Grand Ennui - Music
Grand Ennui by Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Artist Biography For Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith Born Robert Michael Nesmith On December 30 1942 Died December 10 2021 Was An American Singer-Songwriter And Musician Perhaps Best Known As A Member Of The Monkees. A Pioneer Of Country Rock Nesmith Notably Composed "Different Drum" A Hit For Linda Ronstadt By Way Of The Stone Poneys . In 1981 Nesmith Won The Inaugural Grammy Award For Video Of The Year For Elephant Parts A "video Record" Consisting Of Humorous Sketches And Visual Representations Of Songs Breaking New Ground For The Concept Of Music Videos Which Would Shortly Become Ubiquitous With The Advent Of MTV. Biography
Born In Houston Texas Nesmith Was An Only Child And His Parents Warren Audrey Nesmith And Bette Nesmith Graham Separated When He Was Very Young. With His Father Gone Nesmith's Mother Worked As A Secretary. Their Fortunes Changed When Bette Invented Typewriter Correction Fluid Later Known Commercially As Liquid Paper. Nesmith Was An Indifferent Student And In His Teen Years An Occasional Prankster. An Urban Legend Says A Prank With A Firecracker Went Wrong Leaving Nesmith With A Hand Injury And That A Doctor Suggested He Learn To Play Guitar To Recover His Dexterity The Incident Never Actually Happened . An Early Accident With A Hammer Smashed The Ring Finger On Nesmith's Right Hand And He Did Not Learn To Play Guitar Until His Twenties. He Did However Participate In Choral And Drama Activities During His Years At Thomas Jefferson High School In Dallas. He Also Began To Write Verse Poetry. In 1962 Nesmith's Mother Married Robert Graham Triggering A Rebellious Phase For Nesmith. He Took The Family Car Without Permission And Drove To California. Upon His Return He Discovered That His Mother Had Enlisted Him In The U.S. Air Force. Nesmith Was Stationed At Sheppard Air Force Base In Wichita Falls Texas And He Later Claimed That He Had Been Discharged After He Tipped Over A General's Airplane While Washing It. After Leaving The Air Force Nesmith Obtained A G.E.D. And Then Moved In With An Uncle Chick Adair. Nesmith Enrolled In San Antonio College Where He Met John Kuehne Later To Be Known As John London And Began A Musical Collaboration. He Also Met 16-Year-Old Phyllis Ann Barbour Whom He Later Married. During This Time John Kuehne Decided To Move To Los Angeles To Pursue A Musical Career And Nesmith Decided To Follow Him. Nesmith And Barbour Moved Back And Forth From Texas. Nesmith Landed A Role In The Monkees Pilot Which Was Filmed In October 1965. In October 1967 The Episode "Monkees In Texas" Was Filmed In Which A Brief Cameo Appearance Was Given To Nurit Wilde A Socialite And Former Mistress Of John Phillips Of The Mamas & The Papas And Close Friend Of Peter Tork. In Late 1967 Barbour Was Pregnant With The Nesmiths' Second Child When She Suffered A Head Injury In A Car Accident. Because They Were Practicing Christian Scientists They Decided To Just Rest Instead Of Seeking Medical Treatment. Their Second Son Jonathan Was Born In February 1968. Nesmith Was Divorced And Remarried To Kathryn Bild From 1976 To 1988. In 2000 He Married Victoria Kennedy. Early Work
After A Tour Of Duty In The Air Force Nesmith Won A Singing Spot With A Band By Knowing A Number Of Chuck Berry's Songs. He Bought A Guitar With His Parents' Help Learning As He Went And Joined 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 Published A Number Of His Own 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" Were Made Popular By The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band On Their 1970 Album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy. Nesmith Began His Recording Career In 1965 With A One-Off Single Released On Edan Records. He Followed With Two Singles Recorded Under The Name "Michael Blessing" Released On Colpix Records—coincidentally Also The Label Of Davy Jones Though They Had Not Met. The Monkees
