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{{Short description|British/American rock and pop band}}
{{About|the musical group|the TV series|The Monkees (TV series){{!}}''The Monkees'' (TV series)|their debut album|The Monkees (album){{!}}''The Monkees'' (album)|their compilation album|The Monkees: Original Album Series{{!}}''The Monkees: Original Album Series''}}
{{refimprove|date=May 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = The Monkees
| background       = group_or_band
| image            = The Monkees 1966.JPG
| caption          = The Monkees in 1966 <br/>Clockwise from top left: [[Peter Tork]], [[Micky Dolenz]], [[Michael Nesmith]], [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]].
| origin           = Los Angeles, California
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Pop rock]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Most Influential Pop-Rock Band Ever? The Monkees!|first=Mark|last=Rozzo|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=August 19, 2021|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/the-most-influential-pop-rock-band-ever-the-monkees/amp}}</ref>
* [[Rock music|rock]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/interviews/dolenz-sings-nesmith-and-talks-monkees-legacy|title=Dolenz sings Nesmith, and talks Monkees legacy |date=August 5, 2021 |website=Goldminemag.com |access-date=September 20, 2021}}</ref>
* [[bubblegum music|bubblegum]]<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/4-of-the-best-bubblegum-pop-songs-from-the-1960s/|title=4 of the Best Bubblegum Pop Songs from the 1960s|first=Thom|last=Donovan|date=October 24, 2024|website=American Songwriter}}</ref>
* [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]<ref>{{cite web|title=A to Z of Psychedelia on 6 Music|work=BBC Sounds|date=July 17, 2018|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p05k8003}}</ref>
<!--Aim for generality&nbsp;— see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_musical_artist#Genre-->
}}
| years_active     =
{{flatlist|
*1966<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/03/1120309947/the-monkees-drummer-sues-the-fbi|title=
The Monkees' drummer wants the FBI to quit monkeying around and hand over files |website=npr.org |last=Diaz|first=Jaclyn |date=September 3, 2022}}</ref>–1970<ref name="downfall">{{Cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/how-the-monkees-became-real-artists-and-why-it-was-their-downfall/|title=How The Monkees Became Real Artists (And Why It Was Their Downfall)|first=Em|last=Casalena|date=April 15, 2025|website=American Songwriter}}</ref>{{efn|Sources differ as to dates for the official formation (possibly 1965) and disbandment (possibly 1971) of the band. However, virtually all reliable sources agree that until the Monkees' reunions, there was no active involvement by the members outside of the period from 1966 to 1970.{{cn|date=May 2025}}}}
*1986–1989
*1996–1997
*2001–2002
*2010–2021}}
| label            = {{flatlist|
* [[Colgems]]
* [[RCA Victor]]
* [[Bell Records|Bell]]
* [[Arista Records|Arista]]
* [[Rhino Records|Rhino]]
}}
| website          = {{URL|monkees.com}}
| current_members  = 
| past_members     = * [[Micky Dolenz]] 
* [[Michael Nesmith]]
* [[Peter Tork]]
* [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]]
}}

'''The Monkees''' were an American [[pop rock]] band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s.<!-- Sources differ as to whether the band was formed in 1965 or in 1966. --> The band consisted of [[Micky Dolenz]], [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]], [[Michael Nesmith]], and [[Peter Tork]]. Spurred by the success of ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' television series, they were one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s. The band produced four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs ("[[Last Train to Clarksville]]", "[[I'm a Believer]]", and "[[Daydream Believer]]").

The Monkees were originally a fictional band created for the [[NBC]] television sitcom ''The Monkees''. Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork were cast to portray members of a band in the sitcom. Music credited to the Monkees appeared in the sitcom and was released on LPs and singles beginning in 1966, and the sitcom aired from 1966 to 1968. At first, the band members' musical contributions were primarily limited to lead vocals and the occasional composition, with the remaining music provided by professional songwriters and studio musicians. Though this arrangement yielded multiple hit albums and singles, the band members desired greater control over the creation of their music. Following a brief power struggle, the Monkees gained full control over the recording process in 1967. For two albums, the Monkees mostly performed as a group; however, within a year, each member was pursuing his own interests under the Monkees' name, rendering the Monkees once again a group in name only. With widespread allegations that the band members did not play their own instruments—followed by the cancellation of ''The Monkees'' TV series, diminishing success on the charts, and waning popularity overall—band members began to leave the group. The Monkees held a final recording session in 1970 before breaking up.<!-- Sources differ as to whether the band disbanded in 1970 or 1971. -->

Renewed interest in the Monkees emerged in 1986, leading to a 20th anniversary reunion. Over the subsequent 35 years, the Monkees intermittently reunited for reunion tours, a major-network television special, and the production of new studio albums. After the deaths of Jones in 2012 and Tork in 2019, Dolenz and Nesmith undertook a [[farewell tour]] in 2021. This tour concluded shortly before Nesmith's death later that year, leaving Dolenz as the sole surviving member of the Monkees.

== History ==
=== Conception and casting ===
The Monkees were formed in the mid-1960s in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Monkees-American-music-group|title=The Monkees; Members, TV Show, Songs, Albums, & Facts|date=September 21, 2023|website=Britannica.com}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/>

Aspiring filmmaker [[Bob Rafelson]] developed the initial idea for ''The Monkees'' in 1962 and tried selling it to [[Revue Productions]], the television division of [[Universal Pictures]], but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sandoval |first=Andrew |date=2005 |title=The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation|publisher=Thunder Bay Press |page=15 |isbn=1-59223-372-4}}</ref> In May 1964, while working at [[Screen Gems]], Rafelson teamed up with [[Bert Schneider]], whose father, Abraham Schneider, headed the Colpix Records and Screen Gems Television units of [[Columbia Pictures]]. Rafelson and Schneider ultimately formed Raybert Productions.<ref name="SandovalPage18">Sandoval (2005), p. 18.</ref> [[The Beatles]]' films ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' and ''[[Help! (film)|Help!]]'' inspired Rafelson and Schneider to revive Rafelson's idea for ''The Monkees''. As "Raybert Productions", they sold the show to Screen Gems Television on April 16, 1965.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cinemascholars.com/making-the-monkees-1965-68/|title=THE MONKEES (1965-68) - A Cultural Phenomenon|first=Benjamin|last=McVay|date=August 2, 2021|website=Cinema Scholars}}</ref>

Rafelson and Schneider's original idea was to cast an existing New York folk rock group, [[the Lovin' Spoonful]], who were not widely known at the time. After those plans fell through, Rafelson and Schneider focused on Davy Jones. In September 1964, Jones had signed to a long-term contract to appear in TV programs for Screen Gems, to make feature films for Columbia Pictures and to record music for the [[Colpix]] label.<ref name="SandovalPage19">Sandoval (2005), p. 19.</ref> His involvement with ''The Monkees'' was publicly announced on July 14, 1965.<ref name="SandovalPage24">Sandoval (2005), p. 24.</ref> Jones had previously starred as the [[Artful Dodger]] in the [[Broadway theater]] show ''[[Oliver!]]''; for his work in ''Oliver!'', he was nominated for a [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical]] in 1963.<ref name="SandovalPage16">Sandoval (2005), p. 16.</ref>

In September{{nbsp}}1965, ''[[Daily Variety]]''<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nbc-television-greenlights-the-monkees|title=NBC greenlights "The Monkees"|website=HISTORY|date=November 13, 2009 }}</ref> and ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/09/09/music|title=The Monkees came together after answering an ad 50 years ago|date=September 9, 2015|website=MPR News}}</ref> ran advertisements to cast the remainder of the band/cast members for the TV show. The advertisements each read as follows:

{{blockquote|Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age 17–21. Want spirited [[Ben Frank's]]-types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/>}}

Out of 437 applicants,<ref name="Sandoval">{{cite news |last=Sandoval |first=Andrew |title=How Davy Jones and the Monkees Impacted Music, Hollywood - and Jack Nicholson |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-davy-jones-monkees-changed-hollywood-297757 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=May 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430092741/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-davy-jones-monkees-changed-hollywood-297757 |archive-date=April 30, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> the other three chosen for the cast of the TV show were Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz.<ref name="brightlightsfilm/monkees-birthed">{{cite web |last1=Ozturk |first1=Selen |title=How the Monkees Birthed New Hollywood |url=https://brightlightsfilm.com/how-the-monkees-birthed-new-hollywood/ |website=[[Bright Lights Film Journal]] |access-date=28 October 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251028023856/https://brightlightsfilm.com/how-the-monkees-birthed-new-hollywood/ |archive-date=28 October 2025 |date=1 August 2022}}</ref>

Dolenz, son of screen actor [[George Dolenz]], had prior screen experience under the name "Mickey Braddock" as the 10-year-old star of the ''[[Circus Boy]]'' series in the 1950s. He was actively auditioning for pilots at the time and was told about the Raybert project by his agent.<ref name="SandovalPage26">Sandoval (2005), p. 26.</ref>

Nesmith's mother, [[Bette Nesmith Graham]], had invented a [[correction fluid]] and founded the company that became [[Liquid Paper]]. He had served a brief stint in the U.S. Air Force and had also recorded for Colpix under the name "Michael Blessing". He was the only one of The Monkees who had come for the audition based on seeing the trade magazine ad. He showed up to the audition with his laundry<ref name="SandovalPage26"/> and impressed Rafelson and Schneider with his laid-back style and droll sense of humor. He also wore a woollen hat to keep his hair out of his eyes when he rode his motorcycle, leading to early promotional materials which nicknamed him "Wool Hat". The hat remained part of Nesmith's wardrobe, but the name was dropped after the pilot.<ref name="BakerPage10">{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Glenn A. |title=Monkeemania: The True Story of the Monkees |first2=Tom |last2=Czarnota |first3=Peter |last3=Hoga |publisher=Plexus Publishing |year=1986 |isbn=0-312-00003-0 |location=New York City |page=10}}</ref>

Tork was recommended to Rafelson and Schneider by friend [[Stephen Stills]] at his audition. Tork was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who had performed at various Greenwich Village folk clubs before moving west, where he worked as a [[busboy]].<ref name="SandovalPage26"/>

=== Early years ===
==== Developing the music for their debut album ====
[[File:The Monkees 1967.jpg|thumb|The Monkees in 1965]]
During the casting process, [[Don Kirshner]], [[Screen Gems]]' head of music, was contacted to secure music for ''The Monkees'' pilot. Kirshner's [[Brill Building]] firm [[Aldon Music]] had an extensive portfolio of songwriters, many in need of work after the [[British Invasion]] had reorganized the American music scene; while several Aldon writers contributed songs to the Monkees during their existence, the bulk of the songwriting for the group fell upon Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, two songwriters who were only beginning to break through to success at the time.<ref name="SandovalPage27">Sandoval (2005), p. 27.</ref> [[Boyce and Hart]] contributed four demo recordings for the pilot.<ref name="SandovalPage40">Sandoval (2005), p. 40.</ref> One of these recordings was "(Theme From) The Monkees", which helped get the series the green light.<ref>No Monkee Business: A Candid Interview with Micky Dolenz</ref>{{better source|date=May 2025}}

NBC ordered 32 episodes of ''The Monkees'' on January 17, 1966.<ref name="auto1"/>

