Micky Dolenz

by Kim Summers
Best known for his role as the lead singer of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz is also famed as an actor and director. Dolenz was born in Los Angeles to George and Janelle Dolenz, both show business people themselves. By the age of six, Dolenz was already doing screen tests, and by the age of ten, he had landed his first role as Corky on Circus Boy. He toured the country with his elephant "Bimbo" promoting the show, which lasted only three years. During his teenage years, he had seriously begun to develop his musical chops. He was the lead singer in many nightclub bands, including Micky & the One Nighters, which played a lot of Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis tunes. It was during this period that he recorded his first single, "Huff Puff/Don't Do It," but the record was not released until 1967.
In 1965, he was chosen from 400 applicants to be a member of the Monkees. He was originally hired as the drummer, but eventually became the lead vocalist. Along with Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, Dolenz became a teen idol in the mid-'60s and sold more than 60 million records. The group released a movie and two more albums after their television show ended in 1968. By 1970, it was Dolenz and Davy Jones who were touring and performing concerts to promote the group.
Dolenz used his fame as a Monkee to further his directing career; he had directed one of the Monkees episodes and several television commercials. He directed several spots for NASA explaining the benefits medicine has received from the space program. The spots featured such famous people as Charlton Heston, Jessie Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Whoopi Goldberg, and Willie Nelson.
With his distinctive voice, Dolenz pursued a career doing voices for cartoons, appearing on such Hanna-Barbera shows as The Funky Fantom and The Scooby-Doo movies. During this time he also worked on a solo music career, producing such hit singles as "A Lover's Prayer" and "To Be or Not to Be." In 1975, Dolenz teamed up with songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and ex-Monkee Davy Jones to produce an album and perform on tour. He began touring alone and promoting his solo career singing Monkees tunes and his own singles.
In 1978, he moved to the U.K. to further pursue his acting and directing careers. He starred in the musical The Point and made his directing debut with Story Without a Hero. He stayed in the U.K. for many years, directing such programs as Fernwood Tonight, with Martin Mull, and Luna, a story about a girl living in the future.
With the Monkees' 20th anniversary approaching, Dolenz, Jones, and Tork began touring in 1986. Because of the success of the tour, they recorded an album, released two videos, and toured for another year. When Dolenz returned to the United States, he also returned to his own solo career, resuming touring on his own. He produced several children's albums, including Micky Dolenz Puts You to Sleep, a collection of '60s music produced as lullabies, and Broadway Micky, a collection of Broadway show tunes. His book I'm a Believer: My Life of Music, Madness and the Monkees recounts his life as a Monkee, as a director, and as a solo performer. He toured again with Peter and Davy for the 30th anniversary of the Monkees, which lasted until 1997. In 1998, he returned to his directing career and the other side of the camera.