1975 – 1977 THE GREAT GOLDEN HITS OF THE MONKEES

1975 – 1977
THE GREAT GOLDEN HITS OF THE MONKEES –
THE GUYS WHO WROTE ‘EM & THE GUYS WHO SANG ‘EM
NORTH AMERICAN / FAR EAST TOUR

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart

(July 1975 – March 1977)

For updated information on this article, see the web site: monkeesconcerts.com

DJBH set lists varied from night to night, but usually consisted of:

• Last Train To Clarksville
• Medley: Valleri / Daydream Believer / A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
• I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight?
• (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
• I Wanna Be Free
• I Remember The Feeling
• Savin’ My Love For You
• Medley: Come A Little Bit Closer / Pretty Little Angel Eyes / Hurt So Bad / Peaches ‘N’ Cream / Something’s Wrong With Me / Keep On Singing
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• A Teenager In Love
• Right Now
• She
• Alice Long
• I Love You (And I’m Glad That I Said It)
• Action
• I’m A Believer
• (Theme From) The Monkees
• Cuddly Toy
• I’m A Believer  (reprise)
• Also possibly performed on various nights was “Out and About.”

 

In 1975, all four Monkees convened at Micky’s house to consider several offers to reunite the group, including one from McDonalds (to film a commercial) and another from the “Midnight Special” television show.  A possible tour was also discussed, but Michael and Peter both rejected the plans for different reasons.  Although the meeting was a positive and friendly event, the Monkees did not reunite.  However, Dolenz and Jones were interested in working together again.

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart (DJBH) was the brainchild of Christian DeWalden, a publisher/producer and friend of Bobby Hart.  After the failed attempt to reunite the Monkees, Dolenz and Jones subsequently agreed to tour alongside Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.  Boyce and Hart were responsible for writing and producing some of the Monkees’ greatest hits.  The foursome toured as The Great Golden Hits of the Monkees – The Guys Who Wrote ‘Em and the Guys Who Sang ‘Em.  Their concert combined Monkees classics, new material and Boyce and Hart hits.  The band appeared on “American Bandstand,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” “Dinah!” and “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” to promote their activities.

The group made its first public appearance on July 4, 1975 at Six Flags Over Mid-America in St. Louis, Missouri, where they were met by a crowd of 12,500.  Onstage, Micky would occasionally play acoustic guitar while Davy played the tambourine on a few songs.  Boyce and Hart would also play guitar throughout the show.  The backing band included Keith Allison (guitar and backing vocals), Rick Tierny (bass), Steve Johnson (keyboards) and Jerry Summers (drums).  Keith Allison was a friend of Michael Nesmith’s in the early 1960s and worked with Boyce and Hart on their albums.  Allison was also featured as a session musician on several Monkees recordings.

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart toured North America before heading to Japan, Thailand and Singapore.  They have the distinction of being the first American band to play in Thailand.  An album of all new material, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart, was released in May 1976 on Capitol Records.  The first single, “I Remember the Feeling,” became a minor hit on the West Coast in the United States and was a concert highlight during this era.  In mid-1976 the foursome filmed a television special (directed by Dolenz) called “The Great Golden Hits of the Monkees,” which showcased the band performing musical numbers and comedy skits.  The TV special was syndicated and aired across the United States in 1977.  A videocassette of the special was sold in the United Kingdom and Japan in the early 1980s.

Peter Tork made a guest appearance with DJBH onstage at California’s Disneyland on July 4, 1976.  As DJBH came to a close, Micky, Davy and Peter reunited in the recording studio with ex-Monkees producer Chip Douglas to record a holiday single, “Christmas Is My Time of Year.”  The single’s flipside was “White Christmas,” and it was released in late 1976 to members of the Monkees fan club only.

A live recording of a DJBH show, Concert in Japan (recorded on July 20, 1976 at Yubin Chokin Hall in Tokyo, Japan), was initially available only in Japan in 1981.  The album was eventually distributed on compact disc in the United States in 1996.

By March 1977, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart had disbanded.  While Tommy and Bobby went back to their songwriting careers, Micky and Davy continued touring, backed by Micky’s sister Coco and a backing group called The Laughing Dogs.  In September 1977, Micky and Davy traveled to England to begin rehearsals for Harry Nilsson’s stage production of The Point.