Instant Video Play: The Monkees - Valleri The Monkees - Valleri Details The Monkees - Valleri David Thomas "Davy" Jones (30 December 1945 -- 29 February 2012) was an English recording artist, actor, and businessman, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name. His acting credits include a Tony-nominated role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! as well as roles in The Brady Bunch film and television show; Love, American Style; and My Two Dads. Jones is considered to be one of the greatest teen heartthrobs of all time. At age 11, he began his acting career, appearing on the British television soap opera Coronation Street, which was produced at Granada Studios by Granada Television in Manchester. In 1961, Jones played Ena Sharples' grandson, Colin Lomax, the second year Coronation Street was broadcast. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars.

After the death of his mother from emphysema when he was 14 years old, Jones rejected acting in favour of a career as a jockey, apprenticing with Newmarket trainer Basil Foster. He dropped out of high school to begin his career in that field. This career was short-lived however, as though Foster believed Jones would be successful as a jockey, he encouraged his young protégé to take a role as the Artful Dodger a production of Oliver! in London's West End, a move which consequently changed the course of Jones' life forever. In turn, Jones cared for Foster in his later years, bringing him to the United States and providing financial support for his mentor. Foster was approached by a friend who worked in a theatre in the West End of London during casting for the musical Oliver!. Foster replied, "I've got the kid." Jones was cast and appeared to great acclaim as the Artful Dodger. He played the role in London and then on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. On 9 February 1964, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Georgia Brown who was playing Nancy in the Broadway production of Oliver!.

This was the same episode of the show in which The Beatles made their first appearance. Jones said of that night, "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." Following his Ed Sullivan appearance, Jones signed a contract with Ward Sylvester of Screen Gems (then the television division of Columbia Pictures). A pair of American television appearances followed, as Jones received screen time in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer's Daughter. Jones debuted on the Hot 100 in the week of 14 August 1965, with the single "What Are We Going To Do?" The 19 year old singer was signed to Colpix Records, a label owned by Columbia. His debut album David Jones, on the same label, followed soon after (CP493). On 1967 the album was issued in the UK, in mono only, on the Pye Records label (NPL 18178). From 1966 to 1971, Jones was a member of The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for a television show of the same name.

With Screen Gems producing the series, Jones was shortlisted for auditions, as he was the only Monkee who was signed to a deal with the studio, but still had to meet producers Bob Rafelson's and Bert Schneider's standards. Jones sang lead vocals on many of the Monkees' recordings, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". The NBC television series The Monkees was popular, and remained so in syndication. After the band disbanded in 1971, Jones reunited with Micky Dolenz as well as Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1974 as a short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. A Monkees television show marathon ("Pleasant Valley Sunday") broadcast on 23 February 1986 by MTV resulted in a wave of Monkeemania not seen since the group's heyday. Jones reunited with Dolenz and Peter Tork from 1986 to 1989 to celebrate the band's renewed success and promote the 20th anniversary of the group.

A new top 20 hit, "That Was Then, This Is Now" was released (though Jones did not perform on the song) as well as an album, Pool It!. Monkees activity ceased until 1996 when Jones reunited with Dolenz, Tork, and Michael Nesmith to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. The group released a new album entitled Justus, the first album since 1967's Headquarters that featured the band members performing all instrumental duties. It was the last time all four Monkees performed together. In February 2011, Jones confirmed rumours of another Monkees reunion. "There's even talk of putting the Monkees back together again in the next year or so for a U.S. and UK tour," he told Disney's Backstage Pass newsletter. "You're always hearing all those great songs on the radio, in commercials, movies, almost everywhere." The tour (Jones's last) came to fruition entitled, An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour. R.I.P. Davy Jones, 1945-2012 - Popdust R.I.P.

