Thursday, March 01, 2012

The Monkees' Davy Jones RIP

I was sad to hear of the death of Davy Jones who died yesterday. Funny that even though I saw The Monkees in the early eighties on one of their reunion tours I can still only see him as he was on the TV when I watched their wacky TV show as a kid.

Jones was born in one of the terraced houses in Openshaw, the district of East Manchester next to Gorton where I grew up. The family then moved to the posh bit of Gorton, on the other side of Debdale Park to us, next to Denton. He appeared in Coronation Street before he was lured to the States to join the Monkees.

An abiding memory of my childhood is my dad coming home from work moaning about all the screaming girls he'd had to fight his way through to get to Davy Jones' parents' front door. He was their postman and he had to fight through hundreds of screaming girls waiting to see him if he was due back from the States.

RIP

3 comments:

John West said...

I have been a fan of the Monkees since I was a child and once had the privilege to meet Davy backstage after one of his shows in London. Although tired after the show, he still had the time to have a quick chat with me about his time with the Monkees. He was a wonderful singer, showman and songwriter. His classic hits with the Monkees have earned him a well deserved place in music history.

Gregg said...

You're the second person today who has told me you were fortunate enough to meet him,and like you she found him warm and friendly. It's good to hear of somebody who appreciated his fans and his privileged position in life.

A true gent methinks.

Neil said...

I'm making a tribute documentary about Davy and the Monkees and would love to hear about your dad's experiences battling through those fans, if he'd be interested?

Cheers,

Neil
neil.summers@itv.com