When ''The Monkees'' was picked up as a series, development of the musical side of the project accelerated. [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]–Screen Gems and [[RCA Victor]] entered into a joint venture called [[Colgems Records]]; the primary purpose of the venture was to distribute Monkees records.<ref name="SandovalPage36">Sandoval (2005), p. 36.</ref> Raybert set up a rehearsal space and rented instruments for the group to practice playing in April 1966,<ref name="SandovalPage84">Sandoval (2005), p. 84.</ref> but it quickly became apparent they would not be in shape in time for the series debut. The producers called upon Kirshner to recruit a producer for the Monkees' sessions.<ref name="SandovalPage37">Sandoval (2005), p. 37.</ref>

Kirshner called on [[Snuff Garrett]], composer of several hits by [[Gary Lewis & the Playboys]], to produce the initial musical cuts for the show. Garrett, upon meeting the four Monkees in June 1966, decided that Jones would sing lead, a choice that was unpopular with the group. This cool reception led Kirshner to drop Garrett and buy out his contract.<ref name="SandovalPage39">Sandoval (2005), p. 39.</ref>

Kirshner next allowed Nesmith to produce sessions, provided he did not play on any tracks he produced.<ref name="SandovalPage84"/> Nesmith did, however, start using the other Monkees in his sessions; he especially used Tork as a guitarist.{{cn|date=May 2025}}{{efn|As Nesmith pointed out to Eric Lefcowitz in ''The Monkees' Tale,'' "I wasn't the only musician and I wasn't ''much'' '''of''' a musician. Peter was a better musician than I was by several orders of magnitude."{{cn|date=May 2025}}}} Kirshner came back to the enthusiastic Boyce and Hart to be the regular producers, but he brought in one of his top East Coast associates, [[Jack Keller (songwriter)|Jack Keller]], to lend some production experience to the sessions.<ref name="SandovalPage84"/> Boyce and Hart quickly realized that, when together, the four actors fooled around and tried to crack each other up. Because of this, the producers often brought in each singer individually.<ref name="SandovalPage46">Sandoval (2005), p. 46.</ref>

The Monkees' debut and second albums were meant to be a soundtrack to the first season of the TV show, to cash in on the audience. In the 2006 Rhino Deluxe Edition re-issue of their second album, ''[[More of the Monkees]]'', Nesmith stated that he was angered by the release of the first album because it portrayed the band as an actual rock-and-roll band and gave no credit to the other musicians involved in the project.<ref>{{Cite web |title=More Of The Monkees |url=http://albumlinernotes.com/More_Of_The_Monkees.html |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=albumlinernotes}}</ref>
[[File:Davy Jones Peter Tork The Monkees 1966.jpg|thumb|[[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]] and [[Peter Tork]] in 1966|left]]
The Monkees' first single, "[[Last Train to Clarksville]]" b/w "Take a Giant Step", was released in August 1966, just weeks prior to the TV broadcast debut. In conjunction with the first broadcast of the television show on September 12, 1966, on the NBC television network, NBC and Columbia had a major hit on their hands.{{sfn|Gilliland|1969|loc=show 44, track 2}} The single topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for the week ending November 5, 1966.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
 | editor-first = Ashley
 | editor-last = Brown
 | title = Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music 
 | edition = Reference
 | year = 1990
 | publisher = [[Marshall Cavendish]]
 | volume = Six
 | isbn = 1-85435-021-8 
}}</ref> The Monkees' debut album, ''[[The Monkees (album)|The Monkees]]'', was released a month later; it spent 13 weeks at No. 1 and stayed on the Billboard charts for 78 weeks. Twenty years later, during their reunion, it spent another 24 weeks on the Billboard charts.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Melissa Ursula Dawn |title=Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |date=2019 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781440865794 |page=166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6W-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166 |access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref>

==== Live performances and touring ====
Pleased with their initial efforts, Columbia (over Kirshner's objections) planned to send the Monkees out to play [[Concert|live concerts]]. The massive success of the series—and its spin-off records—created intense pressure to mount a touring version of the group. Against the initial wishes of the producers, the band went out on the road and made their debut live performance in December 1966 in Hawaii.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1966-12-05 |title=December 1966: TV's The Monkees perform in Honolulu |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-honolulu-advertiser-december-1966-t/90363475/ |access-date=2024-01-21 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |pages=14}}</ref>

The results of these live performances were far better than expected. Wherever they went, the group was greeted by scenes of fan adulation reminiscent of [[Beatlemania]]. This gave the singers increased confidence in their fight for control over the musical material chosen for the series.<ref name="baker">Baker (1986), pp. 5, 49, 43, 113.</ref>

=== Independence ===
====Conflict with Kirshner====
In early 1967, controversy concerning the Monkees' studio abilities arose. Dolenz told a reporter that [[The Wrecking Crew (music)|the Wrecking Crew]] provided the backing tracks for the first two Monkees albums, and that his position as drummer was simply because a Monkee had to learn to play the drums, and he only knew the guitar.<ref name=dolenz>{{cite book|last=Dolenz|first=Micky|title=I'm a Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music, and Madness|year=2004|page=66|publisher=Taylor Trade Publications}}</ref> In the January 28, 1967, issue of ''Saturday Evening Post'' an article quoted Nesmith railing against the music creation process. "Do you know how debilitating it is to sit up and have to duplicate somebody else's records?" he asked. "Tell the world we don't record our own music."<ref>Lewis, Richard Warren. "When Four Nice Boys Go Ape!" ''The Saturday Evening Post'', January 28, 1967, p. 74.</ref>

The band members were displeased that the music publishing company would not allow them to play their own instruments on their records or to use more of their own material. These complaints intensified when Kirshner moved track recording from California to New York, leaving the band out of the musical process entirely until they were called upon to add their vocals to the completed tracks. Nesmith, when asked about the situation by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, said, "The [TV show's] producers [in Hollywood] backed us and David went along. None of us could have fought the battles we did [with the music publishers] without the explicit support of the show's producers".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Greene|first=Andy|title=Exclusive: Michael Nesmith Remembers Davy Jones|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-michael-nesmith-remembers-davy-jones-20120308#ixzz1v8CRGRDd|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=May 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530062943/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-michael-nesmith-remembers-davy-jones-20120308#ixzz1v8CRGRDd|archive-date=May 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> 

On January 16, 1967, the Monkees held their first recording session as a fully functioning, self-contained band. The band recorded an early version of Nesmith's self-composed top 40 hit single "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", along with "[[All of Your Toys]]" and "She's So Far Out, She's In".<ref name="SandovalPage82">Sandoval (2005), p. 82.</ref> 
[[File:The Monkees.jpg|right|thumb|The Monkees' chairs]]
Also in January, Kirshner released the band's second album of songs that used session musicians, ''More of the Monkees'', without the band's knowledge. The Monkees were annoyed at not having even been told of the release in advance, at having their opinions on the track selection ignored, and at Kirshner's self-congratulatory liner notes. The band was also displeased because of the cover photo, which was a composite of photographs taken for a [[J.C. Penney]] clothing advertisement. Indeed, the Monkees were not even given a copy of the album; they had to buy it from a record store.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=More of the Monkees (Super Deluxe Edition) |last=Sandoval |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Sandoval |publisher=[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Records]] |date=2017 |id=R2 560125}}</ref>

The climax of the conflict between Kirshner and the band was an intense argument among Nesmith, Kirshner and [[Colgems]] lawyer Herb Moelis, which took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel in January 1967. Kirshner had presented the group with royalty checks and gold records. Nesmith had responded with an ultimatum, demanding a change in the way the Monkees' music was chosen and recorded. Moelis reminded Nesmith that he was under contract. The confrontation ended with Nesmith punching a hole in a wall and saying, "That could have been your face!" However, each of the members, including Nesmith, accepted the $250,000 royalty checks.<ref name="SandovalPage80"/>

Soon after, Colgems and the Monkees reached an agreement not to release material directly created by the group together with unrelated Kirshner-produced material. Kirshner immediately violated this agreement in early February 1967, when he released "[[A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You]]", composed and written by [[Neil Diamond]], as a single with an early version of "She Hangs Out", a song recorded in New York with Davy Jones's vocals, as the B-side. (This single was only released in Canada and was withdrawn after a couple of weeks.<ref name="Discography">{{cite web|last=Sandoval |first=Andrew |title=Discography |url=https://www.monkees.com/read/discography/singles.php |publisher=Official Monkees Website |access-date=May 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302234847/http://www.monkees.com/read/discography/singles.php |archive-date=March 2, 2012 }}</ref>) Kirshner was consequently dismissed from the project.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/more-of-the-monkees-anniversary/|title=Why Michael Nesmith Hated 'More of the Monkees'|first=Bryan |last=Rolli|date=January 10, 2022|website=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref>

Propelled by the band's second single, "I'm a Believer" b/w "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", ''More of the Monkees'' became the band's biggest-selling LP. The album spent 70 weeks on the Billboard charts, staying No. 1 for 18 weeks<ref>{{cite web |last1=Swanson |first1=Dave |title=50 Years Ago: The Monkees Storm the Charts With Their Second Album, 'More of the Monkees' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/more-of-the-monkees/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=January 9, 2017 |access-date=October 18, 2019 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018235437/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/more-of-the-monkees/ |archive-date=October 18, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and becoming the third-highest-selling album of the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Goldmine1|title=More Monkees from Rhino Records|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/news/monkees-rhino-records|access-date=November 9, 2020|website=Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia|date=November 30, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> "I'm a Believer" was written by Neil Diamond. The Monkees' recording of the single hit the number-one spot on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, remaining there for seven weeks.<ref name="bb2008">{{cite magazine |title=The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs |url=https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-50.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913210007/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-50.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 13, 2008 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 6, 2012}}</ref> "I'm a Believer" became the biggest-selling single for all of 1967.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/01/09/monkees-hit-number-one-50-years-ago|title=The Monkees' 'I'm a Believer' was on top 50 years ago|date=January 9, 2017|website=MPR News}}</ref>
[[File:The Monkees March 1967.jpg|thumb|Publicity shot in 1967|left]]

The Monkees' UK tour in 1967 received a chilly reception; the front pages of several UK and international music papers proclaimed that the group members did not always play their own instruments or sing the backing vocals in the studio. They were derisively dubbed the "[[Pre-fabrication|Pre-Fab]] Four" and the ''[[Sunday Mirror]]'' called them a "disgrace to the pop world".<ref>{{cite news|last=Bentley|first=Jack|title=A Disgrace to the Pop World|work=[[Sunday Mirror]]|date=January 15, 1967|page=29}}</ref> However, [[George Harrison]] praised the Monkees' self-produced musical attempts.<ref name="baker"/> Peter Tork was later one of the musicians on Harrison's album ''[[Wonderwall Music]]'', playing [[Paul McCartney]]'s five-string [[banjo]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Leigh |first=Spencer |title=Love Me Do to Love Me Don't: Beatles on Record |page=233 |date=2016 |publisher=McNidder & Grace |isbn=9780857161352}}</ref> Nesmith attended the Beatles' recording session for "[[A Day in the Life]]" at Abbey Road Studios. At that time, he reportedly asked John Lennon, "Do you think we're a cheap imitation of the Beatles, your movies and your records?" Lennon replied, "I think you're the greatest comic talent since the [[Marx Brothers]]. I've never missed one of your programs".<ref name="baker"/>