Davy Jones, 1945-2012 By Popdust David "Davy" Jones, one of the original members and frequent lead singer of '60s media-spanning pop sensations The Monkees, has died of a heart attack. TMZ reports that the flower-power-era star, who is survived by his wife Jessica and four daughters from prior marriages, passed away this morning at Martin Memorial Hospital. He was 66 years old. Jones, born in Manchester, England in 1945, started his professional career on an entirely different path in the late 50s as a jockey, but left that for acting at the end of the decade, appearing in legendary British soap opera Coronation Street and eventually being cast as the lead in a production of Oliver!, which took him overseas to Broadway. As part of the cast, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on the same episode as The Beatles' legendary appearance , which both inspired Jones to get into music, and introduced him to introduced him to industry producer Ward Sylvester, whose guidance would lead Davy to his most famous gig.

Under contract with Sylvester's Screen Gems studio, Jones joined The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed to star in a TV series of the same name. Both band and show were an instant hit, with debut single "Last Train to Clarksville" shooting to #1 at the end of 1966, and the show winning two awards at the '67 Emmys. The success would continue for the next few years, with such songs as "I'm a Believer," "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Daydream Believer" becoming era-defining hits, and the group's loveable personality and huge media presence affording them a near-Beatlemania level of fan devotion. Though everyone had their favorite Monkee, Jones was the group's de facto frontman and most visible member—so much so that another David Jones from the UK around the same time was forced to change his last name to "Bowie" to avoid association, and that rabid Monkees fans shouted "Foxy Davy!" at Jimi Hendrix during his performance of "Foxy Lady" while on tour with the Monkees.

However, the band soon got tired of being at the studio's mercy and wanted independence for their music, resulting in the show's cancellation in 1968 and the filming shortly thereafter of Head, a psychedelic stream-of-consciousness comedy that greatly changed the group's image and marked the end of the group's run as commercial superpowers. The group officially disbanded in 1971, with Jones going on to a solo career of middling success (biggest hit "Rainy Jane" peaked at #52 on the pop charts), and continuing to act sporadically, including appearances on The Brady Bunch, My Two Dads, and Love, American Style. An MTV and Nickelodeon-led Monkees revival spurred the group to reunite in the mid-'80s, spawning their first hit in nearly two decades with the top 20 "That Was Then, This Is Now," and the Monkees would go on to reform for tours and occasional new albums throughout the rest of the 20th century into the early 21st, with Jones continuing to make appearances on Nick shows like Hey Arnold! and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Today Jones and the Monkees are revered as pop icons, early music video innovators, standard-setting teen idols and performers of some of the best pop songs of the second half of the '60s. Jones himself was something of a proto-Bieber, setting hearts afire with his unthreatening voice, sweet love songs and shaggy haircut. A 2008 poll by Yahoo! Music named Jones the #1 teen idol of all-time , and the group's songs have been covered and referenced in songs by artists ranging from Smash Mouth to The Replacements to Run-D.M.C. Here are some of the group's finest musical moments, along with some priceless media moments from Jones solo: Like PopDust on Facebook Instant Video Play: The Monkees - Steppin' Stone The Monkees - Steppin' Stone Details The Monkees - Steppin' Stone David Thomas "Davy" Jones (30 December 1945 -- 29 February 2012) was an English recording artist, actor, and businessman, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name.

His acting credits include a Tony-nominated role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! as well as roles in The Brady Bunch film and television show; Love, American Style; and My Two Dads. Jones is considered to be one of the greatest teen heartthrobs of all time. At age 11, he began his acting career, appearing on the British television soap opera Coronation Street, which was produced at Granada Studios by Granada Television in Manchester. In 1961, Jones played Ena Sharples' grandson, Colin Lomax, the second year Coronation Street was broadcast. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars. After the death of his mother from emphysema when he was 14 years old, Jones rejected acting in favour of a career as a jockey, apprenticing with Newmarket trainer Basil Foster. He dropped out of high school to begin his career in that field. This career was short-lived however, as though Foster believed Jones would be successful as a jockey, he encouraged his young protégé to take a role as the Artful Dodger a production of Oliver! in London's West End, a move which consequently changed the course of Jones' life forever.

