Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees, dead at 66

[Adam (UTR)]

Davy Jones, the lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Monkees has died. He was 66.

An official from the Martin County, Fla. medical examiner’s office confirmed to ABCNews.com that the office has been notified of Jones’ death and they “are currently evaluating whether or not the medical examiners office will take jurisdiction.”

Representatives for Jones did not immediately respond to ABCNews.com’s requests for comment. Jones is survived by his wife, Jessica, and four daughters from previous marriages.
The British born Jones joined The Monkees in 1965 and fronted a stable of rock hits, including “Daydream Believer and “I’m a Believer.” The band was formed as part of a TV series about a rock band also called “The Monkees.” When the show got canceled in 1971, the group, which included Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, broke up.

They reunited in various incarnations, most recently last spring a tour through England and America. A second leg of the tour was slated for fall 2011 but the dates were axed without explanation in August.

abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/02/monkees-singer-davy-jones-dies-report/

[Tea-why]

Sad! R.I.P. Davy.

[Enigma.]

Another one passed away.. RIP. We get these sad news weekly nowadays.

[HolidayGuy]

RIP, Davy. "I'm a Believer" probably is my favorite Monkees tune.

[Fanofctrymusic]

Biography for Davy Jones imdb.to/ypPguj

[johnm1120]

Very saddened by this news. Some of you may know I had the privilege of working with Davy on 2 shows in 2006 and 2007. He starred in 2 Pantos that were put on in the South Florida area. We did Cinderella and Aladdin. I was in the cast for Cinders, and was the ASM for Aladdin. Davy was one of the most down to earth celebs I had ever worked with, he was extremely approachable, and nobody was "beneath" him. He was good to the cast, his fans, and that's one thing I think that helps solidify a lifelong career in this business. He actually met his wife Jessica on the set of Cinderella (so I guess I can say I was there when they met!) The last time I saw him was in early 2009 at a film festival. They were showing the Monkees' 1968 film "Head" (terrible movie btw lol). He and Jessica were there, he greeted everyone, hung out with some of us a little bit it was like a mini reunion from the Panto days.

R.I.P. Davy. :(

[WotUNeed]

Friend texted me this news. Very sad to hear. Love The Monkees as well as some of Jones's solo work. R.I.P.

[CookyMonzta]

The prototype for every group that was meant to be strictly fictional, only to become a real group on the strength of its actors/performers. The Monkees were the first and obviously the very best, being the one band to successfully challenge the Beatles and Stones in 1966 and 1967.

If ever you read the book Rocklopedia Fakebandica, Consider that almost all of the fake bands in that book, and even the fake bands that turned real, would not have existed (if you can call it that) without Davy and the rest of his group. There would have been no Blues Brothers, no 2Ge+her, no Cheetah Girls. Even the creators of the Archie comics and animated series and Josie and the Pussycats put together bands for their franchises to capitalize on the success of the Monkees.

[Deleted]

Davy Jones and the Monkees' Billboard Chart Legacy

February 29, 2012
By Fred Bronson, Los Angeles

One week before the official 1966-67 television season began, NBC previewed two of its new fall series. Both turned out to be pop-culture milestones, winning millions of fans around the world and making an impact that lasted far beyond the shows' brief network runs.

One of those series was "Star Trek," which premiered on Thursday, Sept. 8, 1966. The other was a half-hour situation comedy, which debuted on Monday, Sept. 5, 1966. It was called "The Monkees."

The Monkees Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits

Only one of the four actors starring in the series had already appeared on the Billboard charts when "The Monkees" premiered. Davy Jones, who died of a heart attack today at age 66, debuted on the Hot 100 the week of Aug. 14, 1965, with the single, "What Are We Going To Do?" The 19-year-old singer, who had already starred as the Artful Dodger in West End and Broadway productions of "Oliver!," was signed to Colpix Records, a label owned by Columbia Pictures.

In 1966, Colpix was abandoned in favor of a new label, Colgems, which partnered Columbia's TV division, Screen Gems, with RCA to release albums by the Monkees.

Long before TV series like "American Idol" and "Glee" impacted the Billboard charts, the Monkees were an out-of-the-box success. The first single, 'Last Train to Clarksville," was released on Aug. 16, 1966, two weeks and six days before the NBC premiere. The song received significant airplay before the series went on the air, which led to instant sales, which led to a debut on the Hot 100 the week ending Sept. 10, 1966 - the same week the series premiered.

Eight weeks later, "Last Train to Clarksville" was No. 1. Meanwhile, the quartet's eponymously titled debut album entered the Billboard 200 the week of Oct. 8, 1966, and claimed pole position five weeks later. "The Monkees" held on to the top spot for 13 weeks, and was immediately succeeded by "More of the Monkees," which debuted at No. 122 the week of Feb. 4, 1967 and soared to No. 1 the following week. That was the biggest jump to No. 1 in the history of the album chart, a record that the Monkees held for 27 years. Today, that 122-1 leap still stands as the fifth biggest move to the penthouse in the life of the Billboard 200.

