The Monkees were an American rock and pop band originally active between 1966 and 1970, with reunion albums and tours in the decades that followed.
Their original line-up consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork with English actor/singer Davy Jones.
The Monkees was conceived in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, specifically for the situation comedy series of the same name, which aired from 1966 to 1968.
The Monkees’ music was initially supervised by record producer Don Kirshner, backed by the songwriting duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.
Don Kirshner viewed the actor/musicians as having questionable commercial viability and limited their involvement during the recording process, though all four members contributed lead vocals to various tracks.
As the band’s members became dissatisfied with the arrangement as well as facing public backlash for not playing on the recordings, they began to push for more production input.
Within a year, the Monkees had gained full control over the recording process, and producer Chip Douglas was brought in to help shape their third album, Headquarters, which featured the band playing most of the instruments, with only the aid of Douglas and few other players.
Micky Dolenz described The Monkees as initially being “a TV show about an imaginary band … that wanted to be The Beatles that was never successful”.
Are any of the Monkees Still Alive in 2021?
Micky Dolenz is the only surviving member of the Monkees in 2021.
Davy Jones died in 2012, Peter Tork in 2019 and Michael Nesmith on 10th December, 2021.