In turn, Jones cared for Foster in his later years, bringing him to the United States and providing financial support for his mentor. Foster was approached by a friend who worked in a theatre in the West End of London during casting for the musical Oliver!. Foster replied, "I've got the kid." Jones was cast and appeared to great acclaim as the Artful Dodger. He played the role in London and then on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. On 9 February 1964, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Georgia Brown who was playing Nancy in the Broadway production of Oliver!. This was the same episode of the show in which The Beatles made their first appearance. Jones said of that night, "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." Following his Ed Sullivan appearance, Jones signed a contract with Ward Sylvester of Screen Gems (then the television division of Columbia Pictures). A pair of American television appearances followed, as Jones received screen time in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer's Daughter.

Jones debuted on the Hot 100 in the week of 14 August 1965, with the single "What Are We Going To Do?" The 19 year old singer was signed to Colpix Records, a label owned by Columbia. His debut album David Jones, on the same label, followed soon after (CP493). On 1967 the album was issued in the UK, in mono only, on the Pye Records label (NPL 18178). From 1966 to 1971, Jones was a member of The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for a television show of the same name. With Screen Gems producing the series, Jones was shortlisted for auditions, as he was the only Monkee who was signed to a deal with the studio, but still had to meet producers Bob Rafelson's and Bert Schneider's standards. Jones sang lead vocals on many of the Monkees' recordings, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". The NBC television series The Monkees was popular, and remained so in syndication.

After the band disbanded in 1971, Jones reunited with Micky Dolenz as well as Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1974 as a short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. A Monkees television show marathon ("Pleasant Valley Sunday") broadcast on 23 February 1986 by MTV resulted in a wave of Monkeemania not seen since the group's heyday. Jones reunited with Dolenz and Peter Tork from 1986 to 1989 to celebrate the band's renewed success and promote the 20th anniversary of the group. A new top 20 hit, "That Was Then, This Is Now" was released (though Jones did not perform on the song) as well as an album, Pool It!. Monkees activity ceased until 1996 when Jones reunited with Dolenz, Tork, and Michael Nesmith to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. The group released a new album entitled Justus, the first album since 1967's Headquarters that featured the band members performing all instrumental duties. It was the last time all four Monkees performed together.

In February 2011, Jones confirmed rumours of another Monkees reunion. "There's even talk of putting the Monkees back together again in the next year or so for a U.S. and UK tour," he told Disney's Backstage Pass newsletter. "You're always hearing all those great songs on the radio, in commercials, movies, almost everywhere." The tour (Jones's last) came to fruition entitled, An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour. Davy Jones obituary | Music | The Guardian Davy Jones obituary Former child actor who became a star with the 60s pop group the Monkees The Monkees with Jones, left, and from left, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives Wednesday 29 February 2012 15.44 EST First published on Wednesday 29 February 2012 15.44 EST Share on Messenger Close Despite their obvious debt to the Beatles, the Monkees were one of the most successful and well-loved pop groups of the late 1960s.

Their only British member was Davy Jones , a former child actor, who has died after a heart attack, aged 66. The independent producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider came up with the idea of a television series featuring the antics of a pop group that would issue singles and albums in tandem with the show. Auditions were held in Hollywood for "four insane boys", and Jones was one of the first in line. He was eventually chosen, along with three Americans: Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith were accomplished rock guitarists, while Micky Dolenz, like Jones, had been a child actor. Clearly inspired by the Beatles, and in particular their 1964 film A Hard Day's Night, The Monkees quickly climbed the television ratings in the US after the show's launch in 1966. The misgivings of critics were partly assuaged by the quality of the songs provided for the group by the cream of New York's pop composers, including Neil Diamond and Carole King. Each Monkee was given some personality traits, with Jones playing the cheeky chappie, with an accent that most Americans could mistake for Liverpudlian.

The accompanying singles were equally successful and there were six million-sellers in less than two years. Lead vocals were shared, with Jones giving his best performance on Daydream Believer, composed by John Stewart, from the 1967 album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. This was to be the artistic and commercial peak for the group, as the second television series attracted fewer viewers and the Monkees' attempt at artistic freedom, The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees (1968) impressed neither critics nor record buyers. The band also toured the US, but their enthusiasm for Jimi Hendrix, whom they invited to open the show, was not shared by their fans, who booed him off stage. The group made an ambitious anti-war comedy film, Head (1968) , with Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, but soon afterwards they began to fall apart. Both Tork and Nesmith left in 1969, leaving Jones and Dolenz to record the final album, Changes, in 1970. The group was finally dissolved in 1971. Jones was born in Openshaw, Manchester.