"More of the Monkees" had an 18-week reign, the longest stay at No. 1 for any group in the 1960s. The combined 31-week run at No. 1 for the band's first two albums is the longest for any artist's first two chart entries in the history of the Billboard 200.

The success of "More of the Monkees" was fueled by the group's second single, the Neil Diamond-penned "I'm a Believer, backed with a cover of a Paul Revere & the Raiders recording, "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone." That Colgems 45 ruled the Hot 100 for seven weeks. The Monkees had one more No. 1 single, "Daydream Believer," featuring lead vocals by Jones. That single led the chart for four weeks in December 1967.

After "The Monkees" and "More of the Monkees," the foursome's next two albums also garnered top chart ink. "Headquarters" spent a lone week on top in June 1967 and then spent the next 11 weeks at No. 2, submitting to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." In December 1967, the Monkees were No. 1 again with "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.," which yielded to the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" the first week in January 1968. By scoring three No. 1 albums in 1967, the Monkees joined the Beatles as the only acts to earn three chart-toppers in one year. The only act to match that feat since is the cast of "Glee," with three No. 1 albums in 2010.

The Monkees' chart run on Colgems continued on the Hot 100 until 1970. Their final single to chart was "Heart and Soul," a Rhino release in 1987. The group's final appearance on The Billboard 200 occurred in 2003 with a Rhino CD, "The Best of the Monkees."

They were only meant to be a band on a TV series. You didn't expect Dr. Kildare to perform surgery or T.J. Hooker to actually arrest anyone, but Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork weren't just a fictional band, even if they didn't play their own instruments on their earliest recordings. They became a real band with real hits, and a real legacy that still shines bright.

[Deleted]

The Monkees Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits

February 29, 2012
By Keith Caulfield (keith_caulfield), Los Angeles

The Monkees were one of the biggest acts on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the late 1960s, as proven by this recap of the pop quartet's biggest hits. Comprising Davy Jones - who passed away of a heart attack earlier today -- Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, the pop act notched a total of 20 singles on the Hot 100 in its career.

Billboard has compiled the Monkees' top 10 biggest Hot 100 hits, which includes all six of their top 10 singles and the group's three No. 1s: "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer."

All of the act's hits except two came between Sept. 10, 1966 and June 13, 1970. They staged a mini-comeback in 1986, with "That Was Then, This Is Now" (a No. 20 hit). It was followed the next year by their final Hot 100 entry, "Heart and Soul," which topped out at No. 87.

The Monkees' Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits:

Rank - Title - (Year) - Hot 100 Peak Position (weeks spent at No. 1)

1. "I'm a Believer" - (1966) - No. 1 (seven weeks at No. 1)

2. "Daydream Believer" - (1967) - No. 1 (four weeks at No. 1)

3. "Last Train to Clarksville" - (1966) - No. 1

4. "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" - (1967) - No. 2

5. "Pleasant Valley Sunday" - (1967) - No. 3

6. "Valleri" - (1968) - No. 3

7. "That Was Then, This Is Now" - (1986) - No. 20

8. "Words" - (1967) - No. 11

9. "D.W. Washburn" - (1968) - No. 19

10. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" - (1967) - No. 20

This ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years.

[Nick]

I'll always remember when Marcia Brady met him.

R.I.P.

[Deleted]

How huge were the Monkees at their peak?

Huge enough that in their peak year, 1967, they sold more records than the Beatles. Yes, The Beatles.

It was a short lived but incredible rise to the top for them. And all these years later, their TV show and music is still enjoyed all over the world.

R.I.P. Davy Jones

[Deleted]

Chart Record for most #1 albums in a calendar year

Monkees
Beatles
Glee Cast

all with 3


(which of the above doesn't belong - LOL) - answer below























































Yes you guessed it -- The Beatles. The only group in that list not "made for TV"

[icefire9]

My mom's a huge fan of them, I grew up listening to "I'm a Beleiver" all of the time.

[HolidayGuy]

ABC News said the Brady Bunch episode with Davy Jones is the most re-run show of all time- really?

[Deleted]

[Tea-why]

Feb 29, 2012 20:23:09 GMT -5 Nick said:

I'll always remember when Marcia Brady met him.

R.I.P.

Thanks for posting! I have never seen this before. Davy made a cameo in the "The Brady Bunch Movie" as well.

[Deleted]

Rest in peace.



I wish modern music was one fraction as joyful as that song.

[johnm1120]

Daydream Believer is #25 on iTunes. I'm A Believer is #47 and Last Train to Clarksdale is #83.

[jazzyskye10²]

May he rest in peace. :(