A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AFTER THE TEEN IDOL FIRST CAPTURED THE HEART’S OF TEENAGE GIRLS, THE FORMER MONKEE IS STILL RECORDING, PERFORMING AND ALWAYS ON THE MOVE

On February 9, 1964, history was made as 73-million people tuned in to watch Ed Sullivan first introduce Americans to The Beatles.

While most people over the age of 55 clearly recall that evening, the thing they forget is that The Beatles weren’t the only act to perform that night. Along with a magician, a comedy duo, and impressionist Frank Gorshin, the Fab Four shared the stage with British actress and singer Georgia Brown, who at the time was playing the role of Nancy in the Broadway production of “Oliver!”

When Brown took the stage to perform a musical number, she was joined by other members of the cast, including a 19-year old actor who played the Artful Dodger – an actor by the name of Davy Jones.

While Davy Jones emergence as a pop star with his own four-man band was still two-years away, on that February night, as Davy sang on Sullivan’s show, he was already a seasoned entertainer.

Born in 1945, in Manchester, England, David Thomas Jones grew up with a love of horses and his childhood dream was to become a jockey. He also harbored an interest in acting and singing and began performing in various stage productions at an early age. By the time he was 11-years old, Davy had been noticed by television producers and was cast in the popular English daytime drama “Coronation Street.”

A few years later, after having suffered through the tragedy of losing his mother to emphysema when he was just 14, Jones’ television work was signed by an agent who thought he would be perfect in the role of Charles Dickens’ mischievous Artful Dodger in a West End production of “Oliver!” Davy was in fact a perfect pick for the role and after a successful run on the stages of London and New York he went on to catch the attention of executives from Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems Television who offered him a contract – although they weren’t quite sure what to do with him.

That changed the following year when, at the age of 20, Davy was tapped to be the lead singer in a show about a pop band. The brainchild of aspiring filmmakers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, who had been inspired by The Beatles’ film “A Hard Day’s Night,” the duo thought a television series about a rock ‘n’ roll group would have great appeal to a young audience. Rafelson and Schneider originally planned on basing the show on an actual existing band, but when both The Dave Clark Five and The Lovin' Spoonful passed on the offer, the producers decided to go with four unknowns who they decided to call The Monkees.

In order to put the band together, Rafelson and Schneider conducted an open casting call and following an extensive search, that included auditions by future singer and songwriter Paul Williams and Stephen Stills who would go on to have a legendary career with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Monkess were finally formed. Davy was the first to be cast, followed by Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork.

Debuting in the fall of 1966, “The Monkees” became a phenomenal hit for NBC, and the members of the made-for-TV band went beyond their show personas to score success as legitimate recording artists under the supervision of legendary record producer Don Kirshner.

During the show’s first season, Davy, Micky, Michael and Peter were given some performing and production opportunities, but as time went by, the quartet wanted more creative control and the right to supervise the music that was being generated under the band’s name. Ultimately winning that right, The Monkees moved from the small screen to the recording studio and nationwide concert venues.

While the boys were broadening their horizons, their popular television show continued to air on NBC till 1968. The show had dominated the ratings in its time slot for its entire run, and was then picked up for reruns, first by CBS, and then by ABC who ran the show till 1973.

After the show went out of production, The Monkees continued to record and release records until 1970. Among their best-known international hits were such songs as “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Daydream Believer,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”

While The Monkees officially broke up in 1970, by that time Tork had already been gone from the band for two years and Nesmith (whose mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, invented the typewriter correction product Liquid Paper) had left the previous year. Jones and Dolenz recorded one last album, “Changes.” When the recording garnered a less-than-enthusiastic acceptance by critics and fans, Jones and Dolenz went their separate ways and Davy announced he would be pursuing a solo career.

In his post-Monkee days, Davy, who had been the darling of the teen magazines and the heartthrob of millions of teenage girls, signed on with Bell Records and released an album simply titled: “Davy Jones,” that included the single “Rainy Jane.” The following year, Davy made an indelible mark in pop culture history by appearing in an episode of “The Brady Bunch” titled “Getting Davy Jones” on which Marcia Brady brags to her schoolmates that she can arrange for Davy to sing at a school dance. Ultimately, Marcia actually does get him to make an appearance in which he sings his most recognized solo recording, “Girl.”

From 1971 till the end of the decade, Davy released a few singles, performed in solo concerts, and even reunited with Dolenz and The Monkees songwriters, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, to form a short-lived band known as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. When the new band failed to catch on, Davy went on to perform on Harry Nilsson’s album, “The Point,” and returned to the stage in various productions.

In the early-1980s, Davy joined a band known as Toast, and performed in a stage production of “Godspell.” By the latter part of the decade, with The Monkees celebrating their 20th anniversary, Davy released a new album titled “Incredible.” He then again returned to the theater in “Oliver!” By then too old to reprise his famous role of the Artful Dodger, Davy moved on to play the part of Fagin. He also joined the stage production of “Grease,” continued his solo concert performances, and even teamed up with Dolenz again for a two-year nationwide concert tour they billed as the “Together Again” tour.

Throughout the 1990s, Davy did numerous appearances on various television shows. He released “Just For The Record” that featured his unreleased solo material, appeared as himself in a 1995 film that spoofed “The Brady Bunch” television show called “The Brady Bunch Movie,” and in 1998, joined fellow teen idols Bobby Sherman and Peter Noone for the well-received national “Teen Idols Tour.”

