* Peter Tork ( ne Peter Halsten Thorkelson ) of The Monkees attended E. O.

Tork returned to Southern California in the mid-1970s, where he married and had a son and took a job teaching at Pacific Hills School in Santa Monica for a year and a half.

Tork currently resides in Mansfield, Connecticut.

" Bassist Peter Tork said, " Adios to the Manchester Cowboy ", and speaking to CNN, drummer / singer Micky Dolenz said, " He was the brother I never had and this leaves a gigantic hole in my heart ".

According to Mike Nesmith, it was Dolenz's voice that made the Monkees ' sound distinctive, and even during tension-filled times Nesmith and Peter Tork voluntarily turned over lead vocal duties to Dolenz on their own compositions, such as Tork's " For Pete's Sake ", which became the closing title theme for the second season of the TV show.

Tork claimed later that he had not been asked, although a Christmas single ( credited to Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork ) was produced by Chip Douglas and released on his own label in 1976.

Tork was born at the Doctor's Hospital, Washington, D. C.

Tork was a proficient musician, and though the group generally did not play their own instruments on their first two albums, he was an exception, playing what he described as " third chair guitar " on Mike Nesmith's song " Papa Gene's Blues " from their first album.

In commentary tracks included in the DVD release of the first season of the show, Nesmith stated that Tork was better at playing guitar than bass.

In Tork's commentary, he stated that Jones was a good drummer and had the live performance lineups been based solely on playing ability, it should have been Tork on guitar, Nesmith on bass, and Jones on drums, with Dolenz taking the fronting role, rather than as it was done ( with Nesmith on guitar, Tork on bass, and Dolenz on drums ).

In commentary for the DVD release of the second season of the show, Tork said that Dolenz was " incapable of repeating a triumph ".

Tork was close to his grandmother, staying with her sometimes in his Greenwich Village days, and after he became a Monkee.

No longer getting the group dynamic he wanted, and pleading " exhaustion " from the grueling schedule, Tork bought out the remaining four years of his contract after filming was complete on December 20, 1968, at a default of $ 150, 000 / year.

Release could not secure a record contract, and by 1970 Tork was once again a solo artist, as he later recalled, " I didn't know how to stick to it.

Tork was credited with co-arranging a Micky Dolenz solo single on MGM Records in 1971 (" Easy On You ", b / w " Oh Someone ").

Recorded in summer 1980, it featured Tork, who sang, played rhythm guitar, keyboards, and banjo ; it was backed by Southern rock band Cottonmouth, led by guitarist / singer / songwriter Johnny Pontiff, featuring Gerard Trahan on guitar / keyboards / vocals, Gene Pyle on bass guitar / vocals and Gary Hille on drums / percussion.

" Tork recorded a second set of demos in New York City, but little is known about these ( other than the fact that one track was a yet another version of " Pleasant Valley Sunday " with an unknown rock band, and featured a violin solo ).

Floyd claimed Tork was the " first real star " to appear on the show.

On March 4, 2009, Tork underwent extensive surgery in New York City, which was successful.

Tork was reportedly " shaken but not stirred " by the news, and said that the doctors had given him an 80 % chance of containing and shrinking the new tumor.

* Peter Tork of The Monkees was a student of English at Carleton from 1960 to 1963 until he dropped out to pursue music full-time.

" Kicks " was also covered by Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork of the Monkees as one of three new recordings included on their 1986 compilation Then & Now ...

The original plan was to release a double album which devoted one side to each member of the group, who by now were recording virtually as solo artists, but with Tork now gone, and record sales waning, the decision was made to pare the track selection down to a single disc.

The desire and focus, however, to remain as a complete band unit in the studio quickly evaporated after the Pisces album, when, much to the dismay of Tork, each individual band member began to produce his own sessions with his own selected studio musicians, often at entirely different studios around the Los Angeles area.

A chance meeting with Sire Records executive Pat Horgan at the Bottom Line in New York City led to Tork recording a six-song demo, his first recording in many years.