==== ''Headquarters'' and ''Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.'' ====
In February 1967, after Kirshner was dismissed as musical supervisor, Nesmith hired [[Chip Douglas]] to produce the Monkees' next album, ''Headquarters''.<ref name="SandovalPage80">Sandoval (2005), p. 80.</ref> This album was the first on which the Monkees primarily played their own instruments, with exceptions for most bass and horn parts. Douglas handled music direction, engineered recordings, and played bass on most tracks. ''Headquarters'' and its follow-up, ''Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.'', provided much of the music for the second season of the Monkees' television series.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In March 1967, "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", written by Nesmith and performed by Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork, and bassist John London, was released as the B-side to "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You". The A-side peaked at No. 2 on the charts, while the B-side reached No. 39.<ref name="SandovalPage96">Sandoval (2005), p. 96.</ref>

Released in May 1967, ''Headquarters'' contained no U.S. singles but became the Monkees' third consecutive No. 1 album. With a country-folk-rock sound, the album reflected a departure from the pop style of their earlier works under Kirshner. According to Andrew Sandoval, the album topped the charts on May 24, 1967, but was displaced by the Beatles' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' the following week, holding the No. 2 spot for 11 weeks during the "Summer of Love". The track "Randy Scouse Git", written and sung by Dolenz, was released internationally as "Alternate Title" (owing to [[Git (slang)|the controversial nature of its original title]]) and became a hit, reaching No. 2 in the UK and Norway.<ref name="SandovalPage116">Sandoval (2005), p. 116.</ref>

Tork's "For Pete's Sake" was used as the closing theme for the Monkees' television show. Nesmith contributed songs like "Sunny Girlfriend", incorporating pedal steel guitar, and "You Told Me", with a banjo intro by Tork that parodied the Beatles' "[[Taxman]]".<ref name="SandovalPage97">Sandoval (2005), p. 97.</ref> Other notable tracks included "You Just May Be the One", "Shades of Gray", "Forget that Girl", and "No Time". The band wrote six of the album's 12 tracks, along with two experimental pieces, "Band 6" and "Zilch".<ref name="SandovalPage101">Sandoval (2005), p. 101.</ref>

The ''Los Angeles Times'' praised the album, stating, "The Monkees Upgrade Album Quality" and "The Monkees are getting better. ''Headquarters'' has more interesting songs and a better quality level [than previous albums]... None of the tracks is a throwaway... The improvement trend is laudable."<ref name="SandovalPage109">Sandoval (2005), p. 109.</ref>

The collaborative approach on ''Headquarters'' was short-lived. Nesmith later commented: <blockquote>Everybody in the press and in the hippie movement had got us into their target window as being illegitimate and not worthy of consideration as a musical force (or) certainly any kind of cultural force... We were under siege; wherever we went there was such resentment for us. We were constantly mocked and humiliated by the press... Really gettin’ beat up pretty good. We all knew what was going on inside. Kirshner had been purged. We’d gone to try to make Headquarters and found out that it was only marginally okay and that our better move was to just go back to the original songwriting and song-making strategy of the first albums except with a clear indication of how (the music) came to be... The rabid element and the hatred that was engendered is almost impossible to describe. It lingers to this day among people my own age...<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cinemascholars.com/making-the-monkees-1965-68/|title=THE MONKEES (1965-68) - A Cultural Phenomenon|first=Benjamin|last=McVay|date=August 2, 2021}}</ref></blockquote> 

Tork disagreed with Nesmith's assessment of ''Headquarters'', stating, "I don't think the ''Pisces'' album was as groovy to listen to as ''Headquarters''. Technically it was much better, but I think it suffers for that reason."<ref name="SandovalPage142">Sandoval (2005), p. 142.</ref> Tork favored working as a unified band, but Dolenz soon lost interest in drumming. "Dolenz was 'incapable of repeating a triumph,'" Tork commented in a DVD release of the second season. Producer Chip Douglas noted Dolenz's drumming required extensive editing, calling it "shaky".<ref name="SandovalPage108">Sandoval (2005), p. 108.</ref>

By late 1967, the band members pursued divergent musical directions. Nesmith gravitated toward country-rock, while Jones leaned into Broadway-style performances. ''Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.'', released in November 1967, marked a return to heavy use of session musicians, including the [[The Wrecking Crew (music)|Wrecking Crew]], [[Louie Shelton]], [[Glen Campbell]], [[Stephen Stills]], and [[Neil Young]]. Despite this, the Monkees retained creative control over song selection and production.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

''Pisces'' was their fourth consecutive No. 1 album, holding the top spot for five weeks.<ref name="SandovalPage142" /> The album featured hits like "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (No. 3) and "Words" (No. 11).<ref name="SandovalPage116" /><ref name="SandovalPage302">Sandoval (2005), p. 302.</ref> It also included early use of the Moog synthesizer on tracks like "Daily Nightly" and "Star Collector". Nesmith's "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" became a milestone in the development of country-rock.<ref name="SandovalPage118">Sandoval (2005), p. 118.</ref> Nesmith reflected, ""One of the things that I really felt was honest was country-rock. I wanted to move the Monkees more into that because ... if we get closer to country music, we'll get closer to blues, and country blues, and so forth. ... It had a lot of un-country things in it: a familiar change from a I major to a VI minor—those kinds of things. So it was a little kind of a new wave country song. It didn't sound like the country songs of the time, which was Buck Owens."<ref name="SandovalPage118" />

Their next single, "Daydream Believer", with a piano intro by Tork, reached No. 1. Its B-side, "[[Goin' Down (The Monkees song)|Goin' Down]]", featured Nesmith and Tork on guitars and Dolenz on lead vocals. The Monkees simultaneously held No. 1 positions on the singles and album charts.<ref name="SandovalPage143">Sandoval (2005), p. 143.</ref>

Both ''Headquarters'' and ''Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.'' returned to the charts during the Monkees' 1986 reunion, remaining there for 17 weeks.<ref name="Discography"/>

==== ''The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees'' ====

No longer desiring to work as a group, the Monkees dropped Chip Douglas as a producer, and starting in November 1967, they largely produced their own sessions.<ref name="SandovalPage142" /> Although credited to the whole band, the songs were mostly solo efforts.<ref name="SandovalPage148">Sandoval (2005), p. 148.</ref> In a couple of cases, Boyce and Hart had returned from the first two albums to produce, but credit was given to the Monkees due to contractual requirements.<ref name="SandovalPage152">Sandoval (2005), p. 152.</ref>

Propelled by the hit singles "Daydream Believer" and "[[Valleri]]", along with Nesmith's self-penned top 40 hit "Tapioca Tundra", ''[[The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees]]'' reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts shortly after it was released in April 1968.<ref name="SandovalPage183">Sandoval (2005), p. 183.</ref> It was the first album released after NBC announced they were not renewing ''The Monkees'' for a third season. The album cover—a quaint collage of items in a knickknack shelf—was chosen over the Monkees' objections. It was the last Monkees' album to be released in separate, dedicated mono and stereo mixes.<ref name="SandovalPage183" /> During the 1986 reunion, it returned to the Billboard charts for 11 weeks.<ref name="Discography"/>

==== Beyond television and ''Head'' ====
''The Monkees'' was cancelled in 1968.<ref name="downfall" />

Also in 1968, the Monkees starred in ''[[Head (film)|Head]]'', an American [[satire (film and television)|satirical]] [[Musical film|musical]] [[adventure film]] written and produced by [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Bob Rafelson]] and directed by Rafelson.<ref name="Head">{{cite web|url= https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/20082/head#credits |title=Head|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=December 8, 2024}}</ref>

The plot and peak moments of the film came together at an [[Ojai, California]], resort where the Monkees, Rafelson, and Nicholson brainstormed into a tape recorder,<ref name="LATimes">{{Cite news|last=King|first=Susan|title=A Monkees 'Head' trip|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 12, 2008|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-nov-12-et-monkees12-story.html|access-date=April 30, 2010}}</ref> reportedly with the aid of a quantity of [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]]. Nicholson then took the tapes and used them as the basis for his screenplay, which according to Rafelson he structured while under the influence of LSD.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/apr/28/monkees-head-jack-nicholson-interview|first=Dorian|last=Lynksey|title=The Monkees' Head: 'Our fans couldn't even see it'|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=April 28, 2011|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref> When the band learned that they would not be allowed to direct themselves or to receive screenwriting credit, Dolenz, Jones, and Nesmith staged a one-day walkout, leaving Tork the only Monkee on the set the first day.{{sfn|Baker|Czarnota|Hoga|1986|pages=91–102}} The strike ended after the first day when the studio agreed to a larger percentage share of the film's net for the group, but the incident damaged the Monkees' relationship with Rafelson and [[Bert Schneider]] and would effectively end their professional relationship with the producers.{{sfn|Baker|Czarnota|Hoga|1986|pages=91–102}}

The film was the antithesis of ''The Monkees'' television show. Rafelson and Nicholson's "Ditty Diego-War Chant" (recited at the start of the film by the group) ruthlessly parodies Boyce and Hart's "Monkees Theme". A sparse advertising campaign (with no mention of the Monkees) hurt any chances of the film doing well, and it played briefly in half-filled theaters. In the DVD commentary, Nesmith said that everyone associated with the Monkees "had gone crazy" by this time. They were each using the platform of the Monkees to push their own disparate career goals, to the detriment of the Monkees project. Nesmith added that ''Head'' was Rafelson and Nicholson's intentional effort to "kill" the Monkees, so that they would no longer be bothered with the matter.<ref name="SandovalPage219">Sandoval (2005), p. 219.</ref>

A poor audience response at an August 1968 screening in Los Angeles forced the producers to edit the picture from its original 110-minute length. The 86-minute ''Head'' premiered in New York City on November 6, 1968; the film later debuted in Hollywood on November 20. It was not a commercial success. This was in part because ''Head'' comprehensively demolished the group's carefully groomed public image while the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]] audience they had been reaching for rejected the Monkees' efforts out of hand. Receiving mixed critical reviews and virtually non-existent box office receipts, the film succeeded in alienating the band's teenage fanbase while failing to attract a more adult audience.<ref name="LATimes"/> Rafelson and Schneider severed all ties to the band amid the bitterness that ensued over the commercial failure of ''Head''. At the time, Rafelson told the press, "I grooved on those four in very special ways while at the same time thinking they had absolutely no talent."<ref name="SandovalPage219" />

The [[Head (The Monkees album)|film's soundtrack album]] reached No. 45 on the Billboard charts<ref name="SandovalPage210">Sandoval (2005), p. 210.</ref> and No. 24 in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5903.pdf| title=RPM Top 50 Albums - February 17, 1969}}</ref> ''[[PopMatters]]'' described ''Head'' as "a hypnogogic hallucination of a 60's [[pop music|pop]] record" whose composition encompassed [[musique concrète]] pieces and six new songs in the genres of [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]], [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and [[lo-fi music|lo-fi]] [[rock music|rock]].<ref name=PM>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/148574-getting-head-2495952575.html |title="GETTING" HEAD… THE MONKEES' LAST GREAT ALBUM |author=Staff |date=October 31, 2011  |website=[[PopMatters]] |access-date=January 29, 2023}}</ref> It was the first Monkees album to not include a song written by [[Boyce and Hart|Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart]].<ref name=AM>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r3034|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]</ref> Some of the album showcases the songwriting skills of band members, particularly Tork, whose [[acid rock]] song "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" and the "Eastern-flavored" song "Can You Dig It?" were described by ''[[AllMusic]]'' as being "not only among the best of the six original compositions on the soundtrack, but also among his finest Monkees offerings, period."<ref name=AM/>

