Davy Jones brings music of Monkees, more to Mohegan Sun Casino

Hollywood may have made a Monkee out of Davy Jones, but when it comes to his career, that probably wasn’t such a bad thing.

More than 40 years after he starred in the TV series “The Monkees,” Jones is still entertaining crowds. He will perform a free concert on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Casino Wolf Den.

“My love is what I am doing at the time,” said Jones in a telephone interview, “in fact, I’m very much looking forward to appearing in the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun where I have performed before, and I like it there,” said Jones.

And, he was happy at the time while appearing in the television show, “The Monkees,” which was loosely based on the Beatles popular movie “A Hard Day’s Night” and ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968.
“Eventually Peter and Mike, especially, wanted to write, play and record … or be behind the camera. But I just wanted to be in the show, fall in love twice in each episode and kiss the girls. I had no ambition to be Steven Spielberg or Cecil B. DeMille,” Jones said.

Born in Manchester, England, on Dec. 30, 1945, Jones began entertaining at 11 years old as Ena Sharples’ grandson on the still-running ITV British soap opera, “Coronation Street.” His performance was memorable enough for theatrical agents to seek him out after leaving television behind to work as an apprentice jockey in Newmarket. Their efforts brought him to London, where he portrayed Dickens’ mischievous Artful Dodger in the West End production of “Oliver!”. Later, at age 16, Jones found himself a hit in New York City, where he originated the Artful Dodger role on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award.

Jones’ success in America led to his being offered a contract with Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems Television, and The Monkees were created shortly after.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1966, the Monkees debuted on television along with a No. 1 single, “Last Train To Clarksville.” The show – featuring Jones along with Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith – won two Emmy Awards and they scored a dozen Billboard Top 40 hits, outselling both the Beatles and Rolling Stones in 1967. The Monkees are the only artists ever to have four No. 1 albums in the same year. They have had Top 10 hits in more than 25 countries and had top-grossing tours in 1967 and their 1986 reunion tour.

When the Monkees came to a formal end in 1970, things didn’t stop for Jones. He continued to appear on the theatrical stage, as well as writing, singing and recording solo albums.

While the performer may be remembered for his lovable role as Davy in The Monkees, perhaps his most celebrated television appearance in his long career as a heartthrob was in an episode of the poplar ABC sitcom, “The Brady Bunch,” called “Getting Davy Jones.” Not only was he Marcia Brady’s dream prom date, but the episode is one of the most frequently aired reruns in television history. As a result, he reprised that role in the 1995 big screen “The Brady Bunch Movie.”

And, true to his first love, Jones has never stopped being an extremely able horseman. He continues to ride and train racehorses and, in 1966, Jones won his first race in England on his prized horse named Digpast.

Jones most recently appeared again as a “Monkee” last summer when the band reunited – minus the usually absent Nesmith – for their 45th Anniversary Tour, their first live appearance together in a decade.

“When Peter and Micky are around, there’s nothing like it. There’s a rapport that we have together that is magical. But, I don’t think it was one of our best performances … it was strained … because of what was going on at the time,” said Jones.

“Basically, we just slapped the tour together using the same backing band that I use when I’m on the road. And, for me, it really worked and I put all of my energy into it,” he added.

But for some reason, once again, the tour didn’t work and ended early similar to several others because of discord among the three. Business reasons were cited by some as a reason for the latest abrupt cancellation of dates.

“For right now, I’m just enjoying getting on stage, singing Monkees’ songs, some original songs and some swing music, along with a little country, and improvising and telling stories,” said Jones about a string of solo concert dates.

“It may sound strange to say, but I find acting to be so stupid today. It’s too much of the same people and you tend to get cynical about the whole thing. You see Spielberg’s name next to the movie “The Adventures of Tintin,” but it really belonged to someone else and was brought to the director. Then there’s Charlie Small, a dear friend of mine, who wrote very song in “The Wiz,” but what you see is Quincy Jones’ name attached to the project,” he added.

In addition to his onstage performances and his continued love of horses, the theater also remains in Jones’ blood. He has starred in productions of “The Boyfriend,” Harry Nilsson’s “The Point,” and appeared as Jesus in “Godspell,” which played in London’s West End.

Now, Jones can add playwright to his list of accomplishments after having written “The Call.”

“It’s a traditional musical with all songs related to the storyline much like a ‘West Side Story,’ ‘Mame’ or ‘Oliver’ with all those elements of romance which seem to have been lost over the last 30 years,” said Jones, noting the last really enjoyable Broadway show for him was “Miss Saigon.”

“We’re talking about doing a cast album now, so that we can shop the play around to Broadway producers,” he added.

At age 66, and happily married to his third wife, Jessica Pacheco, 34, Jones is more philosophical about life.

“I’m just a bit disappointed with all the bad feelings there are in the world … we tend to zero in on the negative. I try to be very positive today in my life … there is no way to happiness, happiness is the way,” Jones said.

“I have a beautiful wife, four great daughters, and several grandchildren, and I’m close to them all,” he added.

via Davy Jones brings music of Monkees, more to Mohegan Sun Casino | masslive.com.