If Mickey Dolenz was the smiley one, Davy Jones the English one and Mike Nesmith the quiet one, then Peter Tork, who died yesterday aged 77, was the odd one out. Already known on the Greenwich Village music scene before joining the packaged four-piece TV pop band, Tork had the dubious distinction of being the only member of the band to play an instrument on their debut album. An accomplished musician he co-wrote the closing theme to the TV show's second season as well as several songs on the band's output from album three onwards.
Outside of The Monkees he played with George Harrison, briefly becoming a solo artist before becoming a music teacher (finding time along the way to get busted on a dope charge and join a Blues band). However there was no escaping the red buttoned-up tunic and, in 1986, joined Dolenz and Jones to tour again before and record a new album, Justus, with Nesmith in 1996. Unfortunately the band imploded again in 2001, thankfully hatchets were buried from these creative differences in time for an anniversary tour in 2011.
RIP Peter Tork
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