The Monkees were the first of pop music's "manufactured groups" (such as: The Archies, The Partridge Family, etc.) and were without a doubt the best of them all. The idea for The Monkees first came together after TV producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson saw The Beatles' 2nd film "Help!" in 1965. Schneider and Rafelson based their idea for a TV show about a crazy musical group on The Beatles' film and pitched the idea to the head of Columbia pictures. After getting the go-ahead, they put out a casting call for the four members of The Monkees. After lengthly interviews and auditions, Schneider and Rafelson settled on Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork.

Of the four members of The Monkees, Jones and Dolenz had started out as child actors and had some musical experience. Jones, the only British member, started out on the BBC TV show "Coronation Street" and had also appeared in the Broadway production of "Oliver" starring as "The Artful Dodger". Dolenz had starred in the late 1950s TV show "Circus Boy" for three years under the name of "Micky Braddock". The other two members of The Monkees, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork, were professional musicians who had never acted before.  Nesmith (who's mom invented "liquid paper") had released a few singles under the name of "Michael Blessing" before The Monkees. Tork, a folk musician who was the most musically talented of the four, had been washing dishes and playing at clubs for a living. Tork auditioned only after his room mate Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield and later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) failed the audition and convinced Tork to try out. Both Nesmith and Jones had recorded singles for the same record label, "Colpix Records", before The Monkees.  Dolenz and Tork had both played in local bands prior to The Monkees.

The first episode of "The Monkees" TV show aired on September 12, 1966 and was an instant hit. To coincide with TV show, Colgems Records released The Monkees' 1st single, "Last Train To Clarksville" which promptly rose to number one on the Billboard Top-40 charts. Other hits followed, such as "I'm A Believer", and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You". Up to that point, The Monkees were allowed to only sing on their records. Nesmith and Tork resented that and led a successful campaign to oust the head Colgems Records, Don Kirshner, who tried to exert his control over The Monkees' music.

From that point on, The Monkees played their instruments on the records and had complete artistic control as well. More hits followed such as; "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Daydream Believer" and "Valleri".  Even John Lennon of The Beatles praised The Monkees as "modern Marx Brothers". the Monkees TV show's style of zany camerawork, and comedic improvisation kept the show on the air from 1966 to 1968, when it was cancelled by NBC. The Monkees then went on to make one feature film ("Head" in 1968) and one TV special ("33 & 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee") before Tork left the group in 1969. After two more albums, Nesmith left the group in 1970. Jones and Dolenz made one more album as The Monkees ("Changes") before disbanding in late 1970.

The Monkees first discussed a reunion for a McDonald's as in 1975. Nesmith wouldn't participate unless it also included a film deal. Tork, being a vegetarian, passed on the McDonald's ad. Jones and Dolenz formed a band with "Monkees Theme" songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and toured for the next 2 years as "Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart". The Monkees reunited in 1986 without Nesmith and went on a successful reunion tour as well as having a top 20 hit with the song "That Was Then, This Is Now", which was released along with two other new songs on the 1986 compilation "Then And Now....The Best Of The Monkees". Their 1987 studio album "Pool It!" also featured a minor hit with the song "Heart And Soul". All four of The Monkees reunited once again in 1996 for the studio album "Justus", an ABC-TV special, and a short tour of England. Nesmith left again after the British tour and the other three continued to tour until early 1988. In 2000, The Monkees were the subject of a VH-1 "Behind the Music" special as well as a VH-1 original movie ("Daybream Believers"). Jones, Dolenz and Tork reunited once again in 2001 to release a new box set titled "The Monkees Music Box" and toured to sold-out crowds and rabid fans of all ages. A live CD and concert DVD of their 2001 tour, both titled "Live Summer Tour", were released in 2002.

40 years after The Monkees TV show first aired, older and newer generations of Monkees fans are still laughing at the antics of "The Pre-Fab Four" and listening to their classic songs.