MONKEES (personality)

The Monkees where a super popular faux rock 'n' roll (rock and roll) group that began in 1966. It was comprised of Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith. They first appeared on a TV show titled "The Monkees", which came about because of the immense popularity of The Beatles, and TV executives wanted a show about a popular singing group, but they couldn't hire one (initially, they wanted The Beatles themselves!). So instead, they hired a group of partial musicians who had never played together! The show was a gigantic hit, and most of the songs introduced on the show became giant hits as well. Two of their early best songs were by Neil Diamond, including "I'm a Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". After the show went off the air, they did not perform for many years, but eventually started doing shows. Davy Jones passed away in 2012.