He showed early talent as an actor and at 14 he was chosen to join the cast of Granada TV's soap opera Coronation Street. Jones played Colin Lomax, the chirpy grandson of the matriarch Ena Sharples. This role led to three small parts in the police series Z-Cars. Jones then pursued a career as an apprentice jockey, but returned to the stage after successfully auditioning to take over the part of the Artful Dodger in Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! He was in the cast when the London production transferred to Broadway in 1963. In February 1964 a "Brit" edition of the Ed Sullivan Show included the cast of Oliver! alongside the Beatles. Jones later told an interviewer that the adulation that greeted the Fab Four gave him the ambition to become a pop star. The Sullivan show led to a contract with Screen Gems, the small-screen subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. Jones appeared in two television series and made an album for the in-house record label before Screen Gems bought in to the concept of the Monkees.

In the early 1970s, he continued to perform as a solo singer and in 1975 he briefly formed a new group with Dolenz, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the composers of the Monkees' theme song. During the following decade he occasionally returned to the stage, playing in a 1977 London production of The Point!, by the singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. He traded on his Monkee heritage with cameo roles in episodes of several US TV series and also appeared in revivals of Oliver!, this time as Fagin. In the years after the demise of the Monkees, demand grew for a reunion. Jones was the most enthusiastic about a new tour, while Nesmith was obdurate in his refusal. Finally, in 1987, MTV broadcast the original series, albums were reissued and Jones, Dolenz and Tork played a series of concerts. A new album, Pool It! appeared in 1988 and a further tour took place shortly afterwards.

A 45th anniversary reunion tour went ahead last year, and Jones was still happy to be performing: "Wherever I go, people still shout out: 'Hey, hey, we're the Monkees!'," he said. "And I never tire of that." Jones is survived by his third wife, Jessica, and four daughters from his two earlier marriages. • David Thomas Jones, actor, singer and songwriter, born 30 December 1945; died 29 February 2012 The Monkees touch down at Heathrow airport in 1967, to chorus of screaming teenage girls. Published: 1 Mar 2012 The Monkees - words -- video ((Stereo)) - YouTube The Monkees - words -- video ((Stereo)) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Jul 23, 2012 David Thomas "Davy" Jones (30 December 1945 -- 29 February 2012) was an English recording artist, actor, and businessman, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name. His acting credits include a Tony-nominated role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! as well as roles in The Brady Bunch film and television show; Love, American Style; and My Two Dads. Jones is considered to be one of the greatest teen heartthrobs of all time. At age 11, he began his acting career, appearing on the British television soap opera Coronation Street, which was produced at Granada Studios by Granada Television in Manchester. In 1961, Jones played Ena Sharples' grandson, Colin Lomax, the second year Coronation Street was broadcast. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars. After the death of his mother from emphysema when he was 14 years old, Jones rejected acting in favour of a career as a jockey, apprenticing with Newmarket trainer Basil Foster.

He dropped out of high school to begin his career in that field. This career was short-lived however, as though Foster believed Jones would be successful as a jockey, he encouraged his young protégé to take a role as the Artful Dodger a production of Oliver! in London's West End, a move which consequently changed the course of Jones' life forever. In turn, Jones cared for Foster in his later years, bringing him to the United States and providing financial support for his mentor. Foster was approached by a friend who worked in a theatre in the West End of London during casting for the musical Oliver!. Foster replied, "I've got the kid." Jones was cast and appeared to great acclaim as the Artful Dodger. He played the role in London and then on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. On 9 February 1964, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Georgia Brown who was playing Nancy in the Broadway production of Oliver!. This was the same episode of the show in which The Beatles made their first appearance.

