Guest Post: The Monkees: It's Like Unexpectedly Falling In LoveIf you are lucky enough to get The Monkees Tickets for yourself, you are in for an amazing treat, not only of sight and sound but of wonderful memories as well. For those who remember the group from their early days, the show will be one of warmth and nostalgia. If you are very young or just do not have any real memories of the four young men who took the country by storm in the late sixties, then you are in for a real treat.

The Monkees: A Brief History of the Group

More than four hundred young men, musicians and actors alike for the most part, answered a casting call for a new show that was set to premier soon. The show and music group were both to be called “the Monkees”. The show made it to the airwaves in 1966, riding on the success of the band’s first music single, Last Train to Clarksville that was released beforehand.

The four boys had not met one another before they started shooting the show- Davy Jones, from England had been part of a stage production in London, Mickey Dolenz had previously been part of a show called Circus Boy. Both Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith were established musicians.

In the show and during concerts, Mickey Dolenz takes on the role of not only lead singer for a number of the group’s most popular songs but also that of drummer as well. Originally, Davy Jones was going to play the drums but was feared to be too short to fill that role.

The Songs: Oh, the Songs You Will Hear!

The Monkees were criticized, especially in the early years for being a pretend band, but their true fans know that this is not really the case. Nesmith, Tork and Dolenz were all able to play instruments and Jones could play the drums with a fair amount of competence. All four also proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could sing, all with very unique song stylings and phrasing, giving “their” songs such a unique voice that it is almost impossible to hear anyone else singing them.

Starting with Last Train to Clarksville, the group did produce a number of charting hits, including several number ones and others that stuck at number two or three for several weeks. Others, that did not really chart at all, did find some loyalty because they were so unique or amusing.

The Show: Concerts With a Missing Piece

Over the years, there have been several reunion concerts, however, not all of the original members have been there for all of these shows. Michael Nesmith, who had retired from show business, did not want to perform in the first of the nostalgic concert runs. Later, he did agree to come out for a limited basis on another series of concerts. The latest concert tour will be missing David Jones, the erstwhile heartthrob of the series and for some, the very heart of the Monkees themselves. Mickey Dolenz, truly the real soul of the Monkees promises that Davy will never be forgotten, by the group or by the loyal and loving fans, old and new and that his spirit will still be on every stage that they perform in from now on.