Posted on 02/21/2019 8:32:11 AM PST by Red Badger
Peter Tork, a blues and folk musician who became a teeny-bopper sensation as a member of the Monkees, the wisecracking, made-for-TV pop group that imitated and briefly outsold the Beatles, died Feb. 21. He was 77.
His death was confirmed by his sister Anne Thorkelson, who did not say where or how he died. Mr. Tork was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer affecting his tongue, in 2009.
If the Monkees were a manufactured version of the Beatles, a “prefab four” who auditioned for a rock-and-roll sitcom and were selected more for their long-haired good looks than their musical abilities, Mr. Tork was the group’s Ringo, its lovably goofy supporting player.
On television, he performed as the self-described “dummy” of the group, drawing on a persona he developed while working as a folk musician in Greenwich Village, where he flashed a confused smile whenever his stage banter fell flat. Off-screen, he embraced the Summer of Love, donning moccasins and “love beads” and declaring that “nonverbal, extrasensory communication is at hand” and that “dogmatism is leaving the scene.”
A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Tork mostly played bass and keyboard for the Monkees, in addition to singing lead on tracks including “Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again,” which he wrote for the group’s psychedelic 1968 movie, “Head,” and “Your Auntie Grizelda.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
OK, OK, I stand corrected!
:-)
Chronology of my 5-7 grades pretty much
I saw them
Girls screamed
:: that leaves Micky Dolenz as the last surviving Monkee ::
One left for the LC
I think Mike Nesmith is still around too.
Nesmith is the guy who’s mother invented a form of
White Out product for typing corrections, and became quite wealthy from the patents.
Mike Nesmith wrote one of my favorite old songs:
A Different Drum, which became a hit sung by Linda Ronstadt.
I saw the taped auditions for their show.
Davy was normal.
The other three came in and acted kind of different.
They got the jobs.
I’ve been in 17 bands as a bass player. The Monkees songs are some of the most just plain fun songs to play. Also, I was a kid when their show first came on the air, so they are a part of my core values.
That being said, I’ve never been a part of pushing a friend down a busy street in a bed. :)
RIP
I took my daughter to a Monkees concert years ago, and didn’t bring earplugs
I was deaf for two days
Ditto.
RIP Peter.
This “Prefab Four” were a lot better than any of the “boy bands” Simon Cowell and others of his ilk have come up with since then.
RIP Peter. It’s surprising how well the music of the Monkees holds up today as compared with a lot of the 60’s bubble gum music. The songwriting (I think most were written by the team of Boyce and Hart) was very good; producing tight, well crafted pop tunes. I’ve read that Tork was surprised the first time he showed up at the music studio and was told not to worry about taking out his guitar, all they needed him for was some very brief backing vocals. Other than lead vocals, studio musicians recorded the vast majority of the Monkee songs.
I know this is about Peter, but something I’ve noticed at work is all the young people are wearing knit hats all the time, like Mike did.
Rest in Peace, Peter, Thanks for the memories.....................
Ditto
:-(
At Ocean Atlantic City
March 02 8:00pm
The Monkees
Take a very special musical journey from “Last Train at Clarksville” to “Me & Magdalena” featuring Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz at Ovation Hall on Saturday, March 2!
I remember when they were created just for a TV show.
Really surprised how good they were. I think my favorite was “Daydream Believer”.
Damn. “Head” is a real trip!
“Love Beads”. A blast from the past!
Yes, I had a few strings of them for my little collection.
I hung them on my bedroom wall, next to a poster of
The Beatles and The Temptations.
I later purchased Neru collared shirts, Dashikis and Peace Symbol Medallions, with Issac Hayes in mind.(Well, I’m talkin about Shaft!)
Those I did wear in public.
I had all that, except for the posters.
Parents would let us put thumbtacks or tape on the walls!................
Nesmith wrote, sang and produced some pretty good country flavored music in the early 70’s with his First National Band. Some of Shelly’s Blues and Joanne are really quite good songs. I think he also produced the great cult movie Repo Man.
Alameda calling Yankee Clipper!.....................
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