Sadly, multi instrumentalist Peter Tork of The Monkees fame has passed at 77.  Pete contributed bass, guitar, banjo, keyboards and vocals to The Monkees’ recordings and live shows.  Depicted in the show as the simple minded one, in actuality Tork was quite the opinionated “thinker”.  Pete passed an audition to become one of the four members of a prefabricated band to appear in a weekly television show copying the Beatles massive cultural appeal in the late 1960’s.  Tork did have the ability to play an actual musical instrument which is more then can be said of half of the other members.  It didn’t matter much as The Monkees, as they would be christened, had a big record company and weekly television exposure in support of crafting radio friendly music to an audience that could be easily be reached and shown promotional films of the new tunes.  Marketing genius!  But more than a bit artistically crass.  That being said, the creative forces behind the whole Monkees machine produced some timeless pop song classics and the group was a worldwide sensation for a year or two.  Tork was the first member to leave the band and went on to continue performing and recording his own music and then rejoined The Monkees in the late 1980’s after MTV played the old TV series to a younger audience.  Monkeemania was reborn and their popularity ramped up again for awhile.  The Monkees have continued to tour over the years.

Peaceful journey, Mr. Pete!