Musician, Actor. He was best known as a member of the The Monkees, a Beatles-styled quartet assembled for NBC's hit 1966-68 musical comedy series. After dropping out of high school, he served two years in the U.S. Air Force, where he acquired a GED. Later, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he became popular at the nightclub Troubador's open-mic nights. He also started recording songs for various labels. In 1965, he landed the role of Mike on the NBC series "The Monkees," a show featuring a quartet modeled after The Beatles. He, along with Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork, went on to star on the show from 1966 to 1968. The group's hit songs included three No. 1 singles, "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer," and three other top-five entries, all of which were propelled by weekly exposure on their network show. Their series ended in 1968 and each group member went on their own. He turned first to performing country-rock songs and then, to writing music. His songwriting turned out to be more popular. In the 1970s, he went into television and video production. He declined a Monkees reunion in the 1980s, but by the late 1990s, had participated in a group's reunion album. Following the passing of Davy Jones in 2012, he, along with Dolenz and Tork, started touring and recording together. He would continue doing reunion shows until his passing.
Musician, Actor. He was best known as a member of the The Monkees, a Beatles-styled quartet assembled for NBC's hit 1966-68 musical comedy series. After dropping out of high school, he served two years in the U.S. Air Force, where he acquired a GED. Later, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he became popular at the nightclub Troubador's open-mic nights. He also started recording songs for various labels. In 1965, he landed the role of Mike on the NBC series "The Monkees," a show featuring a quartet modeled after The Beatles. He, along with Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork, went on to star on the show from 1966 to 1968. The group's hit songs included three No. 1 singles, "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer," and three other top-five entries, all of which were propelled by weekly exposure on their network show. Their series ended in 1968 and each group member went on their own. He turned first to performing country-rock songs and then, to writing music. His songwriting turned out to be more popular. In the 1970s, he went into television and video production. He declined a Monkees reunion in the 1980s, but by the late 1990s, had participated in a group's reunion album. Following the passing of Davy Jones in 2012, he, along with Dolenz and Tork, started touring and recording together. He would continue doing reunion shows until his passing.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
Family Members
Half Siblings
Advertisement
See more Nesmith memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
