A very young Mike Nesmith….Vocal Media
Mike was born in Houston, but after moving and spending his younger years in Dallas, he relocated and lived a lot of his adolescent life in San Antonio.
After being given a guitar for Christmas he honed his skills singing with a number of local groups across the musical spectrum of country, folk and rock and roll.
Mike with his guitar….Memories of Dallas
In 1960, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Lackland AFB. He was later honorably discharged.
A couple of years later while he was studying Speech and Drama at San Antonio College, he won a talent show there with fellow muso John Kuehne ( also known as John London ) performing some well-known folk songs and some Mike Nesmith originals.
Mike Nesmith and John Kuehne ( London )….”16″ magazine Vol 9 Issue 1
He also honed his skills as an entertainer in San Antonio singing and performing at various venues like Sam Kinsey’s legendary Teen Canteen. It opened in 1961 and in those days it was located on Fredericksburg Road, just south of the Woodlawn Theater. To get in it cost 50c, however, you could purchase a six month membership for $1
Photo….The Keystone
According to Mike around this time he would drive all over San Antonio in his Austin Healy Sprite to perform wherever he could. For a time he was a member of the “Trinity River Boys” which also included his friend John Kuehne and a young Michael Martin Murphey ( who later scored a mega hit with “Wildfire”)
On March 16th, 1963, Mike married Phyllis Barbour at the Ft. Sam Houston Chapel in San Antonio.
Mike and Phyllis’ wedding….”16″ magazine
He would also compere and perform at what was then known as “hootenannies”
The term hootenanny was also an old country word for “party”. It could refer to a folk music party with an open mic, at which different performers are welcome to get up and play in front of an audience. He was known then as a “hootmaster”
Well, it was on August 9th, 1963, sixty years ago, that Mike performed at such an event at the iconic La Villita Assembly Hall in San Antonio.
La Villita Assembly Hall….Loopnet
Photo…San Antonio Light
Photo….San Antonio Express News
It was an event to raise money for the “March of Dimes who say that their mission is ….”to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Our goals are to end the preventable maternal health risks and deaths, end preventable preterm birth and infant death, and close the health equity gap.”
Here is a later newspaper report featuring the performers. Do you think Mike is in the picture ?
Photo….San Antonio Light
Mike of course went on to fame and fortune in “The Monkees” and he included San Antonio in their list of hits with the song “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round”
Additional stories:
- Mike is remembered in San Antonio in another way. Driving around Leon Valley you will find the street “Mike Nesmith”
Author photo
- After dropping out of high school at the age of 17, Mike’s mother, Bette, attended secretarial school. She married her high school sweetheart Warren Nesmith, and moved to Houston. Not long after the wedding, Warren went overseas to serve in WW11. Bette discovered she was pregnant, but by the end of the war, she and Warren had gone their separate ways. Now a single mom, she went on to work at the Texas Bank and Trust in Dallas, and eventually worked her way up to become the executive secretary to the Chairman of the Board.
Mike Nesmith and his mom Bette….Blue Ocean Thinking
Bette was becoming increasingly frustrated at always trying to correct typing mistakes. Around this time, in order to earn extra money she got a job painting holiday designs on store windows. She learned that she could correct any mistake she made by simply just painting over it.
This inspired her to go home and experiment with different concoctions so that she could employ that same principle when she was typing. The result was a product she called “Mistake Out” It became so popular at the bank, that she decided to market her invention, and along the way it changed its name to “Liquid Paper”
Bette, who had now remarried and went by the name of Bette Nesmith Graham, did pretty well out of it too. In 1979, she sold her company making the patented correction fluid to Gillette for….$47.5 million dollars !!
Photo….gnbvt
Sources:
Wikipedia
San Antonio Current
Coolcherrycream
Texas Music magazine
New York Times
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