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The Monkees was a made-for-television band that included Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz. The zany sitcom only lasted for two seasons, and some members of the band left while the group was still topping the charts. Still, the group’s music continues to entertain and inspire fans today.

The Monkees were a made-for-TV rock band

The Monkees Hit Town, posing for a photographer at their hotel after arriving in New York
The Monkees Hit Town | Bettmann via Getty Images

The origins of The Monkees did not come from the typical ways bands are formed. Instead of a few guys getting together in a garage to play music, The Monkees were first created in a television production office. Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider came up with the idea to develop a sitcom around a rock band. The only thing they had to find were the right members.

According to TCM, Rafelson and Schneider wanted to use an existing group and chose The Lovin’ Spoonful, but because they wouldn’t be able to profit from the music sales due to an existing record contract, the two decided to come up with a fictional band. They held auditions and chose two young men with musical experience (Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork) and two with acting experience (Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz).

The show only ran for two seasons on NBC from 1966-1968. With Rafelson and Schneider, the group also made a movie, Head, that was a commercial flop but has since gained cult status due to its association with co-writer and co-producer Jack Nicholson before Easy Rider shot Nicholson to stardom. However, after the show was canceled and the movie was released, some members thought it was time to move on.

Peter Tork was the first member to leave the group

Peter Tork was the first member of The Monkees to say goodbye to sitcom hijinks and bubblegum pop music. However, life wasn’t quite as easy as it had been when he was on a popular television show. According to Villages-News, Tork struggled to find his way after leaving the group. He did everything from playing in a relatively unknown band and working as a singing waiter to spending some time in prison for drug-related charges. He also spent a few years as a teacher.

It wasn’t until The Monkees decided to reunite that Tork realized his true calling with music and entertainment. The band got back together for a 20th-anniversary reunion tour in 1986. Since then, the band has reunited for the occasional album and live tours.

In 2009, Tork was diagnosed with a rare form of head and neck cancer. However, he continued to tour and record music throughout his treatment. In 2019, Tork died of complications due to cancer.

Mike Nesmith left the group to concentrate on his own music

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Not long after Peter Tork left The Monkees, Mike Nesmith also decided to forge his own path without Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz. Nesmith officially left the band in 1970, but not before he was obligated to film a television commercial with Jones and Dolenz for a Kool-Aid promotion giving away Nerf balls.

Once Nesmith left the band, he concentrated on his solo music career, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. Although he formed a country-rock group called Michael Nesmith and the First National Band, he also recorded on his own, completing over a dozen albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Nesmith is also known for creating music videos long before MTV was created. His video for the song “Rio” is often credited as one of the first true music videos. However, other bands had completed videos for their work before Nesmith’s video was released.

In December 2021, Nesmith died at the age of 78 from heart failure, leaving Dolenz as the only surviving member of The Monkees.

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