The album had a [[mylar]] cover to give it a mirror-like appearance, so that the person looking at the cover would see his own head, a play on the album title ''Head''. Peter Tork said, "That was something special... [Jack] Nicholson coordinated the record, made it up from the soundtrack. He made it different from the movie. There's a line in the movie where [Frank] Zappa says, 'That's pretty white.' Then there's another line in the movie that was not juxtaposed in the movie, but Nicholson put them together in the [soundtrack album], when Mike says, 'And the same thing goes for Christmas'... that's funny... very different from the movie... that was very important and wonderful that he assembled the record differently from the movie... It was a different artistic experience."<ref name="SandovalPage204">Sandoval (2005), p. 204.</ref>

Released in October 1968, the single from the album, "The Porpoise Song", is a psychedelic pop song written by [[Goffin and King]], with lead vocals from Micky Dolenz and backing vocals from Davy Jones, and it reached No. 62 on the Billboard charts<ref name="SandovalPage207">Sandoval (2005), p. 207.</ref> and No. 26 on the Canadian [[RPM (magazine)|RPM charts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5821.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - November 2, 1968}}</ref>

''Head'' developed a [[cult following]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.openculture.com/2022/02/how-the-1968-psychedelic-film-head-destroyed-the-monkees-became-a-cult-classic.html|title=How the 1968 Psychedelic Film Head Destroyed the Monkees & Became a Cult Classic |website=openculture.com|last=Mills |first=Ted |date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> In 2013, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the album at number 25 in their list of "The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time".<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/the-25-greatest-soundtracks-of-all-time-20130829/head-1968-19691231 |last1=Dolan |first1=Jon |last2=Hermes |first2=Will |last3=Hoard |first3=Christian |last4=Sheffield |first4=Rob |title=The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=August 29, 2013}}</ref>

=== Later years and separation ===
[[File:Monkees Television special 1969.jpg|thumb|1969 television special ''[[33⅓ Revolutions per Monkee|33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee]]''|left]]

==== Tork's resignation, ''Instant Replay'' and ''The Monkees Present'' ====
Tensions within the group were increasing. Tork, citing exhaustion, quit the band by buying out the last four years of his Monkees contract at $150,000 per year. Tork departed shortly after the band's September–October Far East tour in December 1968 and after the band completed work on their 1969 NBC television special, ''[[33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee]]'' (which rehashed many of the ideas from ''Head'', only with the Monkees playing a strangely second-string role). In the DVD commentary for the television special, Dolenz noted that after filming was complete, Nesmith gave Tork a gold watch as a going-away present, engraved "From the guys down at work." Most of the songs from the ''33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee'' TV Special were not officially released until over 40 years later, on the 2010 and 2011 Rhino Handmade Deluxe boxed sets of ''Head'' and ''Instant Replay''.{{cn|date=September 2025}}

In February 1969, the Monkees' seventh album, ''[[Instant Replay (The Monkees album)|Instant Replay]],'' without Tork's involvement beyond playing guitar on "I Won't Be the Same Without Her", was released, which reached No. 32 on the charts,<ref name="SandovalPage226">Sandoval (2005), p. 226.</ref> and No. 45 in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5975.pdf|title=RPM Top 50 Albums - April 14, 1969|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca|access-date=October 23, 2023}}</ref> The single from the album was "[[Tear Drop City]]", which peaked at No. 56 on the U.S. Billboard chart, No. 27 on the Canadian chart,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5923.pdf|title=RPM Top 100 Singles - March 31, 1969|website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca|access-date=October 23, 2023}}</ref> and No. 34 on the Australian chart.<ref name="SandovalPage227">Sandoval (2005), p. 227.</ref> Dolenz contributed the biggest and longest Monkees' production, "Shorty Blackwell", a song celebrating his cat.<ref name="SandovalPage161">Sandoval (2005), p. 161.</ref> Dolenz called it his "feeble attempt at something to do with ''Sgt. Pepper.''"<ref name="SandovalPage161" /> In April 1969, the single "Someday Man" b/w "Listen to the Band" was released,<ref name="SandovalPage253">Sandoval (2005), p. 253.</ref> which had the unique distinction of the B-side, a Nesmith-composed country-rock song, charting higher (No. 63) than the Jones-sung A-side (No. 81).<ref name="Discography" /><ref name="SandovalPage253" /> In Canada, "Someday Man" was No. 74<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6006.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - May 19, 1969}}</ref> and "Listen to the Band" reached No. 53.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5928.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - July 7, 1969}}</ref>
[[File:Monkees 1969 Joey Bishop Show.jpg|thumb|The Monkees (without Tork) performing on ''[[The Joey Bishop Show (talk show)|The Joey Bishop Show]]'', backed by the Goodtimers, in 1969. The images of Jones and Dolenz were re-used for the cover art of the 1970 Monkees album ''[[Changes (The Monkees album)|Changes]]''.]]
The final album with Nesmith from the Monkees' original incarnation was their eighth album, ''[[The Monkees Present]]'', released in October 1969, which peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard charts.<ref name="SandovalPage253" /> It included the Nesmith composed country-rock singles "Listen to the Band" and "Good Clean Fun" (released in September 1969)<ref name="SandovalPage251">Sandoval (2005), p. 251.</ref>(No. 80 Canada<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.6092.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - October 18, 1969}}</ref>). Other notable songs include the Dolenz composition "Little Girl", which featured Louie Shelton on electric guitar joining Dolenz on acoustic guitar.<ref name="SandovalPage249">Sandoval (2005), p. 249.</ref> 

In the summer of 1969, the three remaining Monkees embarked on a tour with the backing of the soul band Sam and the Goodtimers. Concerts for this tour were longer sets than their earlier performances tours, with many shows running over two hours. Although the tour was met with some positive critical reception (''Billboard'' in particular praised it), other critics were not favorable of the mixing of the Monkees' pop music with the Goodtimers' R&B approach. Toward the end of the tour, some dates were canceled due to poor ticket sales. The tour failed to re-establish the band commercially, with no single entering the Top 40 in 1969. Dolenz remarked that the tour "was like kicking a dead horse. The phenomenon had peaked".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monkeesconcerts.com/1969-north-american-tour.html |title=Monkees 1969 Tour - The Monkees Live Almanac |publisher=Monkeesconcerts.com |access-date=August 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816110832/http://www.monkeesconcerts.com/1969-north-american-tour.html |archive-date=August 16, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Nesmith's resignation, ''Changes'' and disbandment ====
On April 14, 1970, Nesmith joined Dolenz and Jones for the last time as part of the original incarnation of the Monkees to film a [[Kool-Aid]] commercial. The commercial featured the trio throwing [[Nerf]] balls around a mock living room.<ref name="SandovalPage267">Sandoval (2005), p. 267.</ref> Nesmith left the group to continue recording songs with his own country-rock group called Michael Nesmith & [[the First National Band]], which he had started recording with on February 10, 1970.<ref name="SandovalPage263">Sandoval (2005), p. 263.</ref>

''[[Changes (The Monkees album)|Changes]]'', the ninth and final album by the Monkees released during its original incarnation, spawned the single "Oh My My" (US No. 98), which was accompanied by a music film promo (produced/directed by Dolenz). Dolenz contributed one of his own compositions, "Midnight Train", which was used in the re-runs of the Monkees TV series. The "Oh My My" b/w "I Love You Better" single from the ''Changes'' album was the last single issued under the Monkees name in the United States until 1986.<ref name="SandovalPage266">Sandoval (2005), p. 266.</ref> Originally released in June 1970,<ref name="SandovalPage270">Sandoval (2005), p. 270.</ref> ''Changes'' failed to chart in Billboard's Top 200 until the Monkees' 1986 reunion, when it stayed on the charts for four weeks (reaching No. 152).<ref name="Discography"/>

September 22, 1970 marked the final recording session by the Monkees before the band broke up. On that date, Jones and Dolenz recorded "Do It in the Name of Love" and "Lady Jane".<ref name="SandovalPage276">Sandoval (2005), p. 276</ref> The single was not mixed until February 19, 1971, and was released later that year.<ref name="SandovalPage84"/> The two remaining Monkees then lost the rights to use the name in several countries, the U.S. included. The single was not credited to the Monkees in the U.S., but to a misspelled "Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones".<ref name="SandovalPage84"/> 

Both Jones and Dolenz pursued careers as solo artists in the years following the original breakup of the Monkees. However, Jones and Dolenz also toured as a duo in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/the-monkees-micky-dolenz-thought-seemed-stupid-tour-just-mike-nesmith.html/ | title='The Monkees': Micky Dolenz Thought It 'Seemed Stupid' to Tour with Just Mike Nesmith | date=March 9, 2023 }}</ref>

In a 1977 interview, Nesmith falsely claimed that the Monkees outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined in 1967.<ref name="pantsonfire">{{Cite news |url=https://flashbak.com/in-1977-mike-nesmith-fooled-the-world-when-the-monkees-sold-more-records-than-the-beatles-and-rolling-stones-combined-386535/ |title=In 1977 Mike Nesmith Fooled the World: When The Monkees Sold More Records Than The Beatles and Rolling Stones Combined |date=September 18, 2017 |work=Flashbak |access-date=November 9, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620102100/https://flashbak.com/in-1977-mike-nesmith-fooled-the-world-when-the-monkees-sold-more-records-than-the-beatles-and-rolling-stones-combined-386535/ |archive-date=June 20, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> This inaccurate information was later repeated in newspapers and magazines.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/topic/celebrity-parents|title=Celebrity Parents |website=[[HuffPost]]|date=June 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609182939/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/topic/celebrity-parents|access-date=September 29, 2021|archive-date=June 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Monkees - 1967 - The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-top-25-teen-idol-breakout-moments-20120511/the-monkees-1967-20120511 |first=Andy |last=Greene |date=May 11, 2012 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=August 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105075002/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-top-25-teen-idol-breakout-moments-20120511/the-monkees-1967-20120511 |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Reunions and revivals ===
==== 1980s renaissance ====
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2025}}

Initially dismissed by critics in the late 1960s as a fabricated and talentless pop group, The Monkees experienced a significant resurgence in critical and commercial popularity during the mid-1980s. This revival was catalyzed by a marathon of their original television series, titled "Pleasant Valley Sunday", broadcast on [[MTV]] on February 23, 1986. Simultaneously, [[Nickelodeon]] began daily reruns of the show, reintroducing the band to a new generation. These promotional efforts sparked a resurgence of "Monkeemania", leading to a successful concert tour that expanded from smaller venues to becoming one of the most prominent live acts of 1986 and 1987.

The initial spark of the reunion occurred in February and March 1986, when Peter Tork and Davy Jones performed together in Australia. In May 1986, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork announced their "20th Anniversary Tour", which began in North America in June. The tour's success prompted additional performances in Australia, Europe, and North America, culminating in September 1989. These tours solidified the band's renewed status in popular culture.

The Monkees' original albums saw renewed sales, complemented by the release of a new greatest hits compilation, which achieved platinum certification.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/ |title=Monkees Live Almanac - Home |access-date=February 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130182140/https://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/ |archive-date=January 30, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The success of the band during this period led to the release of their first single since 1971, "[[That Was Then, This Is Now (song)|That Was Then, This Is Now]]". The track reached No. 20 on Billboard magazine's charts. However, Davy Jones declined to participate in recording the track and two other new songs included in the compilation album ''[[Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees]]''. Some releases credited the songs to "The Monkees", while others specified "Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (of The Monkees)," creating friction among the group members during their 1986 tour. Jones often exited the stage when these songs were performed. Despite the tension, Jones contributed to the band's follow-up album, ''[[Pool It!]]'' (1987).