During this time, Davy also penned a series of autobiographical books including “They Made A Monkee Out Of Me,” “They Made A Monkee Out Of Me – Again,” “Mutant Monkees Meet the Masters of the Multi-Media Manipulation Machine!,” and “Daydream Believin.’”

During the latter part of the 1990s, Davey reunited with his former band mates for The Monkees’ 30th anniversary reunion and at the beginning of the new millennium he released another solo album called, “Just Me.” He then once more got together with The Monkees for tours and other projects during 2001 and 2002, and also hosted A&E’s weekly series, “Meet The Royals.”

Today, as the father of four children and two grandchildren, Davy is heavily involved in his passion of thoroughbred horse racing, continues to record new albums and appear in concert. He also conducts motivational seminars in which he offers his insights and advice on various entertainment-related subjects.

On August 30, 2009, Davy, who will turn 65 next month, entered into the state of matrimony for the third time as he married Jessica Pacheco. A beautiful actress best known for her roles in various Telemundo drama series including “Decisiones,” and “Dame Chocolate,” Jessica walked down the aisle to become Mrs. Jones at her parent’s home in Miami, Florida. After tying the knot, Davy and Jessica settled in Stuart, Florida. The couple also owns a horse ranch in Pennsylvania and they are active participants on the thoroughbred horse racing circuit.

“Life After 50” recently spent some time with Davy as he prepared to take the stage for a concert at Malibu’s Pepperdine University. Accompanied by Jessica, who always calls him “David,” the affable Jones spoke about his life, his career, and his feelings on aging.

Life After 50 (LA50): Davy, your mother passed away when you were very young, how did her death affect you?

Davy Jones (DJ): It was heart breaking. As my dad put it: ‘I feel like I have had my arms cut off son.’ Time does not heal all wounds – her picture is featured on my new album, “She.”

LA50: You know that no matter what you do, you will always be associated with The Monkees. What was the most enjoyable part of that experience?

DJ: It obviously changed so many things in my life, but the thing that has meant the most is the fact that (the band and our music) have stood the test of time.

LA50: Do you consider your work, with The Monkees, to have been the highlight of your career?

DJ: For me, the highlight of my career has been my stage work – playing the role of Fagin in “Oliver!” in the late 1980s to sold-out audiences in venues around the country.

LA50: What kind of music do you enjoy today?

DJ: I love show tunes – theater music. I also love Billy Joel, and now, Marc Anthony, having been turned on to him by my lovely Cuban-American wife.

LA50: You still do many concerts and personal appearances. What sort of response do you get from your fans who grew up loving you?

DJ: That love is a two-way street. I am surprised by it, but very happy that they still find a place for me in their lives.

LA50: You have lived in the United States much longer than you lived in your native country. Do you enjoy living in the states more than in the UK?

DJ: I have always felt my American connection started in December of 1962. Since then, I have always considered America to be my home.

LA50: While you may be forever frozen in so many of our minds as the twentysomething Davy Jones of The Monkees, you will be turning 65 next month. What are your feelings about aging?

DJ: My feelings about aging are the same as how I feel about my show business career and performing. I take every day, and project, and performance as if it’s the only one I will ever have the opportunity to do or enjoy.

LA50: What are the things that are most important to you at this point in your life?

DJ: Number one is my wife, Jessica. Then comes the rest of my family – my children, grandchildren, and my extended family, friends and neighbors. The other thing that is important to me is the fans that have been so faithful to me over the years. They have always been there for me and have made everything possible.

LA50: You look great and are always on the move maintaining a very active lifestyle. What’s your secret?

DJ: Rest, good food and good eating habits. I’m a vegetarian, although I will eat fish on occasion. I also believe in drinking water, water, and more water. It’s the elixir of life. I believe in working hard to maintain patience, handle obligations, embrace opportunity, and live in contentment – for which exercise and laughter is the key.

LA50: As a vegetarian, what would your typical meal consist of?

DJ: Here are some of my favorite recipes – pasta with raw spinach, frozen peas, toasted pine nuts and a handful of large shrimp and pesto sauce. I also love pumpkin soup. To make it I add squash, onions, garlic, and then bring them all to a boil in chicken stock. You then blend in heavy cream and top it off with crushed almonds.

LA50: While you have such an active lifestyle, many people, once they get into their 60s and beyond, find it harder and harder to be as active as they once were. Do you have any advice for staying fit and active?

DJ: I would simply say do what you can. Don’t overdo it and make long lists of things you’ll never be able to accomplish. Most importantly, always think about those other than yourself. That will provide you with a happy mind, and that helps keep the body healthy.

LA50: You are constantly on the go with your horses, traveling, recording new material and doing concerts. When you have the chance to just kick back, what is the perfect day of relaxation for you?

DJ: I would start off the day having Cuban coffee with Jessica and then go out to work with my horses. I would then spend a bit of time with my long-time friend and mentor Bazil Foster. I love to sing and write, so I’d get that in along with catching-up on my mail. Now that I live in Florida, I try to never let a day go by without dipping my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. To wrap up the day, I would have a glass of wine, watch the 6:00 news, have a little TLC time with my wife, and catch a movie on the Sundance Channel with no commercials. For me, that would be the perfect day!

If you would like further information on Davy Jones, you can click on to www.davyjones.net where you can get the latest news on what Davy is up to, purchase his CDs, and check on his upcoming concert appearances.