From 1965 To Early 1970 Nesmith And Jones Were Members Of The Pop Rock Band The Monkees 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 Kool-Aid Commercial In April 1970. 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." Citation Needed . 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 London 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 & The First National Band And Went On To Record A Trilogy Of Albums For RCA Records In 1970. Nesmith Has Been Considered One Of The Pioneers Of Country-Rock Along With Gram Parsons And Had Moderate Commercial Success With The First National Band. Their Second Single "Joanne " Hit #21 On The Billboard Chart & #17 On Cashbox With The Follow-Up "Silver Moon" Making #42 Billboard/#28 Cashbox. Two More Singles Charted "Nevada Fighter" #70 Billboard/#73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" #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 The Albums They Recorded Remain On Par With The Flying Burrito Brothers Poco And New Riders Of The Purple Sage As Some Of The Best Country-Rock Music. Nesmith Followed Up With The Second National Band A Band That Besides Nesmith Consisted Of Michael Cohen Keyboards And Moog Johnny Meeks Bass Jack Panelli Drums And The Always Present Orville Rhodes Pedal Steel As Well As An Appearance By Singer Musician And Songwriter Jose Feliciano Conga Drums . The Album Album Artist Michael Nesmith & The Second National BandTantamount To Treason Volume One /album Was A Commercial And Critical Disaster. Nesmith Then Decided To Cut One Of The Best Albums Of His Career Featuring Only Him On Guitar And Red Rhodes On Pedal Steel And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'. 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. More Importantly Nesmith Created A Video Clip For "Rio" Which In A Roundabout Way Helped Spur Nesmith's Creation Of A Television Program Called Pop Clips For The Nickelodeon Cable Network. The Concept Was Sold To Time Warner/Amex Who Developed It Into The MTV Network. His Single "Cruisin'" Was The First Video Of The MTV Generation. 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 Inspired By The Video Called Television Parts. Pacific Arts Video Became A Pioneer In The Home Video Market Producing And Distributing A Wide Variety Of Videotaped Programs. Pacific Arts 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. On February 3 1999 A Jury Awarded Nesmith $46.8 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 And A Settlement Was Reached With The Results Kept Confidential. He Was The Executive Producer For The Movies Repo Man Tapeheads 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 Studio Album Rays Was Released On April 4 2006. Since 1990 Nesmith Has Hosted The Council On Ideas A Gathering Of Intellectuals From Different Fields Who Are Asked To Brainstorm Solutions To World Problems. 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. The Live At The Britt Festival Recording Was Released On Both Video And Compact Disc. In 1995 He Reunited With The Monkees To Record Their Last Studio Album And First To Feature All Four Since Head Titled Justus Released In 1996. He Also Wrote And Directed A Monkees Television Special And Briefly Toured The UK With The Band In 1997. He Re-Departed When The Tour Came To America Later In The Year Following Media Criticism Of His Recent Stage Performances. Nesmith Spent A Decade As A Board Of Trustees Member And Nominating Member Of The American Film Institute And Is Currently President And Chairman Of The Board Of Trustees Of The Gihon Foundation. Nesmith's Instigated A Project Titled Videoranch 3D A Virtual Environment On The Internet That Hosts Live Performances At Various Virtual Venues Inside The Ranch. In 2017 He Released A Memoir And Companion "soundtrack" Album Titled Infinite Tuesday An Autobiographical Riff. In 2019 Nesmith Toured Focusing On His 1972 Album And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' In A Two Piece Configuration With Pedal Steel Player Pete Finney The First Time In This Format Since 1974 With Red Rhodes.
