Happy Birthday Micky Dolenz

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, California 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, who 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 Monkees 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.