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 ...
Saw the Monkees in 1968. Peter played a mean banjo.
OMG! I remember dancing to the Monkees at our 7th grade homeroom Christmas Party! I loved the Monkees!
RIP Peter.
Mike Nesmith played banjo.....................
Yes! Dolenz sang a mile a minute on that one.
In concert Peter played banjo and sang “Cripple Creek”.
Never saw him play banjo, just bass and keyboards...............
Maybe Nick Sandmann can make ‘The Washington Compost’ great again, since he’s sueing The Post....
I only ever saw them on their TV show...................
Smith the S of SCM...
Flying out of L.A., they may have thought you were with the Jefferson Airplane or Crosby Stills & Nash.
Flying into Texas, they may have thought you worked for Janis Joplin or Willie Nelson.
The difference I note is that guys will run out of patience and fight and get it over with.
Women on the other hand will do a slow burn, sit back and look for an opportunity to extract some backstabbing vengeance at a future date.
I think it’s about being averse to open conflict.
Fun fact about “The Stone Poneys”...
The trio group, which included Kenny Edwards (lead guitar) who played (bass) with Ronstadt for many years, did not play on “Different Drum”.
However, a guitarist by the name of Bernie Leadon, played on that track. Bernie went on to help co-found a little group called “The Eagles”.
When the Monkees went on tour,Hendrix was the opening act.
Actually, Davey Jones was a true musician and was a classically trained tambourine player.
Cute!....................
Didn’t Mike Nesmith help create/finance MTV or something? I forget what it was, but it made him rich.
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