To promote ''Pool It!'', Rhino Records released "Heart and Soul: The Official Monkee Videography", featuring contemporary music videos, interviews, and additional content. 

During the 1980s revival, Nesmith made several notable appearances with the band, but remained largely absent due to commitments with his Pacific Arts video production company. He did not contribute to any of the Monkees' studio recordings during this period.

==== 1990s reunions ====
{{refimprovesect|date=May 2025}}
The Monkees' eleventh album    ''[[Justus (album)|Justus]]'' was released in 1996. It was the first album since 1968 on which all four original members performed and produced, and it would be the last studio album in which all four Monkees directly participated (Jones's death would necessitate the use of archival recordings on later albums). ''Justus'' was produced by the Monkees, and all of its songs were written by one or two of the four Monkees. The album was recorded using only the four Monkees for all instruments and vocals, which was the inspiration for the album title and spelling (''Justus'' = Just Us).

The trio of Dolenz, Jones, and Tork reunited again for a successful 30th anniversary tour of American amphitheaters in 1996. Nesmith joined them onstage in Los Angeles to promote the new songs from ''Justus''. For the first time since the brief 1986 reunion, Nesmith returned to the concert stage for a tour of the United Kingdom in 1997, highlighted by two sold-out concerts at [[Wembley Arena]] in [[Wembley Park]], London.{{cn|date=September 2025}} In 1967, the Monkees had been the first group to headline on their own at the Empire Pool, as the Arena was then called.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Wembley Arena 1934-2004 The First Seventy Years|publisher=Wembley Arena|year=2004|page=18}}</ref> This was followed by a 1997 US tour featuring Tork, Jones, and Dolenz.{{cn|date=September 2025}}

The full quartet also appeared in an ABC television special entitled ''[[Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees]]'', which was written and directed by Nesmith and spoofed the original series that had made them famous. Following the UK tour, Nesmith declined to continue future performances with the Monkees.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

==== 2000s reunions ====
After the 1997 tours, the group took another hiatus until they once again reunited in 2001 to tour the United States. However, this tour was also accompanied by public sniping. Dolenz and Jones had announced that they had "fired" Tork for his constant complaining and threatening to quit. Tork was quoted as confirming this, as well as stating that he wanted to tour with his own band, Shoe Suede Blues. Tork told WENN News that he "couldn't handle the backstage problems"; he added that because he was a recovering alcoholic, he was troubled by the overindulgence in alcohol by other members of the tour crew.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0068658/|title=Monkees Split In Bitter Battle|publisher=WENN News|date=January 3, 2002|access-date=July 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206045148/http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0068658/|archive-date=December 6, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> Tork later stated in 2011 that alcohol played only a small role in his 2001 departure. He added, "I take full responsibility for the backstage problems on the 2001 tour. We were getting along pretty well until I had a meltdown. I ticked the other guys off good and proper... I really just behaved inappropriately, honestly. I apologized to them."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Greene|first=Andy|title=Exclusive: The Monkees Resolve Personal Issues for 45th Anniversary Tour|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-the-monkees-resolve-personal-issues-for-45th-anniversary-tour-20110307|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430174032/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-the-monkees-resolve-personal-issues-for-45th-anniversary-tour-20110307|archive-date=April 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 45th anniversary tour and Jones's death ====
''[[An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour]]'' (without Nesmith) commenced on May 12, 2011, in [[Liverpool]], England,<ref>{{cite news|last=Chen|first=Joyce|title=The Monkees, 1960s American mop-top pop band, will celebrate 45 year reunion with tour through UK|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-02-21/entertainment/28639628_1_band-year-reunion-uk|newspaper=The NY Daily News|access-date=May 20, 2012|date=February 21, 2011|location=New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029004112/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-02-21/entertainment/28639628_1_band-year-reunion-uk|archive-date=October 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> before moving to North America in June and July for a total of 43 performances.<ref>{{cite news|title=Monkees announce 10-date concert tour|url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Music/2011/02/21/Monkees-announce-10-date-concert-tour/UPI-30601298316685/|work=[[United Press International]]|date=February 21, 2011|access-date=May 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226181521/http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Music/2011/02/21/Monkees-announce-10-date-concert-tour/UPI-30601298316685/|archive-date=February 26, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Monkees biographer [[Andrew Sandoval]] noted, "Once they hit the stage, the old magic was apparent. For the next three months...[they brought] the music and memories to fans in the band's grandest stage show in decades".<ref name="Sandoval"/> The tour grossed approximately $4&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Michael Nesmith Talks About His Long Journey Into Darkness and Coming Back to the Light|url=https://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2012/02/michael-nesmith-talks-about-his-long.html|publisher=Vintage Vinyl News|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502135145/http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2012/02/michael-nesmith-talks-about-his-long.html|archive-date=May 2, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

On August 8, 2011, the band canceled ten last-minute shows due to what was initially reported as "internal group issues and conflicts",<ref>{{cite news|title=The Monkees cancel Palace show, tour|author=Shannon Fromma|url=https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/The-Monkees-cancel-Palace-show-tour-1786733.php|work=[[Times Union (Albany)|Times Union]]|date=August 9, 2011|access-date=August 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211214813/http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/The-Monkees-cancel-Palace-show-tour-1786733.php|archive-date=February 11, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> though Tork later confirmed "there were some business affairs that couldn't be coordinated correctly. We hit a glitch and there was just this weird dislocation at one point".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Greene|first=Andy|title=Peter Tork: Monkees Canceled Tour Due to a 'Glitch'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/peter-tork-monkees-canceled-tour-due-to-a-glitch-20111011|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512132323/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/peter-tork-monkees-canceled-tour-due-to-a-glitch-20111011|archive-date=May 12, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

Jones clarified that "the (45th Anniversary) tour was only supposed to go until July. And it was great, the best time we've had because we're all on the same page now. We jelled onstage and off. But then more dates were being added. And more... Some of these shows were 2{{fraction|1|2}} hours long... The audiences were great. But, let's face it, we're not kids."<ref>{{cite web|last=ERVOLINO|first=BILL|title=Davy Jones and David Cassidy team up at bergenPAC|url=https://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/129248218_Ex_teen_idols_together_at_bergenPAC.html?c=y&page=1|publisher=northjersey.com|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013133318/http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/129248218_Ex_teen_idols_together_at_bergenPAC.html?c=y&page=1|archive-date=October 13, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 45th anniversary tour was the last Monkees tour with Jones, who died of a heart attack at age 66 on February 29, 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Davy Jones' Death Caused By Severe Heart Attack|url=https://idolator.com/6205531/davy-jones-death-severe-heart-attack|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710051714/http://idolator.com/6205531/davy-jones-death-severe-heart-attack|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2012|access-date=March 2, 2012|newspaper=idolator.com|date=March 2, 2012}}</ref><ref name=WPTV>{{cite news|title=Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees, dies in Indiantown, according to medical examiner's office|url=https://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_martin_county/davy-jones-lead-singer-of-the-monkees-dies-from-heart-attack-this-morning-according-to-tmz-report|access-date=February 29, 2012|newspaper=WPTV|date=February 29, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302183131/http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_martin_county/davy-jones-lead-singer-of-the-monkees-dies-from-heart-attack-this-morning-according-to-tmz-report|archive-date=March 2, 2012}}</ref>

==== Reunion with Nesmith ====
On August 8, 2012, the surviving trio announced a series of U.S. shows for November and December, commencing in [[Escondido, California]] and concluding in New York City. The brief tour marked the first time Nesmith performed with the Monkees since 1997.<ref name=rhino2012tour>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhino.com/article/an-evening-with-the-monkees-fall-tour-announced |title=An Evening With The Monkees - Fall Tour Announced |publisher=rhino.com |date=May 13, 2015 |access-date=August 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905091837/http://www.rhino.com/article/an-evening-with-the-monkees-fall-tour-announced |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Jones's memory was honored throughout the shows via recordings and video. During one point, the band went quiet and a recording of Jones singing "I Wanna Be Free" played while footage of him was screening behind the band. For Jones's signature song, "Daydream Believer", Dolenz said that the band had discussed who should sing the song and had concluded that it should be the fans, saying "It doesn't belong to us anymore. It belongs to you."<ref name=RSkickoff>{{cite news | first = Peter | last = Holslin | title = Monkees Delight Believers in Reunion Tour Kickoff | magazine = Rolling Stone | date = November 9, 2012 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/monkees-delight-believers-in-reunion-tour-kickoff-20121109 | access-date = November 12, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121111222230/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/monkees-delight-believers-in-reunion-tour-kickoff-20121109 | archive-date = November 11, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The fall 2012 tour was very well received by both fans and critics, resulting in the band's scheduling a 24-date summer tour for 2013. Dubbed "A Midsummer's Night with the Monkees", the concerts also featured Nesmith, Dolenz, and Tork. "The reaction to the last tour was euphoric", Dolenz told ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. "It was pretty apparent there was a demand for another one."<ref name=RS2013tour>{{cite news | first = Andy | last = Greene | title = The Monkees Reveal U.S. Summer Tour Dates | magazine = Rolling Stone | date = April 29, 2013 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-reveal-u-s-summer-tour-dates-20130429 | access-date = May 2, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130502002238/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-reveal-u-s-summer-tour-dates-20130429 | archive-date = May 2, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> A third tour with Nesmith followed in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/monkees-spring-2014-tour/|title=Monkees Announce 2014 Spring Tour|first=Dave|last=Swanson|date=March 31, 2014|website=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/monkees-kick-2014-music-zoo-series-1/|title=MUSIC REVIEW; The Monkees kick off the 2014 Music in the Zoo series at the Minnesota Zoo|website=tcdailyplanet.com|first=Patrick|last=Dunn|date=June 3, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/music/2014/03/the_monkees_swinging_in_to_bet.html|title=The Monkees swinging in to Bethlehem for May concert|last=Schoof|first=Dustin |website=lehighvalleylive.com|date=March 17, 2014}}</ref>

In March 2014, the Monkees were inducted into the Pop Music Hall of Fame.<ref name="auto4"/>

==== ''Good Times!'' and 50th anniversary ====
Dolenz and Tork toured as the Monkees in 2015 without Nesmith's participation. Nesmith stated that he was busy with other ventures, although Dolenz said that he was welcome to join them.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-plot-50th-anniversary-tour-new-lp-good-times-20160205|title=The Monkees Plot 50th Anniversary Tour, New LP 'Good Times!'|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=November 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044154/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-plot-50th-anniversary-tour-new-lp-good-times-20160205|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2016, Dolenz announced that the Monkees would be releasing a new album, titled ''[[Good Times!]]'', as a celebration of their 50th anniversary. ''Good Times!'' featured contributions by all three surviving members, as well as a posthumous contribution from Jones through vocals he had recorded in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-plot-50th-anniversary-tour-new-lp-good-times-20160205 |title=The Monkees Plot 50th Anniversary Tour, New LP 'Good Times!' |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |date=February 5, 2016 |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=February 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206003747/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-plot-50th-anniversary-tour-new-lp-good-times-20160205 |archive-date=February 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> The album was released in May 2016 to considerable success, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard 200.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/418654/monkees/chart?f=305|title=The Monkees - Chart history - Billboard|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719071311/https://www.billboard.com/artist/418654/monkees/chart?f=305|archive-date=July 19, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> 

