December 30 is the birthday of David Thomas
"Davy" Jones (1945-2012), English actor, musician, recording artist,
performing artist, and businessman best known as a member of the pop rock band,
the Monkees, and star of the TV series of the same name. Jones' acting credits
include a Tony-nominated role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! as well as roles in The Brady Bunch
film and television series; Love, American Style; and My Two Dads. Jones is considered by some to be one of the great
teen idols.
Born in Openshaw, Manchester, England, Jones' television acting debut came in 1961 on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars. After the death of his mother when he was 14 years old, Jones rejected acting in favor of a career as a jockey. He dropped out of secondary school and apprenticed with Newmarket trainer Basil Foster. But even though Foster believed Jones would be successful as a jockey, Foster encouraged Jones to take a role as the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver! In London's West End. This move changed Jones' life forever. In turn, Jones cared for Foster in his later years, bringing him to the United States and providing him financial support.
Jones performed in Oliver! in London and then on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. On Februarys 9, 1964, Jones 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. Two American television appearances followed, in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer's Daughter.
Jones debuted on the Hot 100 in the week of August 14, 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. Jones' debut album on the same label, David Jones, followed soon after. In 1967, the album was issued in the UK, in mono only, on the Pye Records label.
From 1966 to 1971, Jones was a member of the Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for the NBC television show of the same name. The series was popular, and remained so in syndication. After the group disbanded in 1971, Jones reunited with Micky Dolenz as well as Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1974 as the short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.
On February 23, 1986, MTV broadcast "Pleasant Valley Sunday", a marathon of Monkees television episodes. The event 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.
In 1967, Jones opened his first retail store, called Zilch, in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. After the Monkees officially disbanded in 1971, Jones kept himself busy by establishing a New York City-style street market in Los Angeles, called "The Street". He also collaborated with musical director Doug Trevor on a one-hour ABC television special entitled Pop Goes Davy Jones, which featured new artists the Jackson Five and the Osmonds.
In 1971, Bell Records signed Jones to a somewhat inflexible solo record contract. Jones was not allowed to choose his songs or producer, resulting in several lackluster and aimless records. His second solo album, Davy Jones (1971) was notable for the song "Rainy Jane", which reached No.52 in the Billboard charts. To promote the album, Jones performed "Girl" on an episode of The Brady Bunch entitled "Getting Davy Jones". Although the single sold poorly, the popularity of Jones's appearance on the show resulted in "Girl" becoming his best remembered solo hit, even though it was not included in the album. The final single, "Road to Love," was poorly received.
Jones also returned to theatre several times after the Monkees. He appeared in several productions of Oliver! as The Artful Dodger, and in 1989, toured the US portraying Fagin. Jones also co-starred with Micky Dolenz in Harry Nilsson's play The Point at the Mermaid Theatre, London in 1978.
The continued popularity of his 1971 Brady Bunch appearance led to Jones being cast as himself in The Brady Bunch Movie. Jones sang his signature solo hit "Girl", with a grunge band providing backing, this time with middle-aged women swooning over him. Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork also appeared as judges.
In 2001, Jones released Just Me, and album of his own songs, some written for the album and others originally on Monkees releases. In the early 2000s he was performing in the Flower Power Concert Series during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival, a yearly gig Jones would continue until his death.
In April 2006, Jones recorded the single "Your Personal Penguin", written by children's author Sandra Boynton, as a companion piece to her new board book of the same title. On November 1, 2007, the Boynton book and CD titled Blue Moo was released and Jones is featured in both the book and CD, singing "Your Personal Penguin". In 2009, Jones released a collection of classics and standards from the 1940s through the 1970s entitled She.
In December 2008, Yahoo! Music named Jones the "Number 1 teen idol of all time". In 2009, Jones was rated second in a list of 10 best teen idols compiled by Fox News.
In addition to his career as an entertainer, Jones' other first love was horses. Training as a jockey in his teens, Jones later said "I made one huge mistake. When the Monkees finished in 1969–70, I should have got away from Hollywood and got back into the racing game. Instead, I waited another 10 years. Everyone makes mistakes in life and for me that was the biggest." He held an amateur rider's license and rode in his first race at Newbury for trainer Toby Balding.
On February 1, 1996, Jones won his first race, on Digpast, in the one-mile Ontario Amateur Riders Handicap at Lingfield. Jones also had horse ownership interests in both the U.S. and the U.K., and served as a commercial spokesman for Colonial Downs racetrack in Virginia. In tribute to Jones, Lingfield Park announced that the first two races on the card for March 3, 2012 would be renamed the "Hey Hey We're The Monkees Handicap" and the "In Memory of Davy Jones Selling Stakes" with successful horses in those races accompanied into the Winners' Enclosure by some of the Monkees' biggest hits. Plans were also announced to erect a plaque to commemorate Jones next to a Monkey Puzzle tree on the course.
On the morning of his death, Jones went to tend his 14 horses at a farm in Indiantown, Florida. After riding one of his favorite horses around the track, he complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing and was rushed to Martin Memorial South Hospital in Stuart, Florida, where he was pronounced dead of a severe heart attack due to atherosclerosis.
