Tuesday March 1, 2022 “Daydream Believer” The Monkees (Davy Jones)
OK, this is kind of a cheat because Davy Jones left us on February 29 but we don’t have a February 29 this year.
Today's song was written by John Stewart who had been a member of the folk group the Kingston Trio at the height of their 1960s hit making career. Stewart would leave that group to pursue a solo career when “Daydream Believer” became a number one international hit and that solo career would have him at one point teaming up with a then unknown singer/songwriter John Deutchendorf (later John Denver) who had been the lead singer of the Chad Mitchell Trio when Mitchell left that group.
One of John Stewart’s later solo albums would be produced by Mike Stewart, the founding member of the band We Five who had a top ten hit with their remake of the Ian & Sylvia song “You Were on My Mind”. Mike Stewart is John’s brother.
Aside from his work on The Monkees TV show, Davy Jones' acting credits include a Tony-nominated performance as the Artful Dodger in the original London and Broadway productions of Oliver! and a guest-starring role in a hallmark episode of The Brady Bunch television show and a later reprised parody film.
Training as a jockey in his teens in the UK, he had intended to pursue a career as a professional race jockey. He held an amateur rider's licence and rode in his first race at Newbury Racecourse. He would win his first race in 1996 and would go on to own and breed racehorses.
Davy Jones would leave us on February 29, 2012 at the age of 66, a victim of a heart attack.
Stay safe and well…and yes I know there are folks out there who are not Monkee fans but it’s hard to pass on this lovely international number one hit.