With the release of the album, the band, featuring Dolenz and Tork, commenced their 50th anniversary tour. Nesmith did not participate in most of the tour, again citing other commitments. He did, however, make a few appearances throughout the summer of 2016, appearing virtually via [[Skype]] to perform "Papa Gene's Blues" at one concert and in person for a four-song encore at another. In September, he replaced Tork on the tour for two dates while Tork attended to a family emergency. After Tork returned to the tour, Nesmith performed with the band for a concert at the [[Pantages Theatre (Hollywood)|Pantages Theatre]] in Hollywood on September 16.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-nesmith-to-reunite-with-monkees-for-one-last-concert-w435433|title=Michael Nesmith to Reunite With Monkees for One Last Concert|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=August 20, 2016|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823131311/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-nesmith-to-reunite-with-monkees-for-one-last-concert-w435433|archive-date=August 23, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== The Mike and Micky Show, ''Christmas Party'', and Tork's death ====
On February 20, 2018, a new tour was announced as "The Monkees Present: The Mike and Micky Show", their first tour as a duo; Tork was unable to participate due to health problems (a fact that was not revealed until after his death). Though the pair played Monkees music and promoted the tour under the Monkees banner, Dolenz and Nesmith respected Tork's absence by insisting that the shows be billed as a separate duo rather than being billed as official Monkees shows. Nesmith stated, "There's no pretense there about Micky and I being the Monkees. We're not."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/monkees-micky-dolenz-mike-nesmith-announce-tour-w516902|title=Monkees' Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith Announce First Tour as Duo|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=February 20, 2018|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623033127/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/monkees-micky-dolenz-mike-nesmith-announce-tour-w516902|archive-date=June 23, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The tour was cut short in June 2018 due to Nesmith undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery following a health issue that had persisted since early in the tour. After a month-long stay in the hospital, he and Dolenz announced March 2019 as make-up dates for the missed shows.<ref name="Nesmith's surgery 2018>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/music/the-monkees-mike-nesmith-health-issue-band-cancels-tour-dates/|title=The Monkees' Michael Nesmith Suffers 'Minor Health Issue', Band Cancels Last 4 Tour Dates|website=People|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623033029/https://people.com/music/the-monkees-mike-nesmith-health-issue-band-cancels-tour-dates/|archive-date=June 23, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The Monkees released a Christmas album, ''[[Christmas Party (The Monkees album)|Christmas Party]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rhino.com/article/the-monkees-to-release-christmas-party-their-first-ever-holiday-album|website=Rhino.com|title=The Monkees To Release Christmas Party, Their First Ever Holiday Album|date=September 20, 2018|access-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224041551/https://www.rhino.com/article/the-monkees-to-release-christmas-party-their-first-ever-holiday-album|archive-date=December 24, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> on October 12, 2018. The album features a mix of holiday standards and original songs written by contemporary artists. In addition to newly recorded material from the three surviving Monkees, two previously recorded songs featuring vocals from Jones were also included.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-monkees-christmas-album-rivers-cuomo-peter-buck-726429/|title=The Monkees Made a Christmas Album With Rivers Cuomo and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=September 20, 2018|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195927/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-monkees-christmas-album-rivers-cuomo-peter-buck-726429/|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tork died of cancer on February 21, 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47319788|work=[[BBC News]]|title=Monkees musician Peter Tork dies at 77|date=February 21, 2019|access-date=February 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221175249/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47319788|archive-date=February 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>  After Tork's death, Dolenz and Nesmith's rescheduled shows (and additional shows) of "The Mike and Micky Tour" were billed as Monkees shows.<ref name="Monkees2020">{{cite web |title=UPDATED: THE MONKEES - NEW TOUR DATES AND LIVE ALBUM COMING IN 2020 (Press Release) |url=https://www.monkees.com/article/updated-the-monkees-new-tour-dates-and-live-album-coming-in-2020 |website=Monkees.com |publisher=The Monkees |access-date=July 17, 2025 |date=2019}}</ref><ref name="Nesmith's surgery 2018></ref>

==== ''Dolenz Sings Nesmith'', farewell tour, and Nesmith's death ====
In May 2021, Dolenz released a solo album, ''Dolenz Sings Nesmith'', featuring songs written by Nesmith and produced by [[Christian Nesmith]].<ref name="variety.com">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/monkees-micky-dolenz-sings-mike-nesmith-1234978891/|title=Micky Dolenz on Why the Monkees Are Doing a Farewell Tour and His New 'Dolenz Sings Nesmith' Album|first1=A. D.|last1=Amorosi|website=Variety|date=May 21, 2021}}</ref>

Following the success of the Mike and Micky Show, Dolenz and Nesmith announced a follow-up tour, An Evening with the Monkees, to begin in early 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-monkees-2020-tour-911179/|title=The Monkees Announce 2020 Tour Dates, New Live Album|website=rollingstone.com|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=November 12, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Monkees2020"></ref> The tour was delayed, however, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]]. On May 4, 2021, it was announced that the rescheduled dates would be billed as a farewell tour. "The Monkees Farewell Tour" consisted of over 40 dates in the US from September to November; because of restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they were unable to play shows in Canada, the UK or Australia. The final date and final show for the Monkees Farewell Tour was held on November 14, 2021, at the [[Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)|Greek Theatre]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/monkees-farewell-concert/|title=Monkees Say Farewell: Set List and Videos|first=Corey|last=Irwin|date=November 15, 2021|website=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref>

Nesmith died of heart failure on December 10, 2021, less than a month after the final date of the 2021 tour.<ref name="rsnesmithdeath">{{cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Michael Nesmith, Monkees singer-songwriter, dead at 78 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-michael-nesmith-dead-1270079/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 10, 2021 |access-date=December 10, 2021}}</ref> Nesmith's death left Dolenz as the only surviving member of the Monkees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/10/19/micky-dolenz-monkees-interview-2022/10540516002/|title='The last man standing': Micky Dolenz reflects on his life as the only surviving Monkee|first=Ed|last=Masley|website=USA TODAY|date=October 19, 2022}}</ref>

=== Micky Dolenz ===
[[File:Dolenz & Band 2022.jpg|thumb|Dolenz performing on "The Monkees Celebrated by Micky Dolenz" tour, 2022]]

In early 2022, Dolenz announced that he would embark on a series of April 2022 concert dates called the "Micky Dolenz Celebrates the Monkees 2022 Tour".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/micky-dolenz-monkees-tribute-tour-1235173648/|title=Micky Dolenz Announces Monkees Celebration Tour|website=variety.com|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=February 7, 2022}}</ref> 
As of October 2025, Dolenz continues to tour throughout the United States. His new tour is entitled, "Micky Dolenz of The Monkees: Songs & Stories." <ref>https://mickydolenz.com/</ref>

==Impact and legacy==
The Monkees were selected specifically to appeal to the [[Youth marketing|youth market]] as American television's response to the Beatles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kernfeld |first1=Barry |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000049253 |title=Monkees, the - Grove Music |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.49253 |access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref> [[Andrew Sandoval]] wrote the following in ''The Hollywood Reporter'':

{{blockquote|[The Monkees] pioneered the music video format and paved the way for every boy band that followed in their wake, from [[New Kids on the Block]] to [['N Sync]] to the [[Jonas Brothers]], while Davy set the stage for future teen idols [[David Cassidy]] and [[Justin Bieber]]. As pop stars go, you would be hard pressed to find a successful artist who didn't take a page from the Monkees' playbook, even generations later. Monkee money also enabled Rafelson and Schneider to finance ''[[Easy Rider]]'' and ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'', which made Jack Nicholson a star. In fact, the Monkees series was the opening salvo in a revolution that brought on the New Hollywood cinema, an influence rarely acknowledged but no less impactful.<ref name="Sandoval" />}}

The ''Chicago Tribune'' interviewed Davy Jones, who said, "We touched a lot of musicians, you know. I can't tell you the amount of people that have come up and said, 'I wouldn't have been a musician if it hadn't been for the Monkees.' It baffles me even now".<ref>{{cite news |last=Knopper |first=Steve |date=January 28, 2011 |title=The littlest Monkee is still going strong |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/01/28/the-littlest-monkee-is-still-going-strong/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415172831/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-28/entertainment/ct-ott-0128-davy-jones-20110127_1_jones-and-tork-monkee-business-daydream-believer |archive-date=April 15, 2012}}</ref>

The Monkees found unlikely fans among musicians of the [[punk rock]] period of the mid-1970s. Many of these punk performers had grown up on TV reruns of the series, and sympathized with the anti-industry, anti-establishment trend of their career. [[Sex Pistols]] and [[Minor Threat]] both recorded versions of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" and it was often played live by [[Toy Love]]. Japanese new wave pop group [[Plastics (band)|the Plastics]] recorded a synthesizer and drum-machine version of "Last Train to Clarksville" for their 1979 album ''Welcome Back''.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

[[Glenn A. Baker]], author of ''Monkeemania: The True Story of the Monkees'', described the Monkees as "rock's first great embarrassment" in 1986:

<blockquote>Like an illegitimate child in a respectable family, the Monkees are destined to be regarded forever as rock's first great embarrassment; misunderstood and maligned like a mongrel at a ritzy dog show, or a test tube baby at the [[Holy See|Vatican]]... The fact was ignored that session players were being heavily employed by [[the Beach Boys]], [[the Beatles]], [[the Mamas and the Papas]], [[the Byrds]] and other titans of the age. However, what could ''not'' be ignored, as rock disdained its pubescent past, was a group of middle-aged Hollywood businessmen had actually assembled their concept of a profitable rock group and foisted it upon the world. What mattered was that the Monkees had success handed to them on a silver plate.<ref name="baker" /></blockquote>

''[[Mediaite]]'' columnist [[Paul Levinson]] noted that "The Monkees were the first example of something created in a medium—in this case, a rock group on television—that jumped off the screen to have big impact in the real world."<ref name="Levinson">{{cite journal |last=Levinson |first=Paul |date=February 2012 |title=Why The Monkees Are Important |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/why-the-monkees-are-important/ |url-status=live |journal=[[Mediaite]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301185648/http://www.mediaite.com/online/why-the-monkees-are-important/ |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |access-date=March 2, 2012}}</ref>

When commenting on the death of Jones on February 29, 2012, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine contributor James Poniewozik praised the television show, saying the following:

<blockquote>... even if the show never meant to be more than entertainment and a hit-single generator, we shouldn't sell ''The Monkees'' short. It was far better TV than it had to be; during an era of formulaic domestic sitcoms and wacky comedies, it was a stylistically ambitious show, with a distinctive visual style, absurdist sense of humor and unusual story structure. Whatever Jones and the Monkees were meant to be, they became creative artists in their own right, and Jones' chipper Brit-pop presence was a big reason they were able to produce work that was commercial, wholesome and yet impressively weird.<ref name="Poniewozik">{{cite magazine |last=Poniewozik |first=James |date=February 2012 |title=RIP Davy Jones, The Monkees' Daydreamboat |url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/02/29/rip-davy-jones-the-monkees-daydreamboat/?xid=rss-topstories |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525005037/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/02/29/rip-davy-jones-the-monkees-daydreamboat/?xid=rss-topstories |archive-date=May 25, 2013 |access-date=February 29, 2012}}</ref></blockquote>

