To Absent Friends - Davy Jones

Very saddened to hear for the death today of Davy Jones at the age of 66. The Monkees were a purely made for TV group that NBC created in hopes of cashing in on the tails of the Beatles and other British pop groups of the mid-sixties. It was a hunch that paid off big time. The Monkees, both the TV show and the group itself hit it big, and the band, which started out as four actors playing the role of a rock band, became a huge act during my high school years. The band even cashed in on the nostalgia craze in the late 80's by touring once again.

Jones became the heart throb of the group, but he also brought some serious acting and musical talent to the part as well. While starring as the Artful Dodger in the Broadway musical "Oliver" in 1964, he appeared with the cast of the show and performed a number from it on the Ed Sullivan Show on the very night that The Beatles made their American TV debut in February, 1964.

RIP Davy Jones.