released on DVD 2003)
- The Television Parts Home Companion (1985)
- Dr. Duck's Super-Secret All-Purpose Sauce (1986)
- Nezmusic (1989)
- Live At The Britt Festival (1991) (released on DVD 1999)
- Pacific Arts (2008) (music and DVD released 2008)