Jones said of that night, "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." Following his Ed Sullivan appearance, Jones signed a contract with Ward Sylvester of Screen Gems (then the television division of Columbia Pictures). A pair of American television appearances followed, as Jones received screen time in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer's Daughter. Jones debuted on the Hot 100 in the week of 14 August 1965, with the single "What Are We Going To Do?" The 19 year old singer was signed to Colpix Records, a label owned by Columbia. His debut album David Jones, on the same label, followed soon after (CP493). On 1967 the album was issued in the UK, in mono only, on the Pye Records label (NPL 18178). From 1966 to 1971, Jones was a member of The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for a television show of the same name.

With Screen Gems producing the series, Jones was shortlisted for auditions, as he was the only Monkee who was signed to a deal with the studio, but still had to meet producers Bob Rafelson's and Bert Schneider's standards. Jones sang lead vocals on many of the Monkees' recordings, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". The NBC television series The Monkees was popular, and remained so in syndication. After the band disbanded in 1971, Jones reunited with Micky Dolenz as well as Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1974 as a short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. A Monkees television show marathon ("Pleasant Valley Sunday") broadcast on 23 February 1986 by MTV resulted in a wave of Monkeemania not seen since the group's heyday. Jones reunited with Dolenz and Peter Tork from 1986 to 1989 to celebrate the band's renewed success and promote the 20th anniversary of the group.

A new top 20 hit, "That Was Then, This Is Now" was released (though Jones did not perform on the song) as well as an album, Pool It!. Monkees activity ceased until 1996 when Jones reunited with Dolenz, Tork, and Michael Nesmith to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. The group released a new album entitled Justus, the first album since 1967's Headquarters that featured the band members performing all instrumental duties. It was the last time all four Monkees performed together. In February 2011, Jones confirmed rumours of another Monkees reunion. "There's even talk of putting the Monkees back together again in the next year or so for a U.S. and UK tour," he told Disney's Backstage Pass newsletter. "You're always hearing all those great songs on the radio, in commercials, movies, almost everywhere." The tour (Jones's last) came to fruition entitled, An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour. Category Obituary: Davy Jones - BBC News BBC News Read more about sharing.

Close share panel Davy Jones was the ever-youthful and mop-topped "short one" from The Monkees, who scored chart hits and TV success during the 1960s and beyond. Only last year, the British-born star was touring the heritage circuit once again as he teamed up with most of his bandmates from the slapstick show. But away from a screen role which won successive generations of fans, he had a successful stage career and was a talented horseman - a skill which had also seen him briefly working as a jockey before he found fame. He is best remembered for his vocals on Daydream Believer, a top 10 hit for the teen pop group in 1967. It was one of many songs The Monkees recorded for their hit TV show, which spawned four US number one albums in a 13-month period from 1966 to 1967. They were famous for their clean-cut image and were marketed as the American answer to The Beatles, having been created by two US TV producers who hoped to mimic the anarchic comedy of the Fab Four's film A Hard Day's Night.

The stigma of their origins never quite escaped the band, who later wrested control of the careers and recorded a number of critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful psychedelic rock albums. Big break Jones, who was born in Manchester in 1945, famously took a brief role in Coronation Street during the show's early days in the 1960s, while still a teenager. After a stint training as a jockey in Newmarket, he landed his big acting break thanks to his boyish features and diminutive stature, playing the Artful Dodger in the West End stage musical Oliver! He went on to land a Tony nomination when he transferred to Broadway in New York with the production. Image caption Davy Jones hit the big time when in America with the cast of the musical Oliver! Jones and the rest of the cast were guests on The Ed Sullivan Show when The Beatles made their first appearance, with Beatlemania in full swing. His feted performance upped his profile and led to a US management deal resulting in TV roles and a short-lived solo music career.

