" 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 attended Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, and was a member of the first graduating class at E. O.

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 ...

* 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.

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 '.

* Peter Tork, musician and actor with The Monkees

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.

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.

Unfortunately for Tork, even though several of his compositions were considered for release on Birds, his participation is almost zero on this album ; he appears only playing piano on " Daydream Believer.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Despite having already quit the group, Peter Tork makes an appearance on this album by playing guitar on " I Won't Be the Same Without Her ".

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.

" 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Ironically, " Listen to the Band " was originally performed with Peter Tork on their NBC TV Special 33 1 / 3 Revolutions Per Monkee early that same year.

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.

It was The Monkees ' sixth album and their last to feature Peter Tork until 1987's Pool It!