FLOW BACK IN TIME: HEY, HEY WE’RE THE MONKEES!

By Sharon Schultz

Who doesn’t remember the British music invasion of the 1960’s? It forever altered the direction music would take going forward. Singers like Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and Paul Anka ruled the AM radio waves. Then, along came The Beatles from Liverpool, England, and everything changed.

Not to be outdone, it was the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) who introduced America’s version of the UK’s Fab Four, The Monkees. The show premiered Sept. 12, 1966, on NBC. In the beginning, it was the television aspect of the project that received most of the attention. It was to be a prime-time, half-hour, comedy show. The music was incidental. 

Four young actors were hired to play the fictitious, comedy show band called The Monkees. Two of those actors were serious musicians, and two were professional singers. But they were hired for their acting talents and the fact that they looked the part. Like The Beatles, The Monkees were four, long-haired young men, with a passion for music, who grew into a phenomenally successful band. But it wasn’t supposed to be that way. It was created for television after all.

As for the actors’ credentials, Mickey Dolenz came from a show business family. His father was an actor, and he himself landed the TV role of Circus Boy when he was just 10 years old. Dolenz’s contribution to the band was drums and vocals. Likewise, Davy Jones was a child star, a singer on the British stage appearing in many productions. He would be the Monkees lead singer with his trusty tambourine in hand.

Both Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were experienced musicians in addition to their acting abilities. Both held guitar positions in the band and in reality both were songwriters and quite eager to write their own music and lyrics – and here lies the problem.

NBC was more than happy to use studio musicians on the show and let the lads focus their talents on the comedic aspects of the television program. They were not allowed to play their own instruments on their early songs as long as NBC had control. But the network hadn’t counted on the success of the music or the ingenuity of the boys in the band. 

As The Monkees’ popularity soared, their songs began to climb the charts. The single records they recorded led to the recording of albums which led to the ultimate high, touring. But the higher they climbed, the more control the musicians wanted. 

“Daydream Believer,” “I’m a Believer,” (written by Neil Diamond) and “Last Train to Clarksville,” are just a few of the more than 200 songs and 13 albums released by The Monkees. “Last Train to Clarksville” was their single record debut and the first major hit that put them in the Top 10 record charts. 

The Monkees’ third album, released in 1967, “Headquarters,” was the first time the artists were allowed to leave their marks on the music. Until that time, the members of the band felt that they were merely “celebrities performing a role, rather than genuine artists expressing their vision.”

Although they had achieved artistic license, clashes with producers and the network remained ongoing. Inevitable artistic differences occurred as each musician went off in pursuit of their own interests, and their new direction began to veer away from the bubblegum pop music that their fans had fallen in love with. The Monkees TV show aired its final episode on March 25, 1968. The Monkees’ growth as a band had become a double-edged sword.

In the aftermath of The Monkees cancellation on television, the members continued to write and record music and tour around the country, even doing reunion concerts in later years. The official dissolution of The Monkees came in 1971 with the departure of Peter Tork, who later became a music teacher. Michael Nesmith, the musical innovator, left a welcome mark on the development of the country rock and music video industries.

Mickey Dolenz flipped his life around when he moved from the front of the camera, to behind it. He opted to try his hand at directing with successful results. Davy Jones returned to his theater roots on the New York stage as an actor and musician/singer. 

The Monkees’ lasting legacy has to be their willingness to break free from the boundaries of a predetermined career to embark on one of artistic freedom and individual creativity. They will be remembered not only as a pop phenomenon but as musicians who stood firm and rose above the limitations that were placed on them. The iconic Monkees are positive proof of the resilience and reinvention that defines true artists.

Sharon Schultz is a retired freelance photojournalist and proud Bay Boomer.