50 Similar Tracks:
Michael Nesmith - Nevada Fighter Michael Nesmith - Dedicated Friend The Monkees - Michigan Blackhawk The Monkees - Never Tell A Woman Yes Micky Dolenz - Remember Micky Dolenz - Quiet Desperation Chris Hillman - Clear Sailin' George Harrison - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea John Sebastian - What She Thinks About Chris Hillman - Heartbreaker George Harrison - Mystical One Roger Miller - Hard Headed Me Jerry Reed - East Bound And Down from The Motion Picture "Smokey And The Bandit" Poco - Pickin' Up The Pieces Michael Nesmith & The First National Band - Silver Moon Leon Russell - In The Jailhouse Now Poco - Consequently So Long The Flying Burrito Brothers - Hot Burrito #1 The International Submarine Band - Blue Eyes Don McLean - Everybody Loves Me, Baby Josh Abbott Band - Fall In Love Again The White Buffalo - Wish It Was True Kris Kristofferson - The Best Of All Possible Worlds album Version Crystal Bowersox - Ridin With The Radio Michael Nesmith & The First National Band - Conversations Stephen Stills - Love The One You're With Simon & Garfunkel - We've Got A Groovy Thing Goin' Willie Nelson - The City Of New Orleans Paul McCartney - Heart Of The Country - 2012 Remaster Shelby Lynne - Buttons And Beaus Simon & Garfunkel - A Simple Desultory Philippic Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - A Man's Gotta Know His Limitations Briggs Will Dailey - Hollywood Hills Freddy Fender - Rock No. 5 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "40 Day Dream" Jake Owen - Apple Pie Moonshine Loretta Lynn - The Race Is On Timo Räisänen - I Got You Babe The International Submarine Band - I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known The New Amsterdams - The Smoking Gun Naturi Naughton - Get On The Floor Jack's Mannequin - Restless Dream Sara Haze - Moonshine Good Old War - Looking For Shelter The Flying Burrito Brothers - My Uncle Loretta Lynn - Sometimes You Just Can't Win John Sebastian - Fa-Fana-Fa Derek Webb - Take To The World Bob Dylan - Tell Me That It Isn't True Neil Young - Everybody's Alone
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Biography - Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith Born Robert Michael Nesmith On December 30 1942 Died December 10 2021 Was An American Singer-Songwriter And Musician Perhaps Best Known As A Member Of The Monkees. A Pioneer Of Country Rock Nesmith Notably Composed "Different Drum" A Hit For Linda Ronstadt By Way Of The Stone Poneys . In 1981 Nesmith Won The Inaugural Grammy Award For Video Of The Year For Elephant Parts A "video Record" Consisting Of Humorous Sketches And Visual Representations Of Songs Breaking New Ground For The Concept Of Music Videos Which Would Shortly Become Ubiquitous With The Advent Of MTV. Biography
Born In Houston Texas Nesmith Was An Only Child And His Parents Warren Audrey Nesmith And Bette Nesmith Graham Separated When He Was Very Young. With His Father Gone Nesmith's Mother Worked As A Secretary. Their Fortunes Changed When Bette Invented Typewriter Correction Fluid Later Known Commercially As Liquid Paper. Nesmith Was An Indifferent Student And In His Teen Years An Occasional Prankster. An Urban Legend Says A Prank With A Firecracker Went Wrong Leaving Nesmith With A Hand Injury And That A Doctor Suggested He Learn To Play Guitar To Recover His Dexterity The Incident Never Actually Happened . An Early Accident With A Hammer Smashed The Ring Finger On Nesmith's Right Hand And He Did Not Learn To Play Guitar Until His Twenties. He Did However Participate In Choral And Drama Activities During His Years At Thomas Jefferson High School In Dallas. He Also Began To Write Verse Poetry. In 1962 Nesmith's Mother Married Robert Graham Triggering A Rebellious Phase For Nesmith. He Took The Family Car Without Permission And Drove To California. Upon His Return He Discovered That His Mother Had Enlisted Him In The U.S. Air Force. Nesmith Was Stationed At Sheppard Air Force Base In Wichita Falls Texas And He Later Claimed That He Had Been Discharged After He Tipped Over A General's Airplane While Washing It. After Leaving The Air Force Nesmith Obtained A G.E.D. And Then Moved In With An Uncle Chick Adair. Nesmith Enrolled In San Antonio College Where He Met John Kuehne Later To Be Known As John London And Began A Musical Collaboration. He Also Met 16-Year-Old Phyllis Ann Barbour Whom He Later Married. During This Time John Kuehne Decided To Move To Los