Take Five: Non-Monkees Tracks featuring Davy Jones

Davy Jones was – and remains, nearly 14 years after his death – best known as one of The Monkees. The “prefab four” were television and recording stars, with a pop-rock legacy that endures to this day. In the years after his death, two more Monkees would leave us: Peter Tork in 2019, and Michael Nesmith in 2021. Today only Micky Dolenz remains from the group.

Davy Jones was responsible for the lead vocal on some of the Monkees’ biggest hits, including 1966’s “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” (Top Ten in seven countries), 1967’s “Daydream Believer” (Top Ten in 14 countries) and “Valleri” (Top Ten in nine countries). He also sang lead on fan-favorite deep album cuts including “Forget That Girl,” “Cuddly Toy” and “Star Collector.” But what’s often overlooked is the fact that Jones had a singing career both before and after the Monkees’ original 1966-71 run, The diminutive Jones would have turned 80 in 2025, and in celebration of his birthday, here are five non-Monkees tracks featuring the voice of Davy Jones.

“Dream Girl (from David Jones, 1965)
It’s a fun bit of trivia: on February 9, 1964 The Beatles made their historic first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Also on the program was the cast of the Broadway stage musical Oliver! Among that cast, playing the singing role of the Artful Dodger, was 19 year old David Jones. He would earn a Tony Award nomination for that role, and the increased exposure led to a recording deal with Screen Gems. Their record division Colpix (short for Columbia Pictures) released seven singles, most of which ended up on his self-titled album for the label. The girl-group-sounding pop of “Dream Girl” didn’t chart in the U.S., but it reached no. 7 in Australia.

“Rainy Jane” from Davy Jones (1971)
Mere months after the release of his solo debut album, Jones was cast in The Monkees. Along with Dolenz, his tenure in the group lasted the band’s entire original run; the other two members had left earlier: Tork departed in 1968, Nesmith in ‘70. Very soon after The Monkees folded, Jones resurfaced with his second solo LP. Davy Jones fared well in Japan (no. 31) but didn’t make it into the Billboard 200 in the U.S. Two singles were released from the album in the U.S., and the Neil Sedaka-penned goodtime pop of “Rainy Jane” charted respectably: no. 52 on Billboard’s chart and no. 32 on the Cashbox singles chart.

“Right Now” from Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart (1976)
In 1976, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones joined musical forces with some old pals. Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart had been responsible for writing some of The Monkees’ earliest hits (including “Last Train to Clarksville” and “(Theme from) The Monkees.” They had some chart success as a duo as well. The foursome recorded a self-titled studio album, and “Right Now” (with a Jones lead vocal) was the LP’s leadoff track. Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart mounted a successful tour, with former Paul Revere and the Raiders guitarist-bassist Keith Allison as band leader. DJB&H also toured the Far East to wide acclaim, cutting a live album that sadly went unreleased for five years, by which point the group had long since disbanded.

“Me and My Arrow” from Harry Nilsson’s The Point! Original Cast Recording (1977)
As soon as DJB&H folded, Jones and Dolenz resumed touring as a duo. In 1977 they were also both cast in a stage musical adaptation of Harry Nilsson’s The Point! When the original cast recording was released (around the world but not in the U.S.), it featured Jones’ lead vocal on Nilsson’s “Me and My Arrow,” a centerpiece of the production. (Note: Neither Jones nor Dolenz had been involved in the 1971 television version of the work.)

“Dance, Gypsy” from Hello Davy / Davy Jones Live (1982)
Jones’ last charting single as a solo artist came in 1981; “Dance, Gypsy” would be included on the Japan-only album Hello Davy / Davy Jones Live. Jones’ popularity in the Pacific Rim far outstripped that of his former (and future) Monkees band mates. The tune cleverly quotes musically from Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” a song that would be a hit in ‘82 when covered by Van Halen. The disco flavor of Jones’ “Dance, Gypsy” would have been out of step with the then-dawning new wave era, but when MTV began airing reruns of The Monkees in 1986, the group (without Nesmith) was inspired to launch a successful reunion.