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Davy Jones
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DAVID THOMAS JONES
December 30, 1945
Born in: Manchester England. Parents: Harry and Doris Jones
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Davy Jones enjoyed the novelty of going out on the town with much-taller (even six-foot) women.
(looking back at the premiere episode of The Monkees, "Royal Flush") I look just like my fourteen year old daughter, I can't believe it. Wait 'till she sees this episode.
~ Davy Jones
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David Thomas "Davy" Jones (born 30 December 1945) is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of The Monkees.
Jones was born in Manchester, England on 30 December 1945. At the age of 11, he started his acting career and appeared on the British television soap opera Coronation Street as Ena Sharples's grandson, Colin Lomax. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars. However, after the death of his mother from emphysema when he was 14 years old, he left acting and trained as a jockey with Basil Foster.
However, events developed to bring Jones back to the stage when Foster was approached by a friend who worked in a theatre in the West End of London during casting for Oliver!. Foster said, "I've got the kid." Jones then became more interested in being in show business and appeared to great acclaim in the musical Oliver! as the Artful Dodger. After playing the role in London, he accompanied the show on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award. On 9 February 1964, he appeared with the Broadway cast of Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show, the same episode on which The Beatles made their first appearance. Jones says 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, Ward Sylvester of Screen Gems (then the television division of Columbia Pictures) signed Jones to a contract. A pair of American television appearances followed, as Jones received screen time in episodes of Ben Casey and The Farmer's Daughter. He also recorded a single and album for Colpix Records, which charted but were not huge hits.
From 1965 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. As a Monkee, Jones sang lead vocals on many of the group's songs, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". Davy met Laramy Smith in 1967, introduced by Eirik Wangberg (then a producer and co-owner of Sound Records). Laramy and Davy co-produced The Children, an Austin Texas group Davy discovered while on tour with the Monkees. A single was released on Laramie Records entitled "Picture Me", which reached Billboard at number 2 with a bullet.
After the Monkees went off the air, the group disbanded. However, Jones continued to perform solo, while later joining with fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz and songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as a short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. He has also toured throughout the years with other members as various incarnations of the Monkees.
In February 2011, Jones mentioned rumours of another Monkees reunion, stating "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 came to fruition entitled, "An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour."
In 1978, he appeared with Micky Dolenz in Harry Nilsson's play The Point at the Mermaid Theatre in London. Jones continued acting as he appeared in one episode of The Brady Bunch, two episodes of My Two Dads, an episode of Here Come the Brides, and two episodes of Love, American Style. He also appeared and sang, in animated form, on an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies and in an episode of Hey Arnold. Also, Jones made a cameo appearance as himself in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "SpongeBob vs. The Big One" (his appearance was meant to be a pun on Davy Jones' Locker), a third-season episode of the sitcom Boy Meets World and the Brady Bunch spoof movie of The Brady Bunch Movie. In 1997 he guest-starred as himself on the television show Sabrina The Teenage Witch and sang "Daydream Believer" to Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart).
In recent years, Jones performed with his former bandmates in reunion tours and appeared in several productions of Oliver! as Fagin. He continued to race horses with some success in his native England, while residing in Beavertown, PA. He owns and races horses in the United States and served as a commercial spokesman for Colonial Downs racetrack in Virginia. He has a residence in Stuart, Florida as well.
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". As a result of the collaboration, Jones has become a close friend of Boynton. Also in 2007, Jones also recorded the theme for a campy movie comedy called Sexina: Popstar PI.
In December 2008, Yahoo Music named Jones No.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 2009, Jones released an album entitled "She" which is a collection of handpicked classics and standards from the 1940s through the 1970s. Also in 2009, Jones performed in the Flower Power Concert Series during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. and is scheduled to appear in the 2011 series.
His daughters' names are Anabel, Talia, Sarah, and Jessica.
Because of his popularity with The Monkees, another singer named David Jones was forced to change his name to David Bowie.
Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 with the cast of "Oliver" (as the Artful Dodger). This is the same night The Beatles made their legendary debut.
Nominated for the Tony Award in the early 1960s - he played the role of the Artful Dodger in 'Oliver'.
Celebrated his climb as a performer on his first American visit (touring with 'Oliver!') by having steak at every meal for a month, "including breakfast." He'd never had it growing up.
Was given a videotape copy of his Ed Sullivan appearance (with the Beatles also on the program) by CBS; Jones treasured it years later.
When Jones first visited home after becoming a Monkee, his father refused to let him inside until he got his hair cut - twice. Jones' reaction to this was to buy the family a new house, "so now he has to let me in!"
Jones was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967, he was eventually excused because it was shown that he was his family's only source of financial support. (Jones' father suffered from poor health, and was no longer able to work.)
Opened a pair of boutiques during the 1960s, called "Zilch" (after a Monkees recording) and "The Street", and also his own record label, with band hairstylist David Pearl as his manager and business partner. Each venture folded within a couple years, and Jones sued Pearl for mismanagement of his funds.
Has 2 grandsons: Harrison Randall Jones McFadden born on July 2, 2002 by daughter Sarah; Phoenix Joseph Burrows born May 29, 2003 by daughter Jessica.
Daughter Sarah Lee Jones was married on August 28, 1998
His popularity with teenage girls led to the casting of lookalike Walter Koenig by the producers of "Star Trek" (1966), who were looking to attract a younger, more female audience.
Ranked #9 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (23 January 2005 issue).
Was nominated for Broadway's 1963 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for playing the role of the Artful Dodger in 'Oliver!'.
Shares a birthday with fellow Monkee Michael Nesmith.
Has a seasonal home in Beavertown, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Monkees were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6675 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
