Australian singles chart:
Different Drum entered the Kent charts on 23 December 1967 and peaked at #7. The song was #48 on the Top 100 of 1968.
Songwriter:
Michael Nesmith
Producer:
Nick Venet
Record label of Australian release:
Capitol
Songfacts:
Mike Nesmith wrote Different Drum in 1964, two years before he joined the made-for-TV group The Monkees. At the time, he was developing his skills as a folk singer – a far cry from the Hollywood-enhanced shenanigans and high-gloss pop songs The Monkees were known for. In 1965, he met John Herald, guitarist for a bluegrass/folk group called The Greenbriar Boys. They played songs for each other, and Herald loved Different Drum. He brought it to his group, slowed down the tempo, and released it on the group’s 1966 album Better Late Than Never! Linda Ronstadt heard this version and recorded it with her group The Stone Poneys (named after the Charlie Patton song Stone Pony Blues), which is by far the best-known version of the song.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/linda-ronstadt/different-drum
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
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