Micky Dolenz has released his live album recorded at the famed B.B. King Blues Bar & Grill in New York City.
While Micky was performing solo, most of the songs were from the Monkee’s catalog of hits from the ’60s and ’70s.
“The first live show I remember doing was the Christmas show at my mom’s church. I was around four and I recited ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.’ I actually remember it because I was scared to death and it surely traumatized me deeply” Dolenz said.
“Now, here I am Live at B. B. King’s headlining and being supported by one of the best bands I have ever worked with. How cool is that?” he added.
The band started out as a fictional group, patterned after The Beatles, for a television comedy series. Although the show only lasted two seasons, 1966 to 1968, the Monkees took off as a musical group, and for a time were even more popular than the Fab Four.
The group sold more than 65 million records worldwide.
Micky reprised such Monkees classics as “She,” “Last Train To Clarksville,” “Daydream Believer,” and “I’m A Believer.”
He also performed songs from his solo album Remember like “Sugar, Sugar” and old favorites like “D. W. Washburn,” from the play Smokey Joe’s Café. He also sang The Beatles’ “Oh Darling” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.”
Hendrix has a special connection to the band. He once opened for the Monkees while they were touring at the height of their fame.
He also sings an inspired duet with his band-mate and sister, Coco Dolenz, on “Blackbird.”
The album is produced by Wayne Avers, who doubles as Dolenz’s musical director.
“The album came out great! It captures all the excitement of our live show; you can hear the crowd roar, as well as the high quality sound of a studio recording,” he says.
“Co-produced by John Billings and myself, we brought in a engineer to B. B. King’s with a high-tech digital recording rig to fully capture exactly what was coming off the stage as well as the audience.
“No fancy studio tricks were needed; this truly represents what we do and sound like on stage.”