The band released four chart-topping albums<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-monkees-billboard-chart-record-still-stands-1235008332/|title=Michael Nesmith & The Monkees Set a Billboard Chart Record in 1967 That Still Stands Today|website=billboard.com|first=Paul|last=Grein|date=December 11, 2021}}</ref>{{efn|Those four albums were ''The Monkees'', ''More of the Monkees'', ''Headquarters'', and ''Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.'', respectively.<ref name="auto2"/>}} and three chart-topping songs ("Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer"),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/the-monkees-10-biggest-hot-100-hits-502980/|title=The Monkees' 10 Biggest Hot 100 Hits|website=billboard.com|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|date=February 29, 2012}}</ref> and sold at least 21&nbsp;million records in the US.<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=The+Monkees#search_section |title=Gold & Platinum: The Monkees |work=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref>{{efn|In 1977, Michael Nesmith told a journalist that the Monkees had sold 35 million records in 1967 alone. Nesmith later admitted that this statement was a falsehood.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/realgilbertgottfried/videos/10152884279437205/ |last=Gottfried |first=Gilbert |author-link=Gilbert Gottfried |date=2015 |title=Exclusive: Mike Nesmith: I lied about The Monkees selling 35 million records |website=[[Facebook]] |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref><ref name="pantsonfire" />}} In fact, the band's four number one albums all reached the top of the charts in 1967. As of 2021, no other band has had four number one albums in the same calendar year.<ref name="auto2"/>

===In popular culture===
[[The Criterion Collection]], which has a stated goal to release "a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, [and] has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements"<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.criterion.com/about_us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521102119/http://www.criterion.com/about_us |archive-date=May 21, 2012 |access-date=May 20, 2012 |publisher=The Criterion Collection}}</ref> recognized the Monkees' film ''Head'' as meeting their criteria when they fully restored and released it on DVD and Blu-ray in 2010. They stated that ''Head'' was "way, way ahead of its time" and "arguably the most authentically psychedelic film made in 1960s Hollywood".<ref>{{cite web |last=Stephens |first=Chuck |title=Head-zapoppin'! |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1665-head-zapoppin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704064125/http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1665-head-zapoppin |archive-date=July 4, 2012 |access-date=May 20, 2012 |publisher=The Criterion Collection}}</ref> ''Head'' dodged commercial success on its release but has since been reclaimed as one of the great cult objects of its era."<ref>{{cite web |title=Head |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/27527-head |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606011949/http://www.criterion.com/films/27527-head |archive-date=June 6, 2012 |access-date=May 20, 2012 |publisher=The Criterion Collection}}</ref>

In the book ''Hey, Hey We're The Monkees'', Rafelson wrote that, with ''Head'', he explored unprecedented cinematic techniques, including filming actors underwater, the use of polarization, and inventing "double-matte experiences". "When it was shown in France, the head of the Cinematheque overly praised the movie as a cinematic masterpiece, and from that point on, this movie began to acquire an underground reputation."<ref>{{cite book |last=Bronson |first=Harold |title=Hey, Hey We're the Monkees |publisher=General Publishing Group, Inc. |year=1996 |isbn=1-57544-012-1 |location=Los Angeles |page=146}}</ref>
In 2010, [[Nick Vernier Band]] created a digital "Monkees reunion" through the release of ''[[Nick Vernier Band Sessions (album)|Mister Bob (featuring the Monkees)]],''<ref>{{cite web |title=The Monkees &#124; Old Songs New Songs Remix to download new releases from iTunes |url=https://oldsongsnewsongsremix.com/the-monkees-2/#new_monkees_song |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823155306/http://oldsongsnewsongsremix.com/the-monkees-2/#new_monkees_song |archive-date=August 23, 2011 |access-date=August 19, 2015 |publisher=Oldsongsnewsongsremix.com}}</ref> a new song produced under license from [[Rhino Entertainment]], containing vocal samples from the band's recording "Zilch".
The [[contract bridge]] [[bridge convention|convention]] known as either [[Last Train (bridge)|Last Train]] or Last Train to Clarksville was so named by its inventor, [[Jeff Meckstroth]], after the Monkees' song.<ref>{{OEB|7|295}}</ref>

==== Comic books ====
A comic book series, ''The Monkees'', was published in the United States by [[Dell Comics]], which ran for 17 issues from 1967 to 1969.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wells |first1=John |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969 |date=2014 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490557 |page=161}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, a ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' "Crazy Cartoon Book" featured four comic stories as well as four photos of the Monkees, all in black and white; it was published in 1967.

==== Biopic ====
In 2000, [[VH-1]] produced the television biopic ''[[Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story (2000) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241357/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016044912/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241357/ |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |access-date=August 19, 2015 |publisher=IMDb}}</ref>

==== Musical ====
A stage musical opened in the UK at the [[Manchester Opera House]] on Friday March 30, 2012, and was dedicated to Davy Jones (the Jones family attended the official opening on April 3).<ref name="Playbill">{{cite magazine |last=Gioia |first=Michael |title=Monkee Business, Featuring Songs of The Monkees, Premieres March 30 at Manchester Opera House |url=https://www.playbill.com/news/article/161263-Monkee-Business-Featuring-Songs-of-The-Monkees-Premieres-March-30-at-Manchester-Opera-House |url-status=dead |magazine=Playbill |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830001948/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/161263-Monkee-Business-Featuring-Songs-of-The-Monkees-Premieres-March-30-at-Manchester-Opera-House |archive-date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=August 6, 2012 }}</ref> The production is a [[Jukebox musical]] and starred Stephen Kirwan, Ben Evans, Tom Parsons and Oliver Savile<ref name="Playbill" /> as actors playing the parts of the Monkees (respectively Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith, Tork) who are hired by an unscrupulous businessman to go on a world tour pretending to be the real band. The show includes 18 Monkees songs plus numbers by other 60s artists. It ran in [[Manchester]] as part of the "Manchester Gets it First" program until April 14, 2012, before a UK tour.<ref name="Playbill" /><ref name="BBC Musical">{{cite news |date=November 4, 2011 |title=Monkees musical to hit the stage |newspaper=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15591897 |url-status=live |access-date=August 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510173333/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15591897 |archive-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref> Following its Manchester run, the show appeared in the [[Glasgow King's Theatre]] and the [[Sunderland Empire Theatre]].<ref name="Playbill" />

== Awards and achievements ==
===Grammy Awards===
The [[Grammy Awards]] is an accolade by the [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] (NARAS) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the [[music industry]]. It shares recognition of the music industry as that of the other performance arts: [[Emmy Award]]s (television), the [[Tony Award]]s (stage performance), and the [[Academy Award]]s (motion pictures).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Year
! style="width:40%;" | Category
! style="width:35%;" | Nominated work
! style="width:15%;" | Result
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[9th Annual Grammy Awards|1967]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Contemporary (R&R) Recording]]
| rowspan="2" |"Last Train to Clarksville"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Contemporary (R&R) Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[10th Annual Grammy Awards|1968]]
|[[Best Performance by a Vocal Group]]
| rowspan="2" |"I'm a Believer"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Contemporary Group Performance (Vocal or Instrumental)]]
| {{nom}}
|}

=== Notable achievements ===
* Gave the [[Jimi Hendrix Experience]] their first U.S. concert tour exposure as an opening act in July 1967.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Sharon |url=https://archive.org/details/jimihendrixmanma00lawr |title=Jimi Hendrix: The Intimate Story of a Betrayed Musical Legend |publisher=Harper |year=2005 |isbn=0-06-056301-X |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/jimihendrixmanma00lawr/page/n96 84] |url-access=limited}}</ref> 
* Inspired [[Gene Roddenberry]] to introduce the character of [[Pavel Chekov|Chekov]] in his ''[[Star Trek]]'' TV series in response to the popularity of Davy Jones, complete with hairstyle and appearance mimicking that of Jones.<ref>''The Making of Star Trek'', by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry, (c) 1968 Ballantine Books, pp. 249–250.</ref><ref>''TV Guide'', September 4–10, 1993 p. 20.</ref>
* Inducted into America's Pop Music Hall of Fame in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=home |url=http://www.americaspopmusichalloffame.org/#!inductees/cd9g |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112212441/http://www.americaspopmusichalloffame.org/#!inductees/cd9g |archive-date=January 12, 2016 |access-date=May 1, 2016 |website=Americanpopmusichalloffame.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Monkees inducted into the American Pop Music Hall of Fame |url=http://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/blog/monkees-inducted-into-the-american-pop-music-hall-of-fame |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531205041/http://www.monkeeslivealmanac.com/blog/monkees-inducted-into-the-american-pop-music-hall-of-fame |archive-date=May 31, 2016 |access-date=May 1, 2016 |website=The Monkees Live Almanac}}</ref>
* Honored by the [[Music Business Association|Music Business Association (Music Biz)]] with an Outstanding Achievement Award celebrating the band's 50th anniversary on May 16, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 9, 2016 |title=Music Biz to Celebrate 50 Years of The Monkees with Outstanding Achievement Award at Nashville Convention - Music Business Association - Music Biz |url=https://musicbiz.org/press-releases/music-biz-to-celebrate-50-years-of-the-monkees-with-outstanding-achievement-award-at-nashville-convention/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515034710/http://musicbiz.org/press-releases/music-biz-to-celebrate-50-years-of-the-monkees-with-outstanding-achievement-award-at-nashville-convention/ |archive-date=May 15, 2016 |access-date=May 1, 2016 |website=Music Business Association - Music Biz |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Inducted into the [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]] in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Monkees - Music Inductees |url=https://vocalgroup.org/inductees/the-monkees/ |access-date=January 14, 2022 |website=The Vocal Group Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Controversies==
===Rock and Roll Hall of Fame===
Various magazines and news outlets, such as ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|last=McCombs|first=Joseph|title=Hey, Hey Let Them In: 10 Reasons The Monkees Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/19/the-monkees-should-be-in-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-times-10-part-treatise/#their-chart-success|magazine=Time Magazine|access-date=May 20, 2012|date=April 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513174516/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/19/the-monkees-should-be-in-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-times-10-part-treatise/#their-chart-success|archive-date=May 13, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[NPR]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Hirsh|first=Marc|title=NOW Can We Induct The Monkees Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?|website=NPR|date=March 2012|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/03/01/147736081/now-can-we-induct-the-monkees-into-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame|publisher=NPR Radio|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518213237/http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/03/01/147736081/now-can-we-induct-the-monkees-into-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame|archive-date=May 18, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Marder|first=Phill|title=No Monkee business allowed in the Rock Hall of Fame?|date=July 7, 2011 |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/no-monkee-business-allowed-in-the-rock-hall-of-fame|publisher=Goldmine Magazine|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104003136/http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/no-monkee-business-allowed-in-the-rock-hall-of-fame|archive-date=January 4, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Marder|first=Phill|title=10 more bands snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|date=January 29, 2012 |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/10-more-bands-snubbed-by-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame|publisher=Goldmine Magazine|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418135020/http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/10-more-bands-snubbed-by-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame|archive-date=April 18, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Yahoo! Music]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoskyns|first=Barney|title=Why Aren't the Monkees In the Rock and Roll of Fame?|work=Yahoo! Music |url=https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/rocks-backpages/why-aren-t-monkees-rock-roll-fame-125232196.html|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421102110/http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/rocks-backpages/why-aren-t-monkees-rock-roll-fame-125232196.html|archive-date=April 21, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[MSNBC]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Sclafani|first=Tony|title=Hey hey, it's the fans who want the Monkees in the Rock Hall|url=http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/13/11182790-hey-hey-its-the-fans-who-want-the-monkees-in-the-rock-hall?lite|publisher=MSNBC|access-date=May 20, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512022857/http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/13/11182790-hey-hey-its-the-fans-who-want-the-monkees-in-the-rock-hall?lite|archive-date=May 12, 2012}}</ref> have argued that the Monkees belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1992, Davy Jones told ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' that he knew that the Monkees would never make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113185,00.html|title=Tales from a Monkee : People.com|website=People|access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328133459/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113185,00.html|archive-date=March 28, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2007, Peter Tork complained to the ''[[New York Post]]'' that [[Jann Wenner]] had "[[wiktionary:blackball|blackballed]]" the Monkees from being inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Tork contended that Wenner held a grudge against the Monkees because the band members did not always write their own songs or play their own instruments during their early years.<ref name="CSM">{{cite news|title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The top 5 biggest omissions|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2010/1215/Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame-The-top-5-biggest-omissions/The-Monkees|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=May 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519000116/http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2010/1215/Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame-The-top-5-biggest-omissions/The-Monkees|archive-date=May 19, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Members==
* [[Micky Dolenz]]&nbsp;– lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, drums, percussion, keyboards  (1966–1971, 1976, 1986–1989, 1996–1997, 2001–2002, 2011–2021)
* [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]]&nbsp;– lead and backing vocals, percussion, drums, rhythm guitar, bass (1966–1971, 1976, 1986–1989, 1996–1997, 2001–2002, 2011–2012; died 2012)
* [[Michael Nesmith]]&nbsp;– lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, backing and lead vocals (1966–1970, 1986, 1989, 1996–1997, 2012–2014, 2016, 2018–2021; died 2021)
* [[Peter Tork]]&nbsp;– bass, rhythm and lead guitars, keyboards, banjo, backing and occasional lead vocals (1966–1968, 1976, 1986–1989, 1996–1997, 2001, 2011–2018; died 2019)

