A ’60s Detroit Music Moment Revisited: The Monkees in Detroit, 1967
FROM THE BACK-PAGES OF THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1967
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DETROIT — Fog delayed the plane carrying Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davey Jones and Micky Dolenz to Detroit last Saturday. So the Monkees arrived only an hour before show time. They sped to the airport in a limousine. All this means there was time only for hello and goodbye and little time to chat. (CONTINUES — please read the complete article below) . . . .
— DETROIT FREE PRESS
DETROIT FREE PRESSFriday, January 20, 1967
DETROIT FREE PRESSFriday, January 20, 1967
A MCRFB VIEWING TIP
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(Above Monkees related article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2017. Newspapers.com).
BILLBOARD HOT 100 TOP FIVE: WEEK-ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1966
(click on chart image 2x for detailed view)
NUMBER 1 IN AMERICA ’66* The Monkees *WEEK OF 12/25/66 – 02/11/1967
NUMBER ONEFOR 1966-1967!
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FIFTEEN WEEKS on the singles chart, “I’m A Believer” by The Monkees peaked this week at No. 01 (7 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100, week December 25 through February 07, 1967. (source: Billboard)
MCRFB Link: For the previous No. 1 record in the U.S.A. 1966 GO HERE.
BILLBOARD HOT 100 TOP FIVE: WEEK-ENDING NOVEMBER 05, 1966
(click on chart image 2x for detailed view)
NUMBER 1 IN AMERICA ’66* The Monkees *WEEK OF 10/30/66 – 11/05/1966
NUMBER ONE FOR 1966!
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FIFTEEN WEEKS on the singles chart, “Last Train To Clarksville” by The Monkees peaked this week at No. 01 (1 week) on the Billboard Hot 100, week October 30 through November 05, 1966. (source: Billboard)
MCRFB Link: For the previous No. 1 record in the U.S.A. 1966GO HERE.
50TH! A BILLBOARD COLGEMS RECORDS AD PAGE RIP: ”Last Train To Clarksville,” “Take A Giant Step,” The MonkeesSeptember 17, 1966 (click on image 2x for largest view)
‘The Monkees’ New Disk Released; Single Tied-in With Colgems’ Promotional Tour
NEW YORK — RCA Victor wound up a 10-day promotion spree on behalf of the Monkees’ Colgems release in the Los Angeles area last Sunday, September 11. Victor, which recently set up a distribution deal with Colgems Records took the group on a cross-country trek that began in Los Angeles on September 11 and then went on to Chicago, Boston and New York.
(Click on this image for larger detailed view).
The final’s day promotion centered on a town near San Diego which changed its name to Clarksville for the Victor campaign. The name tie-in is based on the title of the Monkees’ disk “Last Train To Clarksville.” The record, produced by Don Kirshner, is in the No. 43 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this week.
The campaign, which was under the direction of Pat Keleher, manager of pop promotion for RCA Victor, was tied in with the premiere of “The Monkees,” a new TV series bowing on NBC on September 12. The promotion in each city included a special showing of one of the series’ pilot segment as well as filmed interviews with members of the group. An added fillip to the promotion in New York was a special late afternoon showing of the segment for teenagers lured to the Broadway Theater by the disk jockeys on WMCA. The group was also there to meet the youngsters.
The Monkees first album has been scheduled for release the week of the TV show’s premier. Victor plans to release a tape cartridge of the LP shortly thereafter. The members of the Monkees are David Jones, Peter Tork,Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; September 17, 1966)
The Monkees, an early 1966 promotional shot: David Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith.
“LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE” * The Monkees * COLGEMS (1966)
A MCRFB NOTE: “Last Train To Clarksville,” the Monkees’ debut single, first hit the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 67 on September 10, 1966. Three weeks later, the single jumped to the No. 18 spot on October 1, 1966. “Last Train To Clarksville” went on to become the No. 1 single in America (one week), according to Billboard, for the week ending November 5, 1966.
NEW YORK — The Monkees, just signed by Colgem Records, distributed by RCA Victor Records, is set for a massive promotion campaign in publication print, radio and through television. The group stars in the new NBC-TV half-hour comedy series “The Monkees” which debuts September 12.
DON KIRSCHNER, back in the 1960s.(Click image for larger view)
First Colgems release by the group is slated for August 16. The title of the group’s first release is “Last Train To Clarksville,” flip-side is “Take A Giant Step,” according to an announcement by Don Kirschner, head of the new label, and Norman Rachusin, division-vice president and operations manager for RCA Victor.
The show centers around the antics of an unknown, long-haired rock ‘n’ roll group named the Monkees. The artists on-screen-and-off are Davey Jones, who appeared on Broadway in “Oliver!”; California folk-singer Michael Nesmith, Greenwich Village folk-singer Peter Tork, and Mickey Dolenz, who appeared in the “Circus Boy” TV series. Kirschner, also president of the Columbia Pictures-Screen Gems TV music division will supervise the Monkees musical activities and serve as musical consultant for the TV series.
The group will introduce two new songs in each of the Monday night shows, which will be telecast in color.
The publicity campaign to promote the group’s first single was launched recently with teaser ads in the trade papers hinged on the idea “that Monkee business is big business.” This same teaser ad campaign is being kicked off in teen magazines at the time of the single release. A teaser ad campaign has also been initiated to the press and deejays. Ad materials, point-of-sales materials, four-color counterpiece display and streams are ready for use at retail level. END
Addendum: For an excellent, highly-detailed and comprehensive review, synopsis of every episode of “The Monkees” television series aired from 1966 – 1968, go here. Davy Jones passed away on February 29, 2012. In the wake of his sudden passing, read Scott Westerman’s annotated and excellent review of Jones career on MCRFB, here.For all other references on the Monkees on MCRFB as to date, you’ll find several more here. For the official Davy Jones website, celebrating his life today, you will find it here as well.
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 20, 1966)
The Monkees’ Concert was canceled at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium, Saturday, July 29, 1967.
DETROIT — The Monkees concert originally scheduled for July 29 at Olympia Stadium which was canceled due to the riots, was rescheduled for August 13. WKNR, alongwith its promotion and production department, heavily advertised and was sponsor to the Detroit sold-out event, in conjunction with Dick Clark Productions. . . . The Pleasure-Seekers, an all-girl group from Grosse Pointe, are booked into Trude-Heller’s in Manhattan and have signed with Associated Bookings in New York. . . . The Grateful Dead played at the Grande Ballroom, a psychedelic ballroom-venue here owned by Russ Gibb, on Friday and Saturday, August11 – 12. . . . . CKLW-TV personality Robin Seymour is hosting a series of ‘Celebrity Nights’ at the Upper Deck at the Roostertail on Mondays. He opened on Monday, August 7 with the Rationals, Deon Jackson and Chris Peterson. . . . MGM promotion manager here, Larry Benjamin, is hosting a party for the Paupers to meet disk jockeys and the press at the Pontchartrain Hotel Wednesday, August 16. . . . The Kingsmen are booked to perform at the University of Detroit, Saturday, August 26. . . . “Bearskin Rug Sounds,” an album of readings by CKLW disk jockey Tom Shannon, did so well locally that it will be distributed nationally on the Sound label. . . . Walsh Allen has joined WJLB as operations manager. He spent three years as program director at Cleveland’s R&B WABQ. . . . The Jimi Hendrix Experience makes its first Michigan appearance at the Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, August 15. . . . The Spencer Davis Group is in concert at the Ford Auditorium here, slated for Thursday August 24. . . . The Motown Records sales convention takes place here August 25 – 28. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; August 19, 1967)
A MCRFB Note: For more on the WKNR 1967 “MonkeesIn Detroit” concert, see our previous MCRFB March 3, 2012 feature, here.
For more on Tommy Shannon’s “Bear Skin Rug” Music LP, see our previous MCRFB May 4, 2012 featurehere.
The Monkees in 1967. WKNR and Dick Clark sponsored the (re-scheduled) Monkees’ Concert at the Olympia on August 13, 1967.Legendary CKLW great Tom Shannon was host to “Bearskin Rug” in 1966.(Photo courtesy Tom Shannon)
A ’60s Detroit Music Moment Revisited: The Monkees in Detroit, 1967
DETROIT FREE PRESS Friday, January 20, 1967
DETROIT FREE PRESS Friday, January 20, 1967
