Davy Jones Remembered

For Monkee fans, including myself, this was a very sad week with the passing of Davy Jones.  To celebrate Davy's life, I've dug up some little known facts about this talented guy who left us way too soon.

First, just in case you didn't know, in tribute, we're playing Monkees hits all weekend on New Jersey 101.5.  Hope you enjoy the songs as much as I do.  I  found it comforting to know that family members said that Davy was "happier than ever" in the months before his death.

Davy grew up in a small house in Openshaw England with his dad and three sisters.  His mom passed way in 1960.  One of his sisters, Beryl, said: "Despite all his success, he never forgot where he was from."  "After becoming a superstar, he never changed."  By the time Davy became a Monkee, he was no stranger to show biz.  At the tender age of 11 he began his acting career on a British TV soap opera.  A few years later Davy gave up acting for a while and trained to become a jockey.  During his training, Jones was approached to join the cast of the London production of "Oliver!".  As they say, the rest is history.

Here's a little known fact that blew my mind.  On February 9th 1964 Davy performed with the cast of "Oliver!" on the Ed Sullivan Show.  OK, nice, but so what?  Well, that was the same night The Beatles debuted on the Sullivan show.  That was a really BIG "shew"!  Following the "Oliver!" gig, Jones appeared in episodes of "Ben Casey" and "The Farmer's Daughter".  In 1966 Davy signed a contract with Colpix records, auditioned, and was signed on as a Monkee.  He sang lead on a bunch of The Monkee's hits including "Daydream Believer".

After the Monkees disbanded in 1971 Davy performed non-stop right up to the end.  He was planning to go on tour with David Cassidy later this year.  As The Monkee's theme song goes with a bit of a lyric change... " he was too busy to put anybody down."

One thing's for sure, Davy and his bandmates always lifted me up.