Davy Jones is a famous actor and singer from Manchester. In his youth, he gained a rich experience on the theatre stage, taking part in the musical Oliver!. He worked in London’s West End and Broadway. However, Jones became famous thanks to his participation in The Monkees. In addition, he took part in the series of the same name, which was shown on TV screens in the 1960s. He acquired the status of a teen idol due to his charming appearance and extraordinary musical and acting talent. Learn more at manchester-trend.
EARLY YEARS AND DEVELOPMENT AS AN ACTOR
Very little is known about Jones’ early life. We know that he was born in Openshaw, Manchester, in 1945. That’s it. Almost nothing is known about his young years, as the first mentions of his activities date back to the 1960s.
In particular, Jones made his TV debut in the early 1960s. He starred in the famous British soap opera Coronation Street, performing the role of Colin Lomax, the grandson of the minor character Ena Sharples.
At the time of filming, Jones was only 16 years old, and despite his young age, he recommended himself no worse than other more experienced actors. He could convey the entire range of emotions of his character and immerse the audience in the story. His subtle facial expressions and the sophisticated rendering of feeling won him the recognition of film critics and the adoration of the public. Although that role was supportive and the first one for the actor, it found a response from many residents of Manchester and other cities of Great Britain, who gathered to watch the Coronation Street TV series in the evenings. It was a successful start in the actor’s career, which contributed to his further development in the field. However, unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Jones. He decided to give up his career as an actor after his mother’s death of emphysema.
After that, he took up a more mundane job as a jockey to earn a living. However, it was a short period of his life. Jones realised that acting was the meaning of his life and that he wouldn’t be able to do anything else. Therefore, when luck smiled at him and he was offered a role in a musical, Jones immediately agreed. It was the role of Artful Dodger in the production Oliver!, which was based on the novel by Charles Dickens and staged in London’s West End. That role brought Jones tremendous success, including a nomination for the Tony Award.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
After Jones’ debut on the theatre stage, his career as an actor began to develop rapidly. He appeared in various shows and programmes. Among them were American The Ed Sullivan Show, Ben Casey and The Farmer’s Daughter. Moreover, in addition to his acting career, Jones began to develop as a singer. In 1965, he debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with the What Are We Going To Do? single .
At the age of 19, Jones signed a contract with the famous American record company Colpix Records and released his first music album.
THE MONKEES PERIOD
Jones achieved real success when he starred in the The Monkees series and became a member of the band of the same name. It was specially created for the series.
The show was intended as a response to the success of the British rock band The Beatles and aimed to present a fictional rock band created especially for television. The series and the band quickly became popular, especially among teenagers in the 1960s.
The Monkees is a comedic story of the eponymous rock group, which tries their best to achieve success in the music industry. The series is full of funny scenes, musical performances and various life situations. Each episode featured a couple of original songs performed by the fictional band The Monkees. The series and the music became incredibly popular. Although The Monkees began as a TV series, it led to the formation of a real music band with the same name. The Monkees released several successful albums and singles, including such hits as Last Train to Clarksville, I’m a Believer and Daydream Believer performed by Jones. However, The Monkees officially broke up in 1970.
Even though the series ceased to exist, Jones’ career continued and it was no less successful.
Jones developed musical and acting skills in every possible way. He recorded several singles and also took part in the following projects:
- the production of Harry Nilsson’s musical The Point!
- the TV series Love, American Style
- the animated detective comedy series The New Scooby-Doo Movies
- the sitcom Sledge Hammer!
- the sitcom Boy Meets World
- the American animated series Hey, Arnold!
- the sitcom The Single Guy
- the sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
- the film The Brady Bunch Movie
- and others.
Moreover, in 2008 Yahoo! Music named Jones the “number 1 teen idol of all time,” and in 2009, Fox News ranked Jones second on their list of top 10 teen idols.
Jones was a timeless teen idol and remained active until his heart stopped beating in 2012.
After his death, the hits of The Monkees became even more popular. Jones’s death caused a huge wave of popularity of his creative legacy. As a result, the sales of The Monkees music from the eponymous series increased dramatically.
