The Monkees’ Peter Tork Said Davy Jones Wasn’t Really a Rock Singer

TL;DR:

• The Monkees’ Peter Tork said Davy Jones’ favorite genre of music was not rock ‘n’ roll.
• Tork said Jones did an amazing job covering a classic rock song from the 1950s.
• A songwriter said each member of the Prefab Four had their own strengths as a musician.

The Monkees gave us some famous pop-rock songs. Despite this, Peter Tork said The Monkees’ Davy Jones wasn’t really a rock ‘n’ roll singer. Tork discussed what the Prefab Four would have been like if he and Micky Dolenz ran the group.

Peter Tork discussed what The Monkees would have been like if he and Micky Dolenz ran the group

During a 2017 interview with Las Vegas Weekly, Tork discussed how he would have run the band with Dolenz. “And really, Micky and I have been looking at each other over the years saying, you know, if it was just the two of us, we would do nothing but rock ‘n’ roll,” Tork revealed.

Subsequently, Tork discussed Jones’ stylistic preferences. “Davy, for all of his virtues and glories, was very much into British music hall,” he said. “Given his head, he would do nothing but [Harry Champion’s] ‘I’m Henry the VIII, I Am.’ I mean, not that he did that song, but that’s the kind of music that he would do, in spite of the fact that Davy could rock like nobody’s business.” 

Peter Tork discussed what he thought when The Monkees’ Davy Jones covered a classic rock song

Tork revealed Jones covered a classic rock song at one point. “[At one point] Davy [did a version of] [Chan Romero’s] ‘Hippy Hippy Shake’ and nailed it!” Tork recalled. “It just wasn’t what he wanted to do.”

Tork gave fans more insight into his relationship with Jones. “I certainly did not have the first clue of how to encourage all of the good stuff from Davy that I loved,” he said. “I wish I could have known how to do it — and he might still be with us, even.” For context, Jones died in 2012, five years before this interview.

What the Prefab Four’s regular songwriter thought about Davy Jones’ strengths

Bobby Hart co-wrote some of The Monkees’ biggest songs, such as “Valleri” and “Last Train to Clarksville.” In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart said each member of the group had strengths.

He said Jones’ strength was performing show tunes. He recalled how Jones would sing the musical number “Gonna Build a Mountain” from the Broadway show Stop the World – I Want to Get Off during The Monkees’ live shows.

Jones remains a 1960s icon whether he was truly a rock singer or not.