Also known as the Pre-Fab Four, The Monkees consisted of Davy Jones (vocals, tambourine, maracas), Micky Dolenz (vocals, drums, guitar), Peter Tork (vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, banjo), and Michael Nesmith. (vocals, guitar, keyboards). This Los Angeles, California band’s genre has been called Pop rock, bubblegum pop, and psychedelic pop.
The band formed in 1966 and remained active through 1971. Reunion tours and albums would follow. In 1965, Robert “Rob” Rafelson and Bert Schneider assembled the four men for The Monkees, an American television series that aired between 1966 and 1968. Davy Jones was the only non-American, having hailed from England. Initially, Don Kirshner presided over music production.
In the beginning, both Nesmith and Tork contributed to song production, but on a limited basis. Eventually the band collectively supervised all musical production for The Monkees. The television series was cancelled in 1968, but the band remained intact and active through 1971. Reunion tours and new records started up again in 1986 after the television show was rebroadcast. The Monkees’ lead singer Davy Jones died in February 2012, but the three surviving members gathered for a brief tour during the last two months of 2012.
“The Monkees had a number of international hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", and "Daydream Believer". “I am a Believer” was the top-charting American single of 1977. It was Billboard’s #1 for seven weeks. “Daydream Believer” tied for third in 1967. At its peak in 1967, the band outsold both the Beatles and Rolling Stones.
The Monkees received its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989; all four members were present for the ceremony. Between 1966 and 1970, The Monkees released 185 songs on 9 stereo albums, 5 mono albums, and 9 non-LP singles. The final song they recorded was "It's Got To Be Love". As of 2012, the band's albums and singles have sold over 65 million copies worldwide.” -wikipedia.org
The Monkee’s was responsible for introducing musician Tim Buckley to a national audience. Buckley made his first appearance in the series finale, "The Frodis Caper" (aka "Mijacogeo").
