Like most musicians, The Monkees Mike Nesmith felt the influence of Elvis Presley’s music as a young man. Presley made his mark on the sounds of the 1950s and early 60s and how musicians performed. However, Presley’s influence went way beyond his music for The Monkees guitarist. Nesmith and the king of rock and roll had a legendary history together without meeting.
Elvis Presley became a rock and roll superstar 12 years before The Monkees’ debut
Shortly after graduating from Humes High School in June 1953, Elvis Presley began to explore the idea of a music career. That July, he entered Sun Studios, where he cut a 45-RPM record, “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin.”
One year later, in 1954, Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black entered Sun Studios to record “That’s All Right Mama.” This single would propel Presley into the rock and roll history books almost 70 years after its release.
Presley’s star continued to rise throughout the 1950s and early 1960s until he entered the United States Army. This two-year reprieve from recording and touring reset the music industry, and Presley watched as a new crop of teen idols took over the scene. These included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and other British and American bands that embodied new music and styles eager teens embraced
The Monkees were one of these bands. Debuting in 1966, they came to popularity via their eponymous television series and would go on to break their records. The band consisted of Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones.
At this same time, Presley was still under contract with MGM Studios and would not return to full-time recording until the late 1960s. His 1969 comeback special allowed Presley to reinvent himself as a performer, but he was chasing the music of these 1960s music trailblazers.
Elvis Presley and Mike Nesmith are forever linked without ever meeting
In an interview with Medium, Mike Nesmith was asked about his connection to Elvis Presley. He and the king of rock and roll never met despite being in the music industry during the same period.
Presley TCB Band member James Burton, pianist Glen D. Hardin, drummer Ronnie Tutt, and bassist Jerry Scheff played on The Monkees records and Nesmith’s solo material in The First National Band.
A member of Nesmith’s 2017 band, Paul Leim, also drummed for the king of Rock and Roll. Also, Presley’s last record producer, Felton Jarvis, signed Nesmith to RCA Victor, Presley’s record label. Within a year of The First National Band’s dissolution, Nesmith and Rhodes, augmented by several members of Elvis’ touring band and Jose Feliciano, returned with The Second National Band
Nesmith’s connection to Presley was not lost on the guitarist. He said, “Of course, the Elvis connection is not lost on me — and all those you mention were very active in my songwriting and recording life. Nevertheless, I was a little young to appreciate Elvis. He was a bit beyond me.”
Mike Nesmith was more influenced by other artists rather than Elvis Presley
In the Medium interview, Mike Nesmith claimed other artists of the 1950s influenced him more than Elvis Presley. He was very inspired by a legendary guitarist, calling them a “life changer.”
Nesmith said, “My first solid musical connection came from Bo Diddley when I saw him perform at Louann’s nightclub in Dallas. I saw him three times.”
He continued, “That was a life changer for me. I walked in the door with Hank Williams and, to a lesser degree, Carl Perkins and walked out with Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed. It made for a nice stew and lasted for a long time.”
Mike Nesmith continued to write and record until his December 2021 death. Just one month prior, he completed a tour with fellow Monkees band member Micky Dolenz titled “The Monkees Farewell Tour.”
