A ’60s Idol Was Born on This Date 80 Years Ago

Eighty years ago today, the Monkees frontman Davy Jones, who would become a ’60s teen idol with hits that topped the Billboard chart, was born.

Born David Jones on Dec. 30, 1945, in Manchester, England, the singer-songwriter and actor entered the spotlight at an early age, getting his start on British soap opera Coronation Street at age 11.

While as a teenager, Jones trained to become a jockey, his future was in the entertainment business, as he was encouraged to take on the role of the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver! in London’s West End. The performance brought Jones much acclaim, and he went on to perform on Broadway, earning a Tony Award nomination in the process.

It was an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show for Jones’ Broadway run of Oliver! that changed the course of his life, as he happened to appear on the episode of the show in which The Beatles made their first appearance on American TV.

“I watched The Beatles from the side of the stage, I saw the girls going crazy, and I said to myself, this is it, I want a piece of that,” Jones recalled of the formative moment, as per The New York Times.

The teen would go on to release his 1965 single “What Are We Going to Do?” before premiering his debut album, David Jones, soon after.

The following year, Jones was asked by Screen Gems executives to join the Monkees, a band formed to star in an NBC television show of the same name, alongside Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork.

The Monkees was inspired by The Beatles’ 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night, and featured the misadventures of a struggling pop-rock band. The series started as a hit, but only lasted two seasons before coming to an end.

During the 58-episode run, the Monkees released a number of hit songs, however, including the show’s title song, “(Theme From) The Monkees,” in addition to “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Daydream Believer.”

Jones became a teen icon during his time in the Monkees, even famously playing himself in a 1971 episode of The Brady Bunch, “Getting Davy Jones.” Even after the Monkees disbanded in 1970, Jones continued to perform as both an actor and musician, appearing in Boy Meets World, The Brady Bunch Movie, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Love, American Style and My Two Dads.

On Feb. 29, 2012, Jones died of a heart attack in Florida at age 66.