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The Monkees: “Fake Beatles” or Real Band?
How a 1960s television show morphed into a top musical act
When The Beatles invaded America in 1964, it was widely regarded as a moment that would change pop music forever.
One of the side effects of that British Invasion was the creation of a 1966 American television series called The Monkees. This sitcom featured a fictional musical group comprised of four young men who struggle to become famous.
The curious thing about the show is that the group didn’t originally exist. Instead, the show’s producers put out a call for actors to play the four musical artists; in effect, the band would be made up of actors, not necessarily musicians. Fortunately, the four actors who were chosen for the parts — Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork — all had musical talent.
Still, the dirty little secret of the television show was that, in its first season, the four actors didn’t actually perform the music. That’s why they derisively became known to some as the “Prefab Four,” the fake version of the “Fab Four” — The Beatles.
The television show lasted only two seasons, but oddly enough, The Monkees not only outlived the show, the actors morphed into a real musical group.
