Legends of Rock & Roll: The Monkees

Legends of Rock & Roll: The Monkees

“Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees!” Who doesn’t remember those famous words?

This is another in the series of tributes to rock and roll heroes of the past and present. Micky, Davy, Peter and Michael were America's answer to the Beatles. They were a great band (after a little practice), they had their own television show and they even made a movie.

The Monkees really started on February 6, 1964. That’s the famous day the Beatles appeared for the first time in America and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Each of the four guys who would later become the Monkees were watching that night and, like so many other performers of the Sixties, it inspired them. They each felt that they could do what the Beatles were doing and they hadn’t even met each other yet.

Inside you will discover:

Introduction: The kickoff for the book and my thoughts on the group.
In the Beginning: First I explore how the television show came to be.
Micky Dolenz: A short biography of Micky's early life.
Davy Jones: Also, a short bio of Davy growing up.
Peter Tork: And I do the same for Peter.
Michael Nesmith: Last, but not least, a short bio of Michael in the years before the Monkees.
The Coming Together of the Monkees: The coming together of four complete strangers.
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart: While these two were not part of the Monkees, they had a profound impact on their music.
The Pilot: Getting the TV show off the ground.
Becoming a Real Band: How four seemingly different people became a single unit, a rock and roll band.
“Last Train to Clarksville”: The story behind their first big hit.
The First Album “The Monkees”: Their first album. Did they really play on it at all?
“I’m a Believer”: This is one of their biggest hits, a classic.
The Reverse British Invasion: The boys go to England and make quite an impression.
“Headquarters”: Time to work on their second album.
“Pleasant Valley Sunday”: Their third number one single in a row. Another great hit.
“Daydream Believer”: This would make it four number ones in a row and become their signature song.
A House of Cards: All was not well in Monkee-land.
“The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees”: The album that was produced as the band was falling apart.
“Head”: They thought that making a movie would revitalize their careers.
“33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee”: Their last grand hurrah. A variety show that did not entertain.
The In-Between Years: Each Monkee goes his own way and tries to create his career.
MTV Revives The Monkees: In 1986, MTV brought back the Monkees to a whole new generation.
“Justus”: They get back together to do one more album.
One Last Tour: Another "last". What was to be their last tour together.
The Loss of Davy Jones: The untimely death of Davy Jones. Now, the Monkees can never re-unite.
Legacy of The Monkees: Every Legends book has a section on the notable accomplishments of the performers.
Afterword: My closing thoughts.
Selected Discography: A selected reference of the works of the performers.