Davy Jones and ‘The Monkees’ TV Show Factbox

During the mid-to-late 1960s it was the London mod craze and the start of the flower power or hippie movement amongst the youth in America. From 1966-1968 NBC aired a television series based on The Beatles film “A Hard Day’s Night” titled “The Monkees.” Its concept was that of a pre-fabricated Beatles-like musical act consisting of three Americans and one British cast of actors/musicians. The British actor and singer, Davy Jones, 66, died Wednesday morning, Feb. 29, according to ABC News.

Jones had an impressive acting resume in England, most notably on the BBC soap opera “Coronation Street,” states USA Today. Only 5-foot-3 in height he trained as a riding jockey. It was during this time period he was encouraged to go into acting. After “Coronation Street” Jones played the character of Artful Dodger in London and Broadway productions of “Oliver Twist.” In 1965 Jones, along with Americans Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith (whose mother invented Liquid Paper or a.k.a. white out), formed the TV show and later pop/rock group, The Monkees. Here are some interesting facts regarding the late Davy Jones and his former cast/bandmates.

* During their brief, but memorable, two-season run on “The Monkees” weekly TV show the group would introduce, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, musical short films of their song releases into the various storylines. This would later evolve into today’s music videos, reports the Associated Press.

* “Last Train to Clarksville” was the Monkees first big hit and their first number one record. Other number one songs included “Daydream Believer” and “I’m A Believer.” Only “Daydream Believer” featured Davy Jones on lead vocals.

* Popular ’70s solo artists Carole King and Neil Diamond were songwriters in the ’60s. They penned some of the Monkees hits “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and one of their best known songs, “I’m A Believer.”

* Music critics, writers, industry insiders and others vehemently criticized The Monkees when it was revealed they did not play their own musical instruments on recordings. This was considered the “autotune and Milli Vanilli” issue of its day.

* Ironically, Jones could play the drums and guitar, Dolenz played guitar and learned drums for his role on the show, Nesmith was a songwriter as well as a guitarist and Tork played bass, keyboards and other musical instruments.

* Rolling Stone magazine in their “Encyclopedia of Rock ‘n’ Roll” dubbed them “the first and perhaps the best of the ’60s and ’70s pre-fabricated pop groups.”

* Davy Jones was only 16 years old when he earned his Tony nomination for “Oliver.”

* Jones had an indelible parodic cameo role in “The Brady Bunch Movie” released in 1995.


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