The contract also helped to fast-track him through the auditions for The Monkees, as TV executives put together the group in 1966 partly as a response to the popularity of the Fab Four's movie A Hard Day's Night. The group also featured Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith. The show - and the accompanying albums - gave rise to a number of classics, including Daydream Believer, Last Train To Clarksville and Pleasant Valley Sunday, written by such luminaries as Neil Diamond, Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Jones, who had been hired for his good looks and acting skills as much as his musical abilities, was often relegated to the role of tambourine player in the band's TV show. But he also took lead vocals on some of their more popular songs, including Valleri and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You. He can be heard speaking at the beginning of Daydream Believer, asking a studio engineer: "What number is this, Chip?" The band replies "7-A", a reference to the number of takes Jones had to record before the song was considered complete.

It was a high tally in the early days of the recording industry, and Jones later confessed he had been unhappy, because he was not convinced of the song's potential. "You can tell from the vocal that I was pissed off," he wrote in the official Monkees' biography 20 years later. Stage career After their TV series ended, their partnership continued with the drifting, psychedelic film Head, partly created by Jack Nicholson. The Monkees survived as a trio when Tork left in early 1969 and then, following the departure of Nesmith, as a duo. It was Dolenz and Jones who had often taken the lead on their songs. After The Monkees, Jones continued to record, making solo albums in the 1970s and touring Japan with his new band, Toast, in the 80s. He also made cameos in TV shows such as The Brady Bunch and Love American Style, and appeared in the stage musical Godspell.

The Monkees reunited several times over the years, most notably in the 1980s when their TV show was repeated on MTV - the TV channel that owed its existence, in part, to Jones's former bandmate Michael Nesmith, thanks to his interest in music videos. Their last tour, as a three-piece, took place last year. He also continued to have a love of riding and training horses and achieved the long-held ambition of winning his first race, in 1996 at Lingfield. Davy Jones, member of the Monkees, dies at 66 - latimes March 01, 2012 |By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times Associated Press (68477252.jpg ) Davy Jones was a promising 18-year-old actor from England when he found himself among the guest performers on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Feb. 9, 1964 — the same night about 75 million people tuned in to catch the American debut of the Beatles. Like so many others who watched the show from near and far, Jones considered it a life-changing experience.

Looking on from the wings as hundreds of teenagers, mostly girls, were screaming ecstatically while listening to the four musicians who came from a town only 20 miles away from his own hometown of Manchester, Jones knew then he wanted a career in pop music rather than theater. A little more than a year later he auditioned for and was accepted as a member of the Monkees, a pop band created for a television show developed in the wake of the success of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" film. PHOTOS: Davy Jones | 1945-2012 The new group's fame quickly came to rival that of the Fab Four after NBC-TV executives put Jones and bandmates Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork into the living rooms of millions of viewers every Monday night. The show ran from 1966 to 1968.

Jones, who died Wednesday at 66 of a heart attack in Martin County, Fla., was the group's counterpart to Beatle Paul McCartney as the Monkees' romantic heartthrob, and his British accent lent the band a dash of international intrigue in songs on which he was the lead singer, including a couple of their biggest hits, "Daydream Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You." "That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you," Nesmith wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday. "I will miss him, but I won't abandon him to mortality.… David's spirit and soul live well in my heart." Although initially dismissed in music circles as a television fantasy more than a musical reality, the Monkees charted nearly two dozen singles during a heyday from 1966 to 1970 and became the first, and only, act to score four No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart in the same calendar year.

"It's a sad day for me," said filmmaker Bob Rafelson, co-creator of "The Monkees" with Bert Schneider who also produced their avant-garde 1968 film "Head." "Of all the films I've made that have received attention from the Academy Awards, or Cannes [Film Festival] or the New York Film Critics Awards, nothing ever pleased me more than hearing a [radio] announcer say 'Here's Davy Jones singing "Daydream Believer." ' " Although never inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Monkees have long been lauded for the boost they gave many songwriters by recording their compositions, including Neil Diamond, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Harry Nilsson, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and John Stewart. It was Jones who strongly lobbied for the group to record "Cuddly Toy," a song written by Nilsson, who was then supporting himself as a computer programmer for a bank in the San Fernando Valley. Later known as the composer of the Three Dog Night hit "One" and the singer on hits of his own such as "Without You" and "Everybody's Talking," Nilsson's big break came from the Monkees.

"Back in 1967 it meant something for them to record one of your songs," said John Scheinfeld, writer and producer of the 2010 documentary "Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" "In our film, Micky told the story of how Harry and Davy and Harry's publisher Lester Sill were walking out of the studio after the recording session, and Lester turned to Harry and said, 'Well, you can quit your job at the bank now.' It drew a lot of attention to Harry." David Thomas Jones was born Dec. 30, 1945, and gained success in his native country as a child actor with roles in different series shown on the BBC. At 11, he had an important role in the long-running soap opera "Coronation Street." After a successful run on London's West End as the Artful Dodger in a production of the musical "Oliver!" in his teens, Jones re-created the part on Broadway, landing a Tony Award nomination. It was that production that was highlighted by Sullivan in the same show on which the Beatles appeared for the first time.

He also trained to be a jockey — he stood 5 feet 3 — and his passion for horses stayed with him through his life. Rafelson said he and Schneider auditioned 437 actors and musicians, including Stephen Stills, David Crosby, the Lovin' Spoonful and future members of Three Dog Night, before zeroing in on the four who became the Monkees. Some of the band members' desire to be taken seriously musically led to notorious power struggles with TV and music publishing executives. But that wasn't a big concern for Jones. Davy Jones of The Monkees dies aged 66 - BBC News BBC News Davy Jones of The Monkees dies aged 66 1 March 2012 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Davy Jones, Manchester-born lead singer with 60s band The Monkees, has died aged 66, his publicist has confirmed. He died in his sleep at his home in Florida. His publicist, Deborah Robicheau, said he had had a massive heart attack.

Brought together for a US TV series in 1966, Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork hits included Daydream Believer and I'm a Believer. Jones was married three times and had four daughters. The Monkees' TV show was popular in both the US and the UK, and the band had four number one albums in a 13-month period. They were famous for their clean-cut image and were marketed as the American answer to The Beatles, notching up nine top 40 hits. Acting career Three of the band's original members - Jones, Dolenz and Tork - reunited last year to play a series of gigs. The son of a railway fitter, David Thomas Jones was born in 1945 in Manchester. He appeared as a teenager on soap opera Coronation Street, playing Ena Sharples's grandson. He also had a role in the television series Z Cars, but when his mother died of emphysema, he left showbusiness to train as a jockey.

Image caption Davy Jones was the only British member of The Monkees Basil Foster, the jockey who acted as his mentor, noticed Jones's skill as a performer and encouraged him to pursue his acting career. He returned to acting with a role in a West End production of Oliver! After it transferred to Broadway, he built up a career as an actor and singer before auditioning for The Monkees. Music journalist Paul Gambaccini described Jones as having "phenomenal" charisma and said that in 2008, he was voted the top teen idol of all time by Yahoo! Music. "The pop world at that time loved The Beatles and that north-western English sound was something that America wanted, when they put together the so-called Pre-Fab Four," he said, referring to the nickname given to The Monkees. Developing talent Gambaccini said The Monkees had been put together by the music industry, something which was unheard of at that time.

"There had been individual teen idols who had been literally picked up off the street and groomed to be popstar, but there had never been a band that was put together, and they were assembled because the two producers had liked A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles' movie." Radio presenter Dave Lee Travis said: "One of the things that people will probably be thinking about Davy Jones is, the fact that he was 66. He always looked like a little kid. I think even in his latter years he looked very, very young." He described The Monkees as "a lot of fun" and as a band which overcame its critics. Ricky Wilson, of the Kaiser Chiefs, speaking at the NME awards, said Jones would be missed. He said about Jones and The Monkees: "It was just some guys having fun. Not in the sort of forced, manufactured way, although many would say they were the first manufactured band. "I think there's something infectious about guys looking like that and having fun: The tunes, you can't argue with them." A former apprentice jockey in Newmarket, Jones remained a keen horseman all his life, winning his first race in England as a jockey in 1996.

He also trained horses. Jones also wrote short stories, poetry, and was interested in photography.

Question: Which future member of The Monkees pop group appeared on the TV series "Coronation Street"?
Answer: Davy Jones