Davy Jones was \u2013 and remains, nearly 14 years after his death \u2013 best known as one of The Monkees. The \u201cprefab four\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Davy Jones was responsible for the lead vocal on some of the Monkees\u2019 biggest hits, including 1966\u2019s \u201cA Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You\u201d (Top Ten in seven countries), 1967\u2019s \u201cDaydream Believer\u201d (Top Ten in 14 countries) and \u201cValleri\u201d (Top Ten in nine countries). He also sang lead on fan-favorite deep album cuts including \u201cForget That Girl,\u201d \u201cCuddly Toy\u201d and \u201cStar Collector.\u201d But what\u2019s often overlooked is the fact that Jones had a singing career both before and after the Monkees\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDream Girl (from David Jones<\/em>, 1965)<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a fun bit of trivia: on February 9, 1964 The Beatles made their historic first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show<\/em>. Also on the program was the cast of the Broadway stage musical Oliver!<\/em> 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 \u201cDream Girl\u201d didn\u2019t chart in the U.S., but it reached no. 7 in Australia.<\/p>\n