Angeles To Pursue A Musical Career And Nesmith Decided To Follow Him. Nesmith And Barbour Moved Back And Forth From Texas. Nesmith Landed A Role In The Monkees Pilot Which Was Filmed In October 1965. In October 1967 The Episode "Monkees In Texas" Was Filmed In Which A Brief Cameo Appearance Was Given To Nurit Wilde A Socialite And Former Mistress Of John Phillips Of The Mamas & The Papas And Close Friend Of Peter Tork. In Late 1967 Barbour Was Pregnant With The Nesmiths' Second Child When She Suffered A Head Injury In A Car Accident. Because They Were Practicing Christian Scientists They Decided To Just Rest Instead Of Seeking Medical Treatment. Their Second Son Jonathan Was Born In February 1968. Nesmith Was Divorced And Remarried To Kathryn Bild From 1976 To 1988. In 2000 He Married Victoria Kennedy. Early Work
After A Tour Of Duty In The Air Force Nesmith Won A Singing Spot With A Band By Knowing A Number Of Chuck Berry's Songs. He Bought A Guitar With His Parents' Help Learning As He Went And Joined 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 Published A Number Of His Own 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" Were Made Popular By The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band On Their 1970 Album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy. Nesmith Began His Recording Career In 1965 With A One-Off Single Released On Edan Records. He Followed With Two Singles Recorded Under The Name "Michael Blessing" Released On Colpix Records—coincidentally Also The Label Of Davy Jones Though They Had Not Met. The Monkees
From 1965 To Early 1970 Nesmith And Jones Were Members Of The Pop Rock Band The Monkees 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 Kool-Aid Commercial In April 1970. 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." Citation Needed . 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 London 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 & The First National Band And Went On To Record A Trilogy Of Albums For RCA Records In 1970. Nesmith Has Been Considered One Of The Pioneers Of Country-Rock Along With Gram Parsons And Had Moderate Commercial Success With The First National Band. Their Second Single "Joanne " Hit #21 On The Billboard Chart & #17 On Cashbox With The Follow-Up "Silver Moon" Making #42 Billboard/#28 Cashbox. Two More Singles Charted "Nevada Fighter" #70 Billboard/#73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" #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 The Albums They Recorded Remain On Par With The Flying Burrito Brothers Poco And New Riders Of The Purple Sage As Some Of The Best Country-Rock Music. Nesmith Followed Up With The Second National Band A Band That Besides Nesmith Consisted Of Michael Cohen Keyboards And Moog Johnny Meeks Bass Jack Panelli Drums And The Always Present Orville Rhodes Pedal Steel As Well As An Appearance By Singer Musician And Songwriter Jose Feliciano Conga Drums . The Album Album Artist Michael Nesmith & The Second National BandTantamount To Treason Volume One /album Was A Commercial And Critical Disaster. Nesmith Then Decided To Cut One Of The Best Albums Of His Career Featuring Only Him On Guitar And Red Rhodes On Pedal Steel And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'. 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. More Importantly Nesmith Created A Video Clip For "Rio" Which In A Roundabout Way Helped Spur Nesmith's Creation Of A Television Program Called Pop Clips For The Nickelodeon Cable Network. The Concept Was Sold To Time Warner/Amex Who Developed It Into The MTV Network. His Single "Cruisin'" Was The First Video Of The MTV Generation. 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 Inspired By The Video Called Television Parts. Pacific Arts Video Became A Pioneer In The Home Video Market Producing And Distributing A Wide Variety Of Videotaped Programs. Pacific Arts 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. On February 3 1999 A Jury Awarded Nesmith $46.8 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 And A Settlement Was Reached With The Results Kept Confidential. He Was The Executive Producer For The Movies Repo Man Tapeheads 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 Studio Album Rays Was Released On April 4 2006. Since 1990 Nesmith Has Hosted The Council On Ideas A Gathering Of Intellectuals From Different Fields Who Are Asked To Brainstorm Solutions To World Problems. 