Davy Jones: Heartthrob 60’s Teen Idol Is Gone
News: Non-Fiction
Davy Jones of the ‘Monkees’ died last week on February 29th (leap year). The list of accolades and accomplishments of the Monkees are in print and available for all to see.
Growing up I remember how the little girls in my 3rd grade class swooned and screamed over Davy Jones and looked at pictures of him with that dreamy eyed little girl grin on their faces and how they talked about the episodes of the Monkees they watched on TV each week.
I won’t talk about their number one hits or how they were thrown together by NBC or their falling out with legendary TV Producer Don Kirshner. Davy Jones had been an accomplished actor and musician when he showed up to answer the newspaper ad by NBC. “Born in Manchester, England, on Dec. 30, 1945, Jones had been a child star in his native country, appearing on television and stage, including a heralded role as ‘The Artful Dodger’ in a London production of the play ‘Oliver.’”
When the show came to Broadway, he earned a Tony nomination at age 16 for the role, a success that brought him to the attention of Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems Television, which created ‘The Monkees.’” I will mention that there have been a number of singer/songwriters and talents that have worked with the Monkees and wrote music for them.
Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday," Neil Diamond authored "I'm a Believer." Musicians who recorded songs with the Monkees included Billy Preston, who later played with the Beatles, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell and Ry Cooder. The Critics didn’t have to like the Monkees, the group's members were admired by many notable legendary musicians.
I want to focus on Davy Jones and how big he really was as an artist even though he was only 5’4” tall. Pop music didn’t have the sub genre ‘bubblegum music’ until the Monkees showed up on the music scene via your brand new color TV set (Color TV sets were a big deal and the Monkees were one reason they sold back in 1967). But if you have any doubts about the impact of the Monkees on music and Pop Culture, I will focus on one event.
The Monkees were just getting started and hit it big on the charts. In July 1967, the Monkees had a concert at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. The promoters wanted to make sure this event sold out so they got an opening act for the Monkees, none other than Jimi Hendrix and the Experience. Yeah, I know what your thinking…this had to be a major fuck up…but the reasoning was purely about cash and asses in the seats.
In a New York Times article by Michael Pollak, published in July of 2006, he makes the observation that, “The Monkees wanted respect, and Hendrix wanted publicity. Despite the notoriety from his guitar-burning appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival the month before, Hendrix was better known in England than in the United States, and was far less popular than the Monkees, who had been created for a television sitcom and whose fans consisted mostly of prepubescent girls.
According to an account of the incident in ‘Oops,’ a new chronicle of modern fiascoes by Martin J. Smith and Patrick J. Kiger, Hendrix's temper boiled over at Forest Hills. The problem wasn't the performers, who got along pretty well. It was the Monkees' fans, who had little interest in the scary psychedelic dude who preceded their idols. Hendrix's riffs were drowned out by screams of "We want Davy!" (Davy Jones was a Monkee.) Finally, Hendrix gestured obscenely, with words to match, and stomped offstage.
A publicist had a master stroke, putting out the fictional story that opposition from the Daughters of the American Revolution had forced Hendrix off the tour. It worked. His next tour, before appreciative audiences, was a success, and within a year, he was a superstar.”
That’s right, from 1967 to 1969 the Monkees with their heart throb, Davy Jones was bigger than Jimi Hendrix. Davy Jones will be remembered with fondness and love because all those little girls are now mothers and grandmothers in their early to mid 50’s. Davy Jones along with the rest of the Monkees do not have the status that Hendrix enjoys as a Cosmic Rocker who impacted Rock and Roll Music.
Jimi Hendrix is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Monkees are not! Why? Because of Kirshners handling of the group called cynically “the Prefab Four”.
The Monkees had studio musicians doing their music for the TV show in the early episodes which lent to the rumors that they couldn’t play. Nothing was further from the truth, which led to Kirshner changing his mind under pressure from the “Prefab Four.”
If you want to do something for Davy Jones, write letters to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct the Monkees. As I often quote Medley and Hatfield (aka the Righteous Brother)
“Jimmy gave us rainbows
And Janis took a piece of our hearts
And Otis brought us all to the dock of a bay
Sing a song to light my fire
Remember Jim that way
They've all found another place
Another place to play
If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band, band, band”
Think About This, If there is a Rock and Roll Heaven Jimi Hendrix may have to open for Davy Jones again.
RJ
Great article, but he died on Feb. 29th. It'i only Mar.8th.
ReplyDeleteA week consists of 7 days on this particular planet. In the hereafter weeks are measured in thousand year periods.
DeleteMade the adjustment. Thanks
Delete