10 Fun Facts About The Monkees
The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group consisted of four members: Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith. The band gained immense popularity in the 1960s with their upbeat, catchy pop songs such as Last Train to Clarksville, I’m a Believer, A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You, Pleasant Valley Sunday and Daydream Believer. Their music was heavily influenced by the British Invasion sound of the time and was characterized by harmonies, catchy melodies, and simple instrumentation. Despite initially being created for a television show, The Monkees quickly gained a massive following and became a cultural phenomenon. They sold over 75 million records across the globe due to their many international hits and four chart-topping albums. The band received multiple awards, including a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1967. With their signature style and infectious music, The Monkees remain one of the most iconic and beloved pop bands of the 1960s.
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Hey, Hey, it’s The Monkees! Here are 10 fun facts about The Monkees!
1. They actually started on TV
Television producers, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, came up with the concept of The Monkees in 1966. The show was a situational comedy series and contained music videos to show the group’s music. The first and second albums for the group were made up of music from the first season. The first album was top of the charts for 78 weeks! This 2 year television series even won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy in 1967.
2. First live performance
These actor- singers were used to performing for the screen, but their success meant they tried live performances. Their first live performance was in Hawaii! They then went on to tour through America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan.
3. Conflicts
We have to remember that this group started off as actor-singers. This caused some conflicts for the band. One conflict was actually playing the instruments. More advanced playing came difficult to the group. So much so until the group was actually banned from the music making process until their voices were needed for the tracks. Eventually this led to the group breaking-up. Mike Nesmith created a new country rock group during the breakup in 1970.
4. 1986
Did The Monkees come back?! Kind of…. The television show came back and unreleased tracks were then released by Rhino Records.
5. Video games and TV today
You have definitely heard their music even if you don’t realize it! One of their greatest hits, “I’m a Believer”, was prominently featured in Dreamworks movie Shrek. “Daydream Believer” is in soundtracks for games like “The Quarry” and “Wii Music ”.
6. Who else auditioned for the TV show?
There were some well-known musicians who auditioned for the roles. Some of these people were Stephen Stills, Paul Williams, and Harry Nilsson.But did you know it was rumored that Charles Manson auditioned? Can you imagine?! However, Manson did not audition. He was already serving his prison sentence.
7. More success
The Rolling Stones and The Beatles are some of the most well known bands of all time, but did you know that The Monkees actually had more album sales than both bands combined in 1967? The TV show was about a band wanting to be like The Beatles. I guess they were getting their point across.
8. The Monkees connection to Jimi Hendrix
Most bands have another group or person open a concert for them. Jimi Hendrix was actually one of the openers for The Monkees! He opened for their first tour in 1967. Hendrix only played for 7 of the 29 scheduled events.
9. Liquid Paper
Liquid paper is a correction fluid. It’s kind of like white out. You may be wondering why we are mentioning this! Well, Nesmith’s mother is the one who invented Liquid Paper! She sold the business to Gillette For $47 million dollars!
10. Avoiding the draft
You may not agree with avoiding the draft, but Davy Jones did just that in 1967. The first season of the show had just finished up. Jones fasted for 3 weeks to avoid being drafted. Another thing that played a role in the Army’s decision not to take him on was that he was the only income source for his family. So instead of being drafted, we got more from The Monkeys!
The Monkees are coming back on a reunion tour! You can get tickets here: