Farewell Davy Jones
Allyson B. Crawford
12 Comments
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing of Davy Jones, lead singer of the MONKEES. Davy was 66 and died yesterday after a heart attack. Many of my friends happen to be huge MONKEES fans and the band is a part of rock n' roll history.
Davy was the star of what was probably the first-ever pop group created just for a television series. Davy was cute, he was British and he could sing. Basically that's a winning combination in any day and age but especially so in the 1960s.
I love the Brady Bunch episode that features Davy Jones. All Marcia Brady wanted was for Davy to perform at her high school prom! As president of the Fillmore Junior High Davy Jones Fan Club, Marcia really did have reason to brag, right? When Marcia couldn't get a hold of Davy (and really, it is hard to reach a famous musician just randomly on a Tuesday after school), she busts into a recording studio, pleads her case to Davy's manager... and gets no where. By the end of the episode, Davy has showed up on Marcia's doorstep to save the day and cemented the episode as just about the single most popular in the entire Brady Bunch series.
Davy Jones wasn't even old when he died yesterday. He didn't feel well, ended up having a heart attack and basically that was that. He had tour dates planned in the coming months and the MONKEES continued to tour off and on over the years. Relive the joy of "Girl," as performed by Davy Jones on the Brady Bunch.
Reader Comments (12)
Wanna see Rock'n'Roll?
Watch the opening montage of their original TV Show. True, it's a spoof off The Beatles' movie, "Help", but here's a case where a knock-off band was almost as good as the original.
There was. Time when The Monkees, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Herman's Hermits, Paul Revere & The Raiders and more all fought nearly equally over the airwaves.
I think the second LP my mother ever bought me was The Monkees eponymous first album (The first: "Meet The Beatles") and my friends and I would ape that title sequence of the show playing "Monkees Theme" over and over (after all, there was no video or DVD action back then.
Now there will never be the chance for a reunion, even tho it never seemed possible with Michael Nesmith vowing to never fully reform the band. Still, Davey and Mickey Dolenz, the voices of the band continued to tour the world right up until Davey's untimely passing.
God Bless and Godspeed, Davey.
Your Rock and Roll will live forever.
As it's been said, the "Pre-Fab Four" were created as an answer to the Beatles, & in the end were almost just as good. They made incredibly good records, (Thank you, Don Kirshner) and were an incredibly popular live act. Consider this, do you know WHO was the opening act on the only American tour the Monkees did? The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Rest In Peace, Davy. You've taken the Last Train to Clarksville, & there will be no cheering up Sleep Jean today.
You will be missed. =(
Love the term, "The Pre-Fab Four". What no one was counting on was the exemplary songwriting team of Boyce & Hart, performing artists in their own right, who penned all The Monkees' enormous hits!
Check out how awesome Boyce & Hart are. Just YouTube "Boyce & Hart, 'Wonder What She's Doin' Tonight?'"
What a time and what a loss. Godlovya! If there's a Rock'n'Roll Heaven, I'm sure you are up there, Davey!
Also remember hearing that Stephen Stills auditioned for one of the roles.
I saw the post breakup Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart play @ Disneyland many times in the 70's! Stephen Stills DID audition for the Monkees, Mike Nesmith's mother invest the office standard, "White-Out" correction fluid, and there's many other amazing facts about these guys... And, they used to hang out & jam w/ Frank Zappa, who had the highest standards for musicianship. Davy deserves much more attention than he's getting. He was certainly more important & iconic than say, Whitney Houston.
Showing nothing but Monkees tv episodes.