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.

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

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.

" 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 ).

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.

" 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 ...

Peter Tork of The Monkees also played banjo ( specifically, one borrowed from Paul McCartney ), but was not credited.

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.

Stills suggested Tork audition for a new television series about four pop-rock musicians, when the producers asked if Stills ' had a better looking ( musician ) friend '.

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.

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

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.

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.

By the time recording had begun in earnest for this album, the Monkees had passed their popularity peak, and as Screen Gems cared less and less about the Monkees ' activities, the members were given more control over the creation of this, the second album released after the departure of Peter Tork, and the last to feature Michael Nesmith until 1996's Justus.

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

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

* 1942 – Peter Tork, American musician and actor ( The Monkees )

* February 13 – Peter Tork, American musician and actor ( The Monkees )

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 ( right ) with The Monkees in 1967

In 1986, Tork rejoined fellow Monkees Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz for a highly successful 20th anniversary reunion tour.

* Peter Tork, musician and actor with The Monkees

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

* December 20 – Peter Tork announces he is leaving The Monkees.

* 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.

Head is a 1968 psychedelic adventure comedy film starring TV group The Monkees ( in credit order: Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith ), and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

* Peter Tork, bass, keyboards & vocals for the Monkees, was raised in Storrs

He appeared in the comic film Head, starring The Monkees, as a footballer who repeatedly tackles Peter Tork in a mock war movie sequence.

Kirshner had a strict rule that the Monkees were to provide only vocals on his productions, though separate sessions produced by Michael Nesmith himself usually featured Peter Tork on guitar.

Much like the group's early work, the playing and writing of the album was handled in large part by session musicians, with the Monkees themselves contributing lead vocals and some instrumentation, namely Peter Tork on his own song " Gettin ' In ".

According to the Eric Lefcowitz book " The Monkees Tale Revised Edition " ( Last Gasp, 1989 ), this album and the two singles relating to it were recorded by " Dolenz, Tork & Jones " ( not the Monkees ).

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.

By doing so, Tork has joined a group of actresses who also made the decision, such as Hala Shiha and Abla Kamel.

The album's title stems from each band member's respective astrological sign ( Dolenz is Pisces, Peter Tork is Aquarius, and both Nesmith and Davy Jones are Capricorn ).

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.

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 had an occasional roles as Topanga Lawrence's father on the sitcom Boy Meets World, as well as a guest character on 7th Heaven.

Since 1986, Tork has intermittently toured with his former band mates and also played with his own bands The Peter Tork Project and Shoe Suede Blues.

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

In 2002, Tork resumed working with his band Shoe Suede Blues.

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 ".

This move was not because of any lack of Monkee talent — Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were already experienced musicians, and Davy Jones was an established musical performer ; but as a working band they had little experience, and Micky Dolenz was completely new to drums — but to churn out ready-to-go recordings to give each new episode its own song.

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.

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.