Michael Nesmith: Some of Shelly's Blues
[purchase]
Michael Nesmith was a member of The Monkees... but don't hold that against him. I will admit to being a fan of the "Pre-fab Four," as I was still an impressionable child during the Monkees revival of the '80s. I loved the show, loved the music... still do. It's a guilty pleasure.
Nesmith was the only member of the group who had a background in music before the Monkee phenomenon of the 60's. In fact, Nesmith fought for the right to have some of his own songs included on the early Monkees albums when the other members of the group couldn't even play their instruments. Some of those songs ("Papa Gene's Blues" "Mary Mary" "The Kind of Girl I Could Love") were among my favorites as a kid.
Twenty years later, I found out that Michael Nesmith also had a solo career and was at the vanguard of the country-rock movement in the 1970's. This song appears on Nesmith's 1973 release Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stache. It's probably my favorite Nesmith solo tune.
Bonus Michael Nesmith fun facts:
Nesmith formed the multimedia company Pacific Arts in 1974 and helped pioneer the music video as an art form. Nesmith was awarded the first Music Video Grammy in 1981 for his home video Elephant Parts.
Nesmith's mother, Bette, invented Liquid Paper.
[purchase]
Michael Nesmith was a member of The Monkees... but don't hold that against him. I will admit to being a fan of the "Pre-fab Four," as I was still an impressionable child during the Monkees revival of the '80s. I loved the show, loved the music... still do. It's a guilty pleasure.
Nesmith was the only member of the group who had a background in music before the Monkee phenomenon of the 60's. In fact, Nesmith fought for the right to have some of his own songs included on the early Monkees albums when the other members of the group couldn't even play their instruments. Some of those songs ("Papa Gene's Blues" "Mary Mary" "The Kind of Girl I Could Love") were among my favorites as a kid.
Twenty years later, I found out that Michael Nesmith also had a solo career and was at the vanguard of the country-rock movement in the 1970's. This song appears on Nesmith's 1973 release Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stache. It's probably my favorite Nesmith solo tune.
Bonus Michael Nesmith fun facts:
Nesmith formed the multimedia company Pacific Arts in 1974 and helped pioneer the music video as an art form. Nesmith was awarded the first Music Video Grammy in 1981 for his home video Elephant Parts.
Nesmith's mother, Bette, invented Liquid Paper.