Michael Nesmith

Born in Houston, Texas, on December 30, 1942, Michael Nesmith was an American musician who gained fame as a member of The Monkees before embarking upon a solo career in 1968. The Monkees were assembled in 1966 and proved to be a wildly successful pop band, with Nesmith contributing songs like "Listen to the Band" and "You May Just be the One" to the group's catalog. Following The Monkees' breakup in 1968, he immediately launched a solo career with The Wichita Train Whistle Sings. Magnetic South followed in 1970 and included Nesmith's first solo hit, "Joane," which went to Number 6 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart. Three months later, the song "Silver Moon" reached Number 7. In total, Nesmith released eleven albums in the 1970s, with highlights including Nevada Fighter (1971), Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash (1973), and The Michael Nesmith Radio Special (1979). He also collaborated with artists such as John Ware and Orville "Red" Rhodes and developed an interest in producing music videos. One of them, "Michael Nesmith in Elephant Parts," won the Grammy Award for Best Video of the Year in 1981. After focusing on his film projects for much of the 1980s, he returned to recording in 1992 with the release of Tropical Campfires and he was nominated for the Best New Age Album Grammy Award in 1994 for The Garden. He formed the First National Band and the Second National Band and performed with surviving members of The Monkees during various anniversaries. Tragically, a tour with fellow member Mickey Dolenz was cut short when Nesmith suffered congestive heart failure, and he subsequently underwent quadrupal bypass surgery in July 2018. His health continued to decline, and he succumbed to heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California, on December 10, 2021. He was 78 years old.

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