This Legendary Country Musician Played On Mike Nesmith’s Most Beloved Monkees Hit

Nike Nesmith’s songwriting skill is undisputable, and the credit for most of the Monkees‘ hits goes to him. Before their television debut in 1966, they began preparations for their first album, Royal Flush, which has two of Nesmith’s songs. During their initial years, none of the band members was allowed to sing the songs; session musicians recorded their music.

Interestingly, one of the session musicians that sang Nesmith’s tracks in Royal Flush was Glen Campbell, along with a group called The Wrecking Crew. Glen would later become one of country music’s most famous singers.

Which of The Monkees Songs Did Glen Campbell perform?

Glen sang “Sweet Young Thing,” “I Won’t Be The Same Without Her,” and “Mary, Mary,” although “I Won’t Be The Same Without Her” didn’t feature in The Monkees’ catalog of songs until three years after the release of their first album Instant Replay. 

RELATED: WATCH: Glen Campbell’s Nostalgic And Moving Performance Of “These Days”

He also sang Nesmith’s favorite of the band’s songs, “Papa Gene’s Blues.” A year after he was featured on their first album, Glen became a well-known musician with his tunes “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and “Gentle On My Mind,” which won Grammy awards.

In turn, The Monkees guest-starred on the famous country musician’s television series, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, in 1969, where they performed “The Last Train To Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Salesman.”

He also sang with other famous musicians

Apart from The Monkees, Glen was a session musician for Elvis Presley. He sang “All I Need Is the Rain,” “Slowly But Surely,” and “Stay Away Joe.” He also played in Frank Sinatra’s 1966 album, Strangers in the Night.

In a 2008 interview with The Telegraph, the late country musician recalled his experience working with Sinatra, “A guy like Frank, it’s like they don’t laugh much. I always thought he was bashful. He was kind of off-standing until you made him mad, and then he was a tyrant.”