In 1981, he released a 45 rpm single, his first solo record (" I'm Not Your Steppin ' Stone " b / w " Higher And Higher ") and did some club performances and live television appearances, including taking part in a " Win A Date With Peter Tork " bit on Late Night with David Letterman.

Peter Tork first portrays Jed, and like Topanga early on, he is very eccentric.

Other musicians included John Fahey, one of the first " folk " musicians to gain national appeal, Peter Tork ( of The Monkees ), underground legend Tim Buckley, guitarist Link Wray, pop singer and songwriter Billy Stewart, country singer Patsy Cline, guitarist Danny Gatton, doo wop bands The Orioles ( based out of D. C., though from Baltimore ) and The Clovers, Scott McKenzie ( known for " If You're Going to San Francisco "), R & B singer Ruth Brown, and country star Roy Clark.

Vallely noticed Tork Trux innovative assembly method and joined them as their first Pro Team Rider.

When the band learned that they would not be allowed to direct themselves or to receive screenwriting credit ( since they didn't write the actual shooting script ), Dolenz, Jones, and Nesmith staged a one-day walkout, leaving Tork the only Monkee on the set the first day.

" George also joined Peter Tork in his first post-Monkees band " Release ".

It was the first " reunion album " by the band after their 1986 rebirth, and it marked the return of Peter Tork along with Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones.

Their television series was canceled more or less at their own request ( as the four Monkees now desired a variety show format, which NBC rejected ); their first motion picture project, Head, failed at the box office ; and in December, Peter Tork left the group.

Issued six months after the cancellation of the group's NBC television series, it is also the first album released after Peter Tork left the group and the only album of the original nine studio albums that does not include any songs featured in the TV show from the original NBC run nor the CBS / ABC reruns.

Tork also joined Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart on stage at Disneyland on July 4, 1976, and also joined Dolenz and Jones on stage at the Starwood in Hollywood, California in 1977.

In the DVD commentary for the 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee TV special — originally broadcast April 14, 1969 — Dolenz noted that Nesmith gave Tork a gold watch as a going-away present, engraved " From the guys down at work ".

Peter Tork joined ' Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart ' onstage for a guest appearance on their concert tour on July 4, 1976 at Disneyland, and following on from this later that year he reunited with his fellow former bandmates Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz in the studio for the recording of the single " Christmas Is My Time of The Year " b / w " White Christmas ", which saw a limited release for fan club members that holiday season.

In 1991, Tork formed a band called The Dashboard Saints and played at a pizza restaurant in Guerneville, California.

In early 2008, Tork added " advice columnist " to his extensive resume by authoring an online advice and info column called " Ask Peter Tork " at the webzine The Daily Panic.

* Only song on Birds featuring all members of the band, and the only song featuring Tork at all

Jones reunited with Dolenz and Peter Tork from 1986 to 1989 to celebrate the band's renewed success and promote the 20th anniversary of the group.

Monkees activity ceased until 1996 when Jones reunited with Dolenz, Tork, and Michael Nesmith to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band.

Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork also appeared alongside Jones as judges.

Dolenz also played one of Alan Matthews ' bandmates in the sitcom Boy Meets World, and later joined Davy Jones and Peter Tork in episode eight of the 3rd season ( titled " Rave On "), although they did not play themselves.

Peter Tork ( born Peter Halsten Thorkelson, February 13, 1942 ) is an American musician and actor, best known as the keyboardist and bass guitarist of The Monkees.

Tork got the job and became one of the four members of The Monkees, who ended up being both characters in a television sitcom and a band in their own right.

Jones filled in briefly for Tork on bass when he played keyboards.

Tork kept the back, but replaced the watch several times in later years.

During a trip to London in December 1967, Tork contributed banjo to George Harrison's soundtrack to the 1968 film Wonderwall.

Striking out on his own, he formed a group called ' Peter Tork And / Or Release ' with girlfriend Reine Stewart on drums ( she had played drums on part of 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee ), Riley " Wildflower " Cummings on bass and-sometimes-singer / keyboard player Judy Mayhan.

Tork said in April 1969, " We sometimes have four.

" Release hoped to have a record out immediately, and Tork has said that they did record some demos, which he may still have stored away somewhere.