Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, and novelist. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). His songwriting credits include “Different Drum”, which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.
After the break-up of the Monkees, Nesmith continued his successful songwriting and performing career, first with the seminal country rock group the First National Band, with whom he had a top-40 hit, “Joanne”, and then as a solo artist. He often played a custom-built Gretsch 12-string electric with the Monkees and afterwards.
In the early 1980s, he was asked to help produce and create MTV, but had prior commitments with his production company. In 1981, he won the first Grammy Award for Video of the Year for his hour-long television show, Elephant Parts. He was also an executive producer of the film Repo Man (1984).
The Monkees in 1966 (Nesmith at bottom right):
As he prepared for his exit from The Monkees, Nesmith was approached by John Ware of The Corvettes, a band that featured Nesmith’s Texas band mate and close friend John London. London 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’s interest hinged on noted pedal steel player Orville “Red” Rhodes; their musical partnership continued until Rhodes’s death in 1995. The new band was christened Michael Nesmith and the First National Band and recorded three albums for RCA Records in 1970.
Nesmith’s First National Band is now considered a pioneer of country-rock music. Nesmith wrote most of the songs for the band, including the single “Joanne”, which received some airplay and was a moderate chart hit for seven weeks during 1970, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Top 40. Nesmith is considered one of the pioneers of country rock.[18] He also had moderate commercial success with the First National Band. Their second single, “Joanne,” hit number 21 on the Billboard chart, number 17 on Cashbox, and number four in Canada, with the follow-up “Silver Moon” making number 42 Billboard, number 28 Cashbox, and number 13 in Canada. Two more singles charted (“Nevada Fighter” made number 70 Billboard, number 73 Cashbox, and number 67 Canada, and “Propinquity” reached number 95 Cashbox), and the first two LPs charted in the lower regions of the Billboard album chart. No clear answer has ever been given for the band’s breakup.
Magnetic South is the first solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith during his post-Monkees career. Released by RCA Records in 1970, the album peaked at Number 143 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts and Number 49 in Canada. Magnetic South is considered an early example of country rock. A single, ” Joanne/One Rose” was taken from the album and reached Number 21 on the Billboard singles charts and Number 6 on the Adult Contemporary charts, and also reached #5 on the Australian chart. It was the highest position of Nesmith’s solo career.
Nesmith formed the backing group “The First National Band” and gave them billing on both the cover and label of the record. Band member John London had previously played bass on several Monkees tracks and appeared as an extra on several episodes of the TV show, while Red Rhodes had played on a few 1969 Monkees tracks, notably “Steam Engine.”
Five of the album’s eleven tracks are from Nesmith’s career with The Monkees. The first four tracks were recorded in 1968-69 for The Monkees, while “Hollywood” was also recorded in 1968 but first demoed by Nesmith for possible inclusion on The Monkees 1967 album Headquarters. As Nesmith would attempt to distance himself from The Monkees, he did, however, dedicate the album to Bert Schneider, David, Micky, and Peter (as well as to Lester Sill). Nesmith would not allude to or mention the Monkees by name again until The Michael Nesmith Radio Special, nine years later.
RCA producer Felton Jarvis was given production credit even though he did no actual production work — the credit is primarily a thanks to Jarvis, given that he’d helped sign The First National Band to RCA Records. Jarvis would also be the only person listed as a producer of Michael Nesmith albums other than Nesmith himself.
Magnetic South didn’t set the world on fire commercially, but did succeed in reinventing Nesmith and helping him escape from his image as a Monkee. During one of the band’s first gigs, they played alongside Gram Parsons and the brand new Flying Burrito Brothers. Nesmith recalls how others seeing a former Monkee decked out in a Nudie suit with a steel player in tow must have been laughable to seasoned Country devotees, such as Parsons. However, their unique sound was enough to win over the LA club scene and create a new image for Nesmith. (wikipedia)
Anyone who’d been listening closely to the songs Michael Nesmith wrote while a member of the Monkees (or heard his hard to find 1968 solo debut for Dot) already knew that Nesmith had a soft spot for country music. But when Nesmith left the pre-Fab Four to form the First National Band, he dove head first into the twangy stuff, and if he wasn’t the first guy to merge country and rock (Gram Parsons easily beat him to the punch on that), he was certainly doing it well before country-rock became the next big thing, and Magnetic South made it clear he had his own distinct way of bringing the two genres together. Nesmith put together a top-flight band who sound at once relaxed and thoroughly committed, whether easing through a laid-back number like “Joanne” or kicking up some dust on “Mama Nantucket”; O.J. “Red” Rhodes’ pedal steel work is superb throughout, while bassist John London and drummer John Ware offer strong, unobtrusive support (the great Earl P. Hall also sits in on piano).
And though the phrase “cosmic cowboy” wasn’t coined for Nesmith, it could have been; here, he indulges himself in a consciously poetic and philosophical lyrical style that’s a good bit more abstract than one would expect from a former Monkee, though Nesmith’s dry sense of humor is always lurking around the corner, ready to rescue him when he slips too deep into pretension. Mixing a country sound with a rocker’s instincts and blending airy thoughts on the nature of life and love with iconography of life in the West that brought together the old and the new, Michael Nesmith reveled in contradictions on Magnetic South, making them sound as comfortable as well-worn cowboy boots and as fun as a Saturday night barn dance. It’s a minor masterpiece of country-rock, and while the Eagles may have sold more records, Nesmith yodels a hell of a lot better than any of them. (by Mark Deming)
Personnel:
John London (bass)
Michael Nesmith (vocals, guitar)
Red Rhodes (pedal steel-guitar)
John Ware (drums)
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Earl P. Ball (piano)
Glen Hardin – piano, keyboards, tracks 12-16
Tracklist:
01. Calico Girlfriend (Nesmith) 2.36
02. Nine Times Blue (Nesmith) 1.36
03. Little Red Rider (Nesmith) 2.39
04. The Crippled Lion (Nesmith) 3.13
05. Joanne (Nesmith) 3.11
06. First National Rag (Rhodes) 0.22
07. Mama Nantucket (Nesmith) 2.39
08. Keys To The Car (Nesmith) 2.56
09. Hollywood (Nesmith) 5.07
10. One Rose (Del Lyon/McIntyre) 3.27
11. Beyond The Blue Horizon (Whiting/Harling/Robin) 5.50
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12. Hollywood (alternate version) (Nesmith) 2.26
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