=== Timeline ===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize   = width:900 height:auto barincrement:30
PlotArea    = left:75 bottom:95 top:5 right:0
Alignbars   = late
DateFormat  = mm/dd/yyyy
Period      = from:01/01/1966 till:12/10/2021
TimeAxis    = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend      = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor  = unit:year increment:5 start:1966
ScaleMinor  = unit:year increment:1 start:1966

Colors =
  id:Lvocals        value:red         legend:Lead_&_backing_vocals
  id:Bvocals       value:pink        legend:Backing_&_occasional_lead_vocals
  id:lguitar       value:teal        legend:Lead_guitar
  id:rguitar       value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
  id:Keys          value:purple      legend:Keyboards
  id:Bass          value:blue        legend:Bass
  id:Drums         value:orange      legend:Drums
  id:Lines         value:black       legend:Studio_album
  id:bars          value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors =  bars:bars

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  bar:MD text:"Micky Dolenz"
  bar:DJ text:"Davy Jones"
  bar:MN text:"Mike Nesmith"
  bar:PT text:"Peter Tork"

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  bar:DJ from:01/01/1966 till:02/19/1971 color:lVocals
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  bar:DJ from:07/04/1976 till:12/24/1976 color:lVocals
  bar:DJ from:02/23/1986 till:07/10/1989 color:lVocals
  bar:DJ from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:lVocals
  bar:DJ from:01/01/2001 till:12/31/2002 color:lVocals
  bar:DJ from:01/01/2011 till:02/29/2012 color:lVocals
  bar:DJ from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:rGuitar  width:3
  bar:DJ from:01/01/2001 till:12/31/2002 color:rGuitar  width:3
  bar:DJ from:01/01/2011 till:02/29/2012 color:rGuitar  width:3
 
  bar:PT from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/1969 color:Bass
  bar:PT from:11/01/1966 till:01/01/1969 color:Keys     width:5
  bar:PT from:01/01/1966 till:11/01/1966 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:PT from:01/01/1966 till:11/01/1966 color:lGuitar  width:3
  bar:PT from:11/01/1966 till:01/01/1969 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:PT from:11/01/1966 till:01/01/1969 color:lGuitar  width:7
  bar:PT from:11/01/1966 till:01/01/1969 color:bVocals  width:3
  bar:PT from:07/04/1976 till:07/04/1976 color:bVocals  width:3
  bar:PT from:07/04/1976 till:07/04/1976 color:Bass     width:3
  bar:PT from:07/04/1976 till:12/24/1976 color:Keys 
  bar:PT from:02/23/1986 till:07/10/1989 color:lGuitar 
  bar:PT from:02/23/1986 till:07/10/1989 color:bVocals  width:3
  bar:PT from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:lGuitar
  bar:PT from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:PT from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:bVocals  width:3
  bar:PT from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/1997 color:Bass     width:7
  bar:PT from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/1997 color:Keys     width:5
  bar:PT from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2002 color:lGuitar 
  bar:PT from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2002 color:bVocals  width:3
  bar:PT from:01/01/2011 till:10/12/2018 color:lGuitar
  bar:PT from:02/29/2012 till:10/12/2018 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:PT from:01/01/2016 till:10/12/2018 color:Keys     width:7
  bar:PT from:01/01/2011 till:10/12/2018 color:bVocals  width:3
 
  bar:MN from:01/01/1966 till:04/14/1970 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:01/01/1966 till:04/14/1970 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:09/07/1986 till:09/08/1986 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:09/07/1986 till:09/07/1986 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:MN from:09/07/1986 till:09/08/1986 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:07/09/1989 till:07/10/1989 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:07/09/1989 till:07/10/1989 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:MN from:07/09/1989 till:07/10/1989 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:07/09/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:07/09/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:08/08/2012 till:12/31/2014 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:08/08/2012 till:12/31/2014 color:rguitar  width:9
  bar:MN from:08/08/2012 till:12/31/2014 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:02/01/2016 till:05/27/2016 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:02/01/2016 till:05/27/2016 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:MN from:02/01/2016 till:05/27/2016 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:09/14/2016 till:09/16/2016 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:09/14/2016 till:09/16/2016 color:rGuitar  width:9
  bar:MN from:09/14/2016 till:09/16/2016 color:LVocals width:3
  bar:MN from:05/01/2018 till:10/12/2018 color:rGuitar width:9
  bar:MN from:05/01/2018 till:12/10/2021 color:lGuitar
  bar:MN from:05/01/2018 till:12/10/2021 color:LVocals width:3
 
  bar:MD from:01/01/1966 till:02/19/1971 color:lVocals width:15
  bar:MD from:01/01/1966 till:02/19/1971 color:rGuitar width:3
  bar:MD from:01/01/1966 till:02/19/1971 color:Drums   width:9
  bar:MD from:07/04/1976 till:12/24/1976 color:lVocals
  bar:MD from:02/23/1986 till:07/10/1989 color:lVocals
  bar:MD from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:lVocals width:3
  bar:MD from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:Drums   width:15
  bar:MD from:01/01/2001 till:12/31/2002 color:lVocals width:3
  bar:MD from:02/23/1986 till:07/10/1989 color:rguitar width:3
  bar:MD from:01/01/1996 till:07/10/1997 color:rguitar width:9
  bar:MD from:01/01/2001 till:12/31/2002 color:rguitar width:15
  bar:MD from:01/01/2011 till:12/10/2021 color:lVocals width:15
  bar:MD from:01/01/2011 till:12/10/2021 color:rGuitar width:3
  bar:MD from:01/01/2011 till:12/16/2016 color:Drums   width:3

LineData =
  layer:back color:Lines
  at:10/10/1966
  at:01/09/1967 
  at:05/22/1967 
  at:11/06/1967 
  at:04/22/1968 
  at:12/01/1968
  at:02/16/1969 
  at:10/01/1969 
  at:06/04/1970 
  at:08/03/1987
  at:10/14/1996
  at:05/27/2016 
  at:10/12/2018 
}}

==Discography==
{{Main|The Monkees discography}}
* ''[[The Monkees (album)|The Monkees]]'' (1966)
* ''[[More of the Monkees]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Headquarters (The Monkees album)|Headquarters]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.]]'' (1967)
* ''[[The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Head (The Monkees album)|Head]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Instant Replay (The Monkees album)|Instant Replay]]'' (1969)
* ''[[The Monkees Present]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Changes (The Monkees album)|Changes]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Pool It!]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Justus (album)|Justus]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Good Times!]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Christmas Party (The Monkees album)|Christmas Party]]'' (2018)

==See also==

* [[List of The Monkees episodes|List of ''The Monkees'' episodes]]
* [[Monkeemobile]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book|title=Long Title: Looking for the Good Times; Examining the Monkees' Songs, One by One|last=Arnold|first=Mark|author-link= Mark Arnold (historian)|year=2017|isbn=9781629331751|publisher=BearManor Media}}
* {{Cite book|title=Headquartered: A Timeline of The Monkees Solo Years|last=Arnold|first=Mark|author-link= Mark Arnold (historian)|year=2020|isbn=9781629335346|publisher=BearManor Media}}
* {{cite book |last=Baker |first=Glenn A. |year=1986 |title=Monkeemania: The True Story of the Monkees |publisher=Plexus Publishing |isbn=0-312-00003-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Baker |first=Glenn A. |orig-year=1986 |year=2000 |title=Monkeemania: The True Story of the Monkees |publisher=Plexus Publishing |isbn=0-85965-292-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/monkeemaniatrues00bake}}
* {{cite book |last=Bronson |first=Harold |year=1996 |title=Hey, Hey We're the Monkees |publisher=General Publishing Group |isbn=1-57544-012-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Falkenberg |first=Lise Lyng |author-link=Lise Lyng Falkenberg |year=2001 |title=The Monkees: Caught in a False Image |publisher=Underskoven |isbn=87-90767-31-4}}
** {{cite book |last=Falkenberg |first=Lise Lyng |author-link=Lise Lyng Falkenberg |year=2012 |title=The Monkees: Caught in a False Image |publisher=Smashwords/Amazon |isbn=978-1-4764-2233-6}}
* {{cite web |last=Gilliland |first=John |year=1969 |author-link=John Gilliland |title=Revolt of the Fat Angel: Some Samples of the Los Angeles Sound |work=[[Pop Chronicles]] |publisher=Digital.library.unt.edu |format=audio |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/partners/UNTML/browse/?start=42&fq=untl_collection%3AJGPC }}
* {{cite book |last=Lefcowitz |first=Eric |year=1985 |title=The Monkees Tale |publisher=Last Gasp |isbn=0-943249-00-7}}
** {{cite book |last=Lefcowitz |first=Eric |orig-year=1985 |year=1989 |title=The Monkees Tale |publisher=Last Gasp |isbn=0-86719-378-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Lefcowitz |first=Eric |year=2010 |title=Monkee Business: The Revolutionary Made-For-TV Band |publisher=Retrofuture |isbn=978-0-86719-338-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Sandoval |first=Andrew |year=2005 |title=[[The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation]] |publisher=Thunder Bay Press |isbn=1-59223-372-4 }}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
*{{AllMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
* [https://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2013/03/mike-nesmith-still-a-believer/ Mike Nesmith Interview - ''Rocker Magazine'' 2013]
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/peter-tork Peter Tork Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2009)
* [https://vault.fbi.gov/the-monkees FBI Records: The Vault - The Monkees] at vault.fbi.gov

{{The Monkees|state=expanded}}
{{Michael Nesmith}}
{{Davy Jones}}
{{Peter Tork}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1956–1969}}
{{Authority control}}

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