Singer/Songwriter; Country Rock Houston, Texas; December 30, 1942- 1965; in L.A., auditions for a new TV series The Monkees are held, and Michael Nesmith beats out Charles Manson and Stephen Stills for one of four parts. The Monkees rolled on through four years of saccharine pop hits and a silly sitcom while Nesmith chafed under such a restricted role. Originally a mainstay on the L.A. folk scene, Nesmith eventually left the Monkees and returned to these roots. In 1968, he recorded Wichita Train Whistle Sings and in 1969 formed the country rock outfit, the First National Band. Most prominent among the members of the band was steel guitarist Red Rhodes who had a regular gig at the legendary Palomino Club, worked on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and had won ACM's Steel Guitarist of the Year from 1965-1968. He was also a session man for many pop rock acts of the day including the Monkees. This association led him to Nesmith and three albums with the First National Band (Magnetic South; Loose Salute; Nevada Fighter) which began as straight ahead country but evolved toward a more adventurous country sound highlighted by Nesmith's literate lyrics and Rhodes' steel. After the demise of the First National Band, they collaborated as the Second National Band on Tantamount to Treason and on And the Hits Keep on Coming which compiled a number of Nesmith's songs ("Different Drum"; "Some of Shelley's Blues," etc.) that had been hits for other artists. In 1972, Nesmith formed the Countryside record label and produced works by Ian Matthews and Red Rhodes (Velvet Hammer in a Cowboy Band), but it was soon axed by parent label Elektra. So, Nesmith formed another label, Pacific Arts, in 1974 and released the controversial multi-media recording The Prison and then From a Radio Engine to a Photon Wing which yielded the Nesmith produced video Rio. Through his work in this medium, Nesmith began to see the possibilities of music video and became a pioneer with his show Popclips which later evolved into MTV. Spurred on by these early successes, Nesmith moved further into film with a full-length music video Elephant Parts (won the first ever video Grammy) and then with feature films such as Square Dance, Repo Man, and Tapeheads. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Nesmith explored video and expanded Pacific Arts into a major audio and film making force. "The Nez" occasionally put out compilations of his early work and a new album here and there, did a film version of Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and a tour with the Hellecasters in the mid-1990's. His first novel, The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora, was published in 1998 and recounts the spiritual journey of a musician in search of the voice of the title character. A follow-up, the America Gene, was reportedly centered on something he calls "The Elvis Paradigm." --David Goodman, author of Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Music Guide and Directory