A private funeral service was held at Holy Cross Catholic parish in Indiantown, Florida. The three surviving Monkees did not attend in order not to draw more attention to the grieving family. Instead, the group attended memorial services in New York City as well as organizing their own private memorial in Los Angeles along with David's family and close friends. In addition, a public memorial service was held in Beavertown, Pennsylvania, near a church Jones had purchased for future renovation.
Born in Openshaw, Manchester, England, Jones' television acting debut came in 1961 on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars. After the death of his mother when he was 14 years old, Jones rejected acting in favor of a career as a jockey. He dropped out of secondary school and apprenticed with Newmarket trainer Basil Foster. But even though Foster believed Jones would be successful as a jockey, Foster encouraged Jones to take a role as the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver! In London's West End. This move changed Jones' life forever. In turn, Jones cared for Foster in his later years, bringing him to the United States and providing him financial support.
Jones performed in Oliver! in London and then on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. On Februarys 9, 1964, Jones 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. Two American television appearances followed, in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer's Daughter.
Jones debuted on the Hot 100 in the week of August 14, 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. Jones' debut album on the same label, David Jones, followed soon after. In 1967, the album was issued in the UK, in mono only, on the Pye Records label.
From 1966 to 1971, Jones was a member of the Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for the NBC television show of the same name. The series was popular, and remained so in syndication. After the group disbanded in 1971, Jones reunited with Micky Dolenz as well as Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart in 1974 as the short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.
On February 23, 1986, MTV broadcast "Pleasant Valley Sunday", a marathon of Monkees television episodes. The event 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.
In 1967, Jones opened his first retail store, called Zilch, in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. After the Monkees officially disbanded in 1971, Jones kept himself busy by establishing a New York City-style street market in Los Angeles, called "The Street". He also collaborated with musical director Doug Trevor on a one-hour ABC television special entitled Pop Goes Davy Jones, which featured new artists the Jackson Five and the Osmonds.
In 1971, Bell Records signed Jones to a somewhat inflexible solo record contract. Jones was not allowed to choose his songs or producer, resulting in several lackluster and aimless records. His second solo album, Davy Jones (1971) was notable for the song "Rainy Jane", which reached No.52 in the Billboard charts. To promote the album, Jones performed "Girl" on an episode of The Brady Bunch entitled "Getting Davy Jones". Although the single sold poorly, the popularity of Jones's appearance on the show resulted in "Girl" becoming his best remembered solo hit, even though it was not included in the album. The final single, "Road to Love," was poorly received.
Jones also returned to theatre several times after the Monkees. He appeared in several productions of Oliver! as The Artful Dodger, and in 1989, toured the US portraying Fagin. Jones also co-starred with Micky Dolenz in Harry Nilsson's play The Point at the Mermaid Theatre, London in 1978.
The continued popularity of his 1971 Brady Bunch appearance led to Jones being cast as himself in The Brady Bunch Movie. Jones sang his signature solo hit "Girl", with a grunge band providing backing, this time with middle-aged women swooning over him. Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork also appeared as judges.
In 2001, Jones released Just Me, and album of his own songs, some written for the album and others originally on Monkees releases. In the early 2000s he was performing in the Flower Power Concert Series during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival, a yearly gig Jones would continue until his death.
In April 2006, Jones recorded the single "Your Personal Penguin", written by children's author Sandra Boynton, as a companion piece to her new board book of the same title. On November 1, 2007, the Boynton book and CD titled Blue Moo was released and Jones is featured in both the book and CD, singing "Your Personal Penguin". In 2009, Jones released a collection of classics and standards from the 1940s through the 1970s entitled She.
In December 2008, Yahoo! Music named Jones the "Number 1 teen idol of all time". In 2009, Jones was rated second in a list of 10 best teen idols compiled by Fox News.
In addition to his career as an entertainer, Jones' other first love was horses. Training as a jockey in his teens, Jones later said "I made one huge mistake. When the Monkees finished in 1969–70, I should have got away from Hollywood and got back into the racing game. Instead, I waited another 10 years. Everyone makes mistakes in life and for me that was the biggest." He held an amateur rider's license and rode in his first race at Newbury for trainer Toby Balding.
On February 1, 1996, Jones won his first race, on Digpast, in the one-mile Ontario Amateur Riders Handicap at Lingfield. Jones also had horse ownership interests in both the U.S. and the U.K., and served as a commercial spokesman for Colonial Downs racetrack in Virginia. In tribute to Jones, Lingfield Park announced that the first two races on the card for March 3, 2012 would be renamed the "Hey Hey We're The Monkees Handicap" and the "In Memory of Davy Jones Selling Stakes" with successful horses in those races accompanied into the Winners' Enclosure by some of the Monkees' biggest hits. Plans were also announced to erect a plaque to commemorate Jones next to a Monkey Puzzle tree on the course.
On the morning of his death, Jones went to tend his 14 horses at a farm in Indiantown, Florida. After riding one of his favorite horses around the track, he complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing and was rushed to Martin Memorial South Hospital in Stuart, Florida, where he was pronounced dead of a severe heart attack due to atherosclerosis.
A private funeral service was held at Holy Cross Catholic parish in Indiantown, Florida. The three surviving Monkees did not attend in order not to draw more attention to the grieving family. Instead, the group attended memorial services in New York City as well as organizing their own private memorial in Los Angeles along with David's family and close friends. In addition, a public memorial service was held in Beavertown, Pennsylvania, near a church Jones had purchased for future renovation.
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