Remember ''The Monkees"? NBC-TV's American answer to The Beatles (even Monkees band member Davy Jones was a Brit). I remember taking my daughter to see three of the four Monkees on the 30th Anniversary Tour at the Stanley Theater in Utica years ago, and they all played their own instruments and were great! On this day in 1967, their 'The Monkees TV Show' won an Emmy for "Outstanding Comedy Series".

I recall band member Micky Dolenz saying that The Monkees were fortunate to have great songs to record, written by the best songwriters. Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Carole Bayer Sager and Neil Diamond all penned songs for the pop group.

In my opinion, The Monkees were ahead of their time, producing muisc videos on their TV show in the late 1960s long before we even knew what a music video was. Just for fun, let's watch the original Monkees TV show open:

When I saw The Monkees, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones were on stage at the Stanley, as Michael Nesmith was busy on the west coast producing music videos for other artists. And Davy Jones? He was very personable with the audience, smiling, upbeat and sang his songs with such energy. Sadly, we lost Davy in 2012.

The three remaining Monkees are still performing on tour. For a schedule, visit monkees.com.

 

 

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