Davy Jones
Born: 1945 in Manchester, England
Occupation: Actor
Active: '60s
Major Genres: Comedy
Career Highlights: Head, Treasure Island, Meet the Royals: Prince William
First Major Screen Credit: The Monkees: Here Come the Monkees (1966)
Posted on 12/30/2006 7:11:15 AM PST by yankeedame
Born: 1945 in Manchester, England
Occupation: Actor
Active: '60s
Major Genres: Comedy
Career Highlights: Head, Treasure Island, Meet the Royals: Prince William
First Major Screen Credit: The Monkees: Here Come the Monkees (1966)
Jones was born in Manchester, England. His father had hopes for him as a jockey, but Jones was more interested in being in show business, and as a teenager he appeared on British TV soap operas, including Coronation Street. He appeared to great acclaim in the musical Oliver! as the Artful Dodger, playing the role both in London and on Broadway, where he was nominated for a Tony Award. (When the film of the musical was made in 1968, Jones was at the height of his TV success and too heavily committed to take the part. He was also 22 years old.) He then toured in another musical adaptation of a Charles Dickens classic, Pickwick, and did some American television as well as recording three singles. As part of the Oliver! cast, Jones appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on the same night that the Beatles made their American TV debut on the show.
From 1965 to 1970, Jones was a member of The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for a TV show of the same name. He sang lead vocals on many of the group's songs, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". After the show went off the air and the group disbanded, he continued to perform solo, later joining with fellow-Monkee Micky Dolenz and songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as a short-lived group.
In recent years, Jones has performed with his former bandmates in reunion tours and has appeared in several productions of Oliver! as Fagin. He has also continued to race horses with some success in his native England, United Kingdom, while residing in Beavertown, Pennsylvania, United States.
In the summer of 2006, Davy recorded "Your Personal Penguin", written by children's author Sandra Boynton as a companion piece to her new board book of the same title.
I'm most of us have made our share of bad comments, but sadly for me, Davy was a sixties icon who represented an age of innocence.
As Sandy jested, it may call for extended therapy.
Never, ever, ever rent the Monkee's movie "Head". That is unless you're into trite '60s cliches in home movie style. This from a person who likes drive-in movie fare. For a good time, try Ray Harryhausen's "20,000,000 miles to Earth."
I don't ever remember hearing of that movie. Thanks for the tip.
I always hated that song maybe because my name is Jean and it makes Jean out to be a wimpy loser who can't get out of bed.
You want to hear something REALLY goofy from a then 13 year old??? My first concert I ever went to was The Monkees, on August 4, 1968. I don't know why I still remember the date, even. Anyway....I put out all my fan magazines on my bed so that IF they came home with me, I would be able to show them that I really liked their work, and was a true fan. --- HOW GOOFY WAS THAT??? ...BUT, I guess that means that at even my young age I was an optimist.
I always loved "The Monkees." "Daydream Believer" is one of may all time favorite recordings.
(--probably also due to the "Little House on the Prairie" syndrome of growing up in MN--which there isn't as much of now, either...so sad)
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