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. The Live At The Britt Festival Recording Was Released On Both Video And Compact Disc. In 1995 He Reunited With The Monkees To Record Their Last Studio Album And First To Feature All Four Since Head Titled Justus Released In 1996. He Also Wrote And Directed A Monkees Television Special And Briefly Toured The UK With The Band In 1997. He Re-Departed When The Tour Came To America Later In The Year Following Media Criticism Of His Recent Stage Performances. Nesmith Spent A Decade As A Board Of Trustees Member And Nominating Member Of The American Film Institute And Is Currently President And Chairman Of The Board Of Trustees Of The Gihon Foundation. Nesmith's Instigated A Project Titled Videoranch 3D A Virtual Environment On The Internet That Hosts Live Performances At Various Virtual Venues Inside The Ranch. In 2017 He Released A Memoir And Companion "soundtrack" Album Titled Infinite Tuesday An Autobiographical Riff. In 2019 Nesmith Toured Focusing On His 1972 Album And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' In A Two Piece Configuration With Pedal Steel Player Pete Finney The First Time In This Format Since 1974 With Red Rhodes. read less
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Born In Houston Texas Nesmith Was An Only Child And His Parents Warren Audrey Nesmith And Bette Nesmith Graham Separated When He Was Very Young. With His Father Gone Nesmith's Mother Worked As A Secretary. Their Fortunes Changed When Bette Invented Typewriter Correction Fluid Later Known Commercially As Liquid Paper. Nesmith Was An Indifferent Student And In His Teen Years An Occasional Prankster. An Urban Legend Says A Prank With A Firecracker Went Wrong Leaving Nesmith With A Hand Injury And That A Doctor Suggested He Learn To Play Guitar To Recover His Dexterity The Incident Never Actually Happened . An Early Accident With A Hammer Smashed The Ring Finger On Nesmith's Right Hand And He Did Not Learn To Play Guitar Until His Twenties. He Did However Participate In Choral And Drama Activities During His Years At Thomas Jefferson High School In Dallas. He Also Began To Write Verse Poetry. In 1962 Nesmith's Mother Married Robert Graham Triggering A Rebellious Phase For Nesmith. He Took The Family Car Without Permission And Drove To California. Upon His Return He Discovered That His Mother Had Enlisted Him In The U.S. Air Force. Nesmith Was Stationed At Sheppard Air Force Base In Wichita Falls Texas And He Later Claimed That He Had Been Discharged After He Tipped Over A General's Airplane While Washing It. After Leaving The Air Force Nesmith Obtained A G.E.D. And Then Moved In With An Uncle Chick Adair. Nesmith Enrolled In San Antonio College Where He Met John Kuehne Later To Be Known As John London And Began A Musical Collaboration. He Also Met 16-Year-Old Phyllis Ann Barbour Whom He Later Married. During This Time John Kuehne Decided To Move To Los Angeles To Pursue A Musical Career And Nesmith Decided To Follow Him. Nesmith And Barbour Moved Back And Forth From Texas. Nesmith Landed A Role In The Monkees Pilot Which Was Filmed In October 1965. In October 1967 The Episode "Monkees In Texas" Was Filmed In Which A Brief Cameo Appearance Was Given To Nurit Wilde A Socialite And Former Mistress Of John Phillips Of The Mamas & The Papas And Close Friend Of Peter Tork. In Late 1967 Barbour Was Pregnant With The Nesmiths' Second Child When She Suffered A Head Injury In A Car Accident. Because They Were Practicing Christian Scientists They Decided To Just Rest Instead Of Seeking Medical Treatment. Their Second Son Jonathan Was Born In February 1968. Nesmith Was Divorced And Remarried To Kathryn Bild From 1976 To 1988. In 2000 He Married Victoria Kennedy. Early Work
After A Tour Of Duty In The Air Force Nesmith Won A Singing Spot With A Band By Knowing A Number Of Chuck Berry's Songs. He Bought A Guitar With His Parents' Help Learning As He Went And Joined 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 Published A Number Of His Own 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" Were Made Popular By The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band On Their 1970 Album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy. Nesmith Began His Recording Career In 1965 With A One-Off Single Released On Edan Records. He Followed With Two Singles Recorded Under The Name "Michael Blessing" Released On Colpix Records—coincidentally Also The Label Of Davy Jones Though They Had Not Met. The Monkees
From 1965 To Early 1970 Nesmith And Jones Were Members Of The Pop Rock Band The Monkees 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 Kool-Aid Commercial In April 1970. 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." Citation Needed . 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 London 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 & The First National Band And Went On To Record A Trilogy Of Albums For RCA Records In 1970. Nesmith Has Been Considered One Of The Pioneers Of Country-Rock Along With Gram Parsons And Had Moderate Commercial Success With The First National Band. Their Second Single "Joanne " Hit #21 On The Billboard Chart & #17 On Cashbox With The Follow-Up "Silver Moon" Making #42 Billboard/#28 Cashbox. Two More Singles Charted "Nevada Fighter" #70 Billboard/#73 Cashbox & "Propinquity" #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 The Albums They Recorded Remain On Par With The Flying Burrito Brothers Poco And New Riders Of The Purple Sage As Some Of The Best Country-Rock Music. Nesmith Followed Up With The Second National Band A Band That Besides Nesmith Consisted Of Michael Cohen Keyboards And Moog Johnny Meeks Bass Jack Panelli Drums And The Always Present Orville Rhodes Pedal Steel As Well As An Appearance By Singer Musician And Songwriter Jose Feliciano Conga Drums . The Album Album Artist Michael Nesmith & The Second National BandTantamount To Treason Volume One /album Was A Commercial And Critical Disaster. Nesmith Then Decided To Cut One Of The Best Albums Of His Career Featuring Only Him On Guitar And Red Rhodes On Pedal Steel And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'. 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. More Importantly Nesmith Created A Video Clip For "Rio" Which In A Roundabout Way Helped Spur Nesmith's Creation Of A Television Program Called Pop Clips For The Nickelodeon Cable Network. The Concept Was Sold To Time Warner/Amex Who Developed It Into The MTV Network. His Single "Cruisin'" Was The First Video Of The MTV Generation. 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 Inspired By The Video Called Television Parts. Pacific Arts Video Became A Pioneer In The Home Video Market Producing And Distributing A Wide Variety Of Videotaped Programs. Pacific Arts 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. On February 3 1999 A Jury Awarded Nesmith $46.8 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 And A Settlement Was Reached With The Results Kept Confidential. He Was The Executive Producer For The Movies Repo Man Tapeheads 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 Studio Album Rays Was Released On April 4 2006. Since 1990 Nesmith Has Hosted The Council On Ideas A Gathering Of Intellectuals From Different Fields Who Are Asked To Brainstorm Solutions To World Problems. 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. The Live At The Britt Festival Recording Was Released On Both Video And Compact Disc. In 1995 He Reunited With The Monkees To Record Their Last Studio Album And First To Feature All Four Since Head Titled Justus Released In 1996. He Also Wrote And Directed A Monkees Television Special And Briefly Toured The UK With The Band In 1997. He Re-Departed When The Tour Came To America Later In The Year Following Media Criticism Of His Recent Stage Performances. Nesmith Spent A Decade As A Board Of Trustees Member And Nominating Member Of The American Film Institute And Is Currently President And Chairman Of The Board Of Trustees Of The Gihon Foundation. Nesmith's Instigated A Project Titled Videoranch 3D A Virtual Environment On The Internet That Hosts Live Performances At Various Virtual Venues Inside The Ranch. In 2017 He Released A Memoir And Companion "soundtrack" Album Titled Infinite Tuesday An Autobiographical Riff. In 2019 Nesmith Toured Focusing On His 1972 Album And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' In A Two Piece Configuration With Pedal Steel Player Pete Finney The First Time In This Format Since 1974 With Red Rhodes. read less
16 Similar Artists To Michael Nesmith - Frogtoon Music
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band The Flying Burrito Brothers Gene Clark Gram Parsons George Harrison Dillard & Clark Neil Young The International Submarine Band Harry Nilsson John Sebastian Poco Iris DeMent Emmylou Harris Stephen Stills Arlo Guthrie The Stills-Young Band.