John London

Who was John London?

John Carl Kuehne, better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions. He was most notably associated with both the band The Monkees and their television series.

A friend of Michael Nesmith's from Texas, who had played with him in several working bands, he accompanied Nesmith and then-wife Phyllis Barbour to California to try their luck in the Los Angeles-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 to play keyboards, banjo, 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 and drummer John Ware. Calling themselves the First National Band, the group signed with RCA Records.