A Childhood Revisited

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about the passing of long-time teen idol, lead singer of The Monkees and Pop artist Davy Jones. What I didn't tell you was why I loved and respected "The Monkees" and their music so much.

The thing that astounds me about this foursome is just "how" they came to be in the first place. Their  60's television show with the same name was put together shortly after The Beatles' movie, "A Hard Day's Night" came out. The idea sounded good for a televisoin series about the strange and funny life of four musicans who live together in a mod apartment while struggling to keep their career (and bills) afloat. The televison network hired two child actors, (Davy Jones who had just come off of a stage role in "Oliver" and Mickey Dolenz) and two accomplished musicians in their own right at the time (Peter Tork who had also been a school teacher and also played in his own blues band, and Mike Nesmith who also wrote many of the group's songs along with Neil Diamond, Boyce & Hart, and others).

The fact that Davy and Mickey were only actors and could not read music or even play an instrument when the show began, became a problem as their teenage fans were dying to see The Monkees perform their hit songs live! Now, the amazing thing to me is that these actors had to actually learn how to sing and play for these concert gigs. Therefore, Mike and Peter had to put them through some extremely growling hours of practices within a very short period of time ~ and they did it!

In fact, one time Mike was asked by a reporter if The Monkees played their own instruments to which he replied something to the effect, "Of course we play our own instruments, if we don't, we can't tour!"

As most of you probably already know, I myself, used to sing and play in a band many years ago, and I can tell you that learning to sing and play an instrument at the same time is NOT as easy as everyone makes it look! LOL! It is a very difficult thing to learn to do. The art of perfecting ones' voice through singing lessons is the easy part.

Anyway, I thought that I would write another post about one of my all-time favorite groups (next to The Beatles, of course) because music has been and I guess always will be such an important part of my life (ever since I was a child).

I have added a couple more videos of some of The Monkees big hits and I hope you enjoy them! And Davy, you were a true professional in every sense of the word and you will be greatly missed by many!

"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"

http://youtu.be/B87yRfzwlrQ

"Last Train to Clarksville"

http://youtu.be/RUZeZ1e441A

"I'm A  Believer"
http://youtu.be/zO6SwhfABF8

The beautiful folk song, "Riu Chiu" showcases their gorgeous harmonies
http://youtu.be/c_hlYgCNFZc