Whether you remember Davy Jones as a singer, heartthrob, actor, or fun loving front man of the Monkees, his legacy carried with him throughout his illustrious career that began at age 11. A pioneer on the music scene, fronting the band that would go neck and neck with the Beatles and at times, won. He took his baby face looks and charm and brought the music world and all its followers to their knees. Let us take a moment to remember the Davy Jones. So many of us have shared memories of the music, the show and the life of this great human spirit. Thank you Davy!
Career Highlights:
1. Davy Jones, Child Star
Before becoming the teen idol and heartthrob known for being the front-man of the pop-rock quartet The Monkees, Davy Jones was once a child actor who made his acting debut on BBC’s popular daytime soap Coronation Street, in 1961 at the age of 11. Although his role on the show as Colin Lomax, the grandson of Ena Sharples, was short-lived it spawned his future in acting.
2. The Ed Sullivan Show
While working in the London West End Production of Oliver! as the Artful Dodger, Davy Jones Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show along with his castmates the same night that The Beatles made their debut American late-night performance on the show. At that moment his fate was sealed. In the book Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!: Ed Sullivan’s America Davy Jones recalled of the night, saying, “I watched the Beatles from the side of the stage, I saw the girls going crazy, and I said to myself, this is it, I want a piece of that.”
2. The Monkees, The Show
Getting the role of the lead-singer of a pop-rock band in NBC’s comedy The Monkees was Jones’s biggest accolade. The series aired from fall 1966 to August 1968, winning two Emmy awards and earning the band a series of Billboard-charting hit singles — regardless of whether the band members were playing their instruments or not. The show even received its own big-screen adaptation with the psychedelic comedy-adveture Head in 1968 (which bombed at the box-office).
4. The Brady Bunch
After releasing his self-titled solo album in 1971, Davy Jones made a guest appearance on the hit TV family sitcom The Brady Bunch playing none other than himself! Known as the ultimate teen heartthrob, it was fitting that Davy Jones would be the dream prom date for a teenage Marsha Brady.
5. The Monkees Reunite
A renewed interest in The Monkees in the 1980s saw three of the four original band members (Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork) embark on a concert tour in 1986. That same year the band also released a greatest hits collections and in 1987, The Monkees begain airing in reruns on MTV.
6. The45th Anniversary Tour
In honour of the band’s 45th anniversary in 2011, the same three members of The Monkees, including Jones, set out on a North American and U.K. tour. But While die-hard fans of the band went wild for the reunion tour, the band quickly stopped monkeying around near the last leg of their U.S. tour, cancelling the last nine shows.
If you question the love and loyalty his fans had, look at Jan’s page:
