John Carl Kuehne (February 6, 1942 – February 12, 2000), better known as John London, was an American

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, and was involved in several Hollywood

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

productions. He was most notably associated with both the band

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

and their

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

. Kuehne was born in

Brazos County, Texas Brazos County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 233,849. The county seat is Bryan, Texas, Bryan. Along with Brazoria County, Texas, Brazoria ...

.Texas, Birth Index, 1903–1997
database, FamilySearch (accessed 2 September 2015), John Carl Kuehne, 06 Feb 1942; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services. He became a friend of

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith or Mike Nesmith, (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series ''The Monkees'' (1966� ...

, who had played with him (mostly

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

) in several working bands. He accompanied Nesmith and then-wife Phyllis Barbour to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to try their luck in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

-area music scene. When Nesmith was cast in ''The Monkees'', he recruited London as his stand-in on the set, and when the originally-fictitious band began playing on their own recordings, London sometimes served as bassist, allowing

Peter Tork Peter Halsten Thorkelson (February 13, 1942 – February 21, 2019), better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the keyboardist and bass guitarist of the Monkees and a co-star of the TV ...

to play

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

, or another instrument. London also co-wrote "Don't Call On Me" with Nesmith, which was featured on '' Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.'' and a second-season TV episode, and appeared in bit parts on the show. London also played bass for other L.A.-based bands. In 1970, he and Nesmith, who had decided to leave the Monkees, formed a new group with pedal steel guitar ace

Red Rhodes Orville J. Rhodes, better known as Red Rhodes or O. J. Rhodes (December 30, 1930 – August 20, 1995), was an American pedal steel guitarist. His mother taught him to play the Dobro at the age of five, but at the age of fifteen he switched to ...

and drummer John Ware. Calling themselves the

First National Band The First National Band or Michael Nesmith and The First National Band was a short-lived American collaborative band, led by Monkee Michael Nesmith. During the two active years, The First National Band released three albums in the country rock ...

, the group signed with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. While praised for their country rock innovations, the band had little commercial success, and eventually broke up. Years after the Monkees and the First National Band, London served as

key grip In North American filmmaking a key grip is a senior role for an experienced professional on every set. Their responsibilities are extensive and range from supervising grip crews, assessing what equipment is necessary for each shooting locatio ...

on several different productions, including '' 48 Hrs.'', ''Who Will Love My Children?'', ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

'', ''

Long Time Gone "Long Time Gone" is a bluegrass song by American musician Darrell Scott, originally recorded by him on his 2000 album ''Real Time'' which Scott recorded together with Tim O'Brien. The song was later covered by the American band Dixie Chicks, an ...

'', and ''

Hudson Hawk ''Hudson Hawk'' is a 1991 American action comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. Bruce Willis stars in the title role and also co-wrote both the story and the theme song. Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn, David Caruso, Lorraine To ...

''. He died in

Rockport, Texas Rockport is a city in Aransas County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. Rockport is adjacent to the town of Fulton, and many refer to the combined communities as "Rockport-Fulton"; howev ...

on February 12, 2000, aged 58.

References

External links

* 1942 births 2000 deaths American rock songwriters American rock singers The Monkees American male singer-songwriters American session musicians American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists 20th-century American singers American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century bass guitarists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Texas The First National Band members {{US-singer-songwriter-stub