David Thomas Jones was an English singer, actor and businessman. Jones is best known as a member of the band the Monkees and a co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). He was considered a teen idol.
Robert Michael Nesmith was an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, and novelist. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). His songwriting credits include "Different Drum", which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.
The Monkees were a rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose line-up consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conceived in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the situation comedy series of the same name. Music credited to the band was released on LP, as well as being included in the show, which aired from 1966 to 1968.
The Turtles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group, whose best-known lineup included Howard Kaylan, Al Nichol, Mark Volman, Chuck Portz, Jim Tucker and Don Murray, had several Top 40 hits beginning in 1965 with their cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". Originally formed as a surf band, The Turtles first achieved success with a sound which fused folk and rock and roll. The band would achieve greater success performing pop music. They scored their biggest and best-known hit in 1967 with the song "Happy Together".
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. is the fourth album by the Monkees. It was released on November 6, 1967, when the Monkees were exerting more control over their music and had started to play many of the instruments themselves, something that their record company had previously forbidden. However, though the group had full control over the album, they invited more contributions from outside songwriters than on their previous album, Headquarters, and used session musicians to complement their sound. The album also featured some of the earliest uses of the Moog synthesizer in popular music. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. sold more than three million copies and was also the band's fourth consecutive album to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Jack Walter Keller was an American composer, songwriter and record producer. He co-wrote, with Howard Greenfield and others, several pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Just Between You and Me", "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own", "Venus in Blue Jeans" and "Run to Him". He also wrote the theme songs for TV series including Bewitched and Gidget, and later worked in Los Angeles – where he wrote for, and produced, The Monkees – and in Nashville.
Changes is the ninth studio album by the Monkees. The album was issued after Michael Nesmith's exit from the band, leaving only Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones to fulfill the recording contract they had signed in the mid-1960s. Changes was their last new album for Colgems Records and the group's last album of all new material until Pool It!, released in 1987.
Douglas Farthing Hatlelid, better known as Chip Douglas, is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s. He was the bassist of the Turtles for a short period of time and the producer of some of the Monkees biggest hits, including "Daydream Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday".
Colgems Records was a record label that existed from 1966 to 1971.
Raybert Productions was a production company that operated in the 1960s, founded by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider. Its principal works were the situation comedy The Monkees, and the 1969 movie Easy Rider. Raybert was also the predecessor to BBS Productions, a New Hollywood production company founded by Rafelson, Schneider, and Schneider's childhood friend Stephen Blauner. BBS Productions' best known film is The Last Picture Show.
"Valleri" is a song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for the Monkees. The single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks at #1 on the Cash Box chart in early 1968. The song also rose to #1 in Canada and #12 in the UK.
William E. Martin was an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, and voice actor.
The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands is the fourth studio album released by the American rock band the Turtles. Produced by Chip Douglas, it was released in November 1968 by White Whale Records. It includes John Barbata's final recorded performances with the band; he left shortly after its release to join Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Barbata's eventual replacement, former Spanky and Our Gang drummer John Seiter, also contributed to the album. Some issues of the album were retitled Elenore.
"A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" is a song written by Neil Diamond, recorded by the Monkees in 1967 and released as a single on the Colgems label. The lead vocal was Davy Jones' first on a Monkees single. The single reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, while on the Billboard Hot 100 it reached No. 2, with "Somethin' Stupid" by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra keeping it from the top spot.
"All of Your Toys" is a song by The Monkees, recorded in 1967 but not released until 20 years later. The song was written by Bill Martin, a friend of The Monkees' Michael Nesmith. "All of Your Toys" was the first Monkees recording to feature all four members performing on the track.
The Monkees is an American situation comedy series that first aired on NBC for two seasons, from September 12, 1966, to March 25, 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as a rock 'n roll band. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series television and won two Emmy Awards in 1967, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The program ended in 1968 at the finish of its second season and has received a long afterlife through Saturday morning repeats and syndication, as well as overseas broadcasts.
Door Into Summer is the debut album by Christian rock band Jacob's Trouble. It was released in 1989 and produced by Terry Scott Taylor and engineered by Gene Eugene. It featured a mixture of original numbers and cover versions of songs by The Beatles and The Monkees.
Diane Hildebrand is an American pop singer-songwriter. She wrote for several musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, but is best remembered for her work with Screen Gems Music Publishing, penning material for the band the Monkees. In 1969, Hildebrand recorded her debut studio album, Early Morning Blues and Greens. She later released two additional albums under the name Joya Diane Skye.
"Wasn't Born to Follow", also known as "I Wasn't Born to Follow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Goffin wrote the lyrics and King provided the music. The song was first recorded by the Byrds on their 1968 album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers. King's short-lived band the City also recorded the song for their 1968 album, Now That Everything's Been Said. It has also been covered by many other artists, including the Monkees, the Lemon Pipers, Dusty Springfield, and as a solo recording by King. The Byrds recording was featured in the 1969 film Easy Rider and was released as a single in the UK and Germany in the same year as a result.
"Christmas Is My Time of Year" is a Christmas single written by Howard Kaylan and Chip Douglas, both members of the Turtles.
