Happy Birthday to the Monkees' Micky Dolenz, who turns 77 today (March 8th)!!! Micky Dolenz will always be best remembered for singing lead on such group classics as “(Theme From) The Monkees,” “(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” along with the Monkees' first two singles — and chart toppers, “Last Train To Clarksville” and “I'm A Believer.”
Dolenz, the sole-survivor of the group, will honor his late-Monkees bandmates on tour this spring. The shows will mark Dolenz' first proper tour dates since the Mike Nesmith's death last December at age 78.
The trek, which is billed as “Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees,” will spotlight the contributions of Mike Nesmith — as well as those of Davy Jones and Peter Tork — during the upcoming shows, said in a statement, “I felt it was important to gather the fans and properly celebrate the lives of Davy, Mike, and Peter. People have been contacting me, requesting that I honor them in a way where the extraordinary impact of the Monkees can be properly acknowledged. We spent such a great deal of time together; they were like my brothers, and I want to share some of the great joy we had together.”
On November 14th, 2021 Mike Nesmith wrapped up the final Monkees tour dates in L.A. with Micky Dolenz as part of the pair's farewell tour. Nesmith had been struggling with heart disease in recent years and in 2018 underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
He was the third of the Monkees to pass with Davy Jones dying from a sudden heart attack on February 29th, 2012 at age 66 and Peter Tork dying on February 12th, 2019 at age 77 following a decade-long battle with adenoid cystic carcinoma — a rare cancer of the salivary glands.
In 2021 Micky Dolenz released a Mike Nesmith tribute album, titled Dolenz Sings Nesmith. The set was produced by Nesmith's eldest son Christian Nesmith, who also toured as part of his father and Dolenz' Monkees revue.Dolenz Sings Nesmith features songs written throughout Nesmith's career — including his Monkees years.
Over the years, Micky has appeared in such Broadway, regional, and touring casts of Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA, Pippin', Grease, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and Hairspray. In recent years he's also performed a solo revue of Monkees classics with his sister Coco.
Micky Dolenz says that he isn't bothered by the ever present “Monkee” tag, mainly because he stopped reading his own press years ago: “The press, whenever they do an article, of course, they want a long line. They want something to catch your eye, and there's nothing like the word 'Monkee' to do that. Y'know, I don't really pay much attention anymore to be honest. I never read articles that have been written about me. To be honest, I never listen to interviews, I never read reviews.”
Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees tour dates (subject to change):
March 19 – Manistee, MI – Little River Casino Resort
March 25, 26, 27 – Miami, FL to Nassau, Bahamas – The Beach Boys Good Vibrations Cruise
April 5 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
April 6 – Richmond, KY – EKU Center For The Arts
April 8 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
April 9 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
April 12 – Akron, OH – Goodyear Theater
April 13 – Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre
April 15 – Riverside, IA – Riverside Casino & Golf Resort
April 16 – Madison, WI – Overture Center For The Arts
April 23 – Lancaster, PA – American Music Theater (with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals)
April 24 – Glenside. PA – Keswick Theatre (with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals)
May 12 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center (with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals)
May 14 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theatre For The Performing Arts (with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals)
June 3 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square (with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals)
June 4 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Auditorium (with Felix Cavaliere's Rascals)
