Micky Dolenz shared decades of music and friendship with The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith, but one of his most meaningful moments came just a few months before the death of his last living bandmate.
In May 2021, Dolenz released an album featuring songs written by Nesmith. While the project was already a deeply personal tribute to his friend’s songwriting legacy, six months later it took on a more poignant meaning.
The album, Dolenz Sings Nesmith, focused on Nesmith’s country rock catalog. The wool-cap-wearing Monkees star was a prolific songwriter, so Dolenz had plenty of songs to choose from. Dolenz put his own spin on Nesmith songs such as “Carlisle Wheeling,” “Different Drum” and ”Propinquity (I’ve Just Begun to Care).”
In 2021, 7A Records announced the release of Dolenz Sings Nesmith, Dolenz’s first solo studio album in nine years. Noting that it was recorded between September 2020 and February 2021 and produced by Nesmith’s son, Christian, the label added that the reimagined songs included covers from the critically acclaimed Michael Nesmith & the First National Band albums, as well as a few Monkees deep cuts.
Nesmith died on Dec. 10, 2021, a little over six months after Dolenz released the tribute to his songwriting.
Dolenz once revealed he came up with the idea for Dolenz Sings Nesmith years before it came to fruition.
“One of my dearest friends was Harry Nilsson. He recorded an album in the ‘70s, Nilsson Sings Newman. I was at some of the sessions. It stuck in the back of my mind, I guess, 40-50 years,” Dolenz told TCM in an interview.
He later told Nesmith, “I’d love to do a Dolenz sings [Mike] Nesmith album. [He said] ‘Well, that’d be nice.’ He even offered up some song choices.”
Even though the seed was planted, the project didn’t get off the ground right away.
Dolenz told Rolling Stone, “It just kind of sat there for years because we were recording and had other stuff. But then 7A asked me if I had a solo project I wanted to do. I mentioned that and they jumped on it. That’s kind of how it happened. And then Christian got involved and it really took off.”
Nesmith was able to appreciate Dolenz’s tribute to him in the months before his death. In May 2021, Dolenz told Variety his friend personally told him that he appreciated his work on the project. “I had lunch face-to-face with Nez yesterday, and he said, ‘You know, Mick, I not only like it, I am really proud of it,’” the Monkees singer shared.
Related: Micky Dolenz Looks Back on the Monkees’ Wild Summer of Love Tour With Jimi Hendrix Nearly 60 Years Later