Bluegrass great Earl Scruggs dead at 88

(CNN) -- Earl Scruggs, whose distinctive picking style and association with Lester Flatt cemented bluegrass music's place in popular culture, died Wednesday of natural causes at a Nashville hospital, his son Gary Scruggs said. He was 88.

"I realize his popularity throughout the world went way beyond just bluegrass and country music," Gary Scruggs told CNN. "It was more than that."

For many of a certain age, Scruggs' banjo was part of the soundtrack of an era on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" -- the theme song from the CBS sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies," which aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971 and for decades afterward in syndication.

But much more than that, he popularized a three-finger picking style that brought the banjo to the fore in a supercharged genre, and he was an indispensable member of the small cadre of musical greats who created modern bluegrass music.

Scruggs was born in 1924 to a musically gifted family in rural Cleveland County, North Carolina, according to his official biography. His father, a farmer and a bookkeeper, played the fiddle and banjo, his mother was an organist and his older siblings played guitar and banjo, as well.

Young Earl's exceptional gifts were apparent early on. He started playing the banjo at age 4 and he started developing his three-finger style at the age of 10.

"The banjo was, for all practical purposes, 'reborn' as a musical instrument," the biography on his official website declares, "due to the talent and prominence Earl Scruggs gave to the instrument."

While Scruggs' status as the Prometheus of the banjo may be overstated, many musicians feel he changed the game. Fiddler John Hartman, quoted in Barry R. Willis' "America's Music: Bluegrass," summed it up this way: "Everybody's all worried about who invented the style and it's obvious that three-finger banjo pickers have been around a long time -- maybe since 1840. But my feeling about it is that if it wasn't for Earl Scruggs, you wouldn't be worried about who invented it."

In an article on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's website, bluegrass historian Neil V. Rosenberg described Scruggs' style as "a 'roll' executed with the thumb and two fingers of his right hand" that essentially made the banjo "a lead instrument like a fiddle or a guitar, particularly on faster pieces and instrumentals. This novel sound attracted considerable attention to their Grand Ole Opry performances, road shows, and Columbia recordings."

In 1945, Scruggs met Flatt when he joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, for whom Flatt was the guitarist and lead vocalist. Along with the group's mandolin-playing namesake were fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts (alias: Cedric Rainwater).

Scruggs and Flatt left Monroe in 1948 to form the Foggy Mountain Boys, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame website. Along with guitarist/vocalists Jim Eanes and Mac Wiseman, fiddler Jim Shumate and Blue Grass Boys alum Rainwater, the group played on WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee, and recorded for the Mercury label.

He married Anne Louise Certain that year. In the '50s she became Flatt & Scruggs' business manager. They were married for more than 57 years until her death in 2006.

The Foggy Mountain Boys' roster changed over the years, but Flatt and Scruggs became the constants, the signature sound of the group on radio programs, notably those sponsored by Martha White Flour, and as regulars at the Grand Ole Opry. They became syndicated TV stars in in the Southeast in the late 1950s and early '60s, and they hit the country charts with the gospel tune "Cabin on the Hill."

But it was during an appearance at a Hollywood folk club that brought them into contact with the producer of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and led to "The Ballad of Jed Clampett." It was their only single to climb to No.1 on the country charts.

The 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde" featured their 1949 instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," with its distinctive Scruggs-style banjo solo perhaps the most ubiquitous of bluegrass sounds.

The duo split in 1969, and Scruggs' fame as a solo and featured act continued to grow, even as his most iconic licks echoed through the years among his acolytes -- basically, anyone who played banjo, and many who picked other instruments.

Playing "Foggy Mountain" on banjo became a staple of Steve Martin's comedy routine, and blossomed into a reverential tribute. In November 2001, Martin and Scruggs were joined by Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Jerry Douglas and others on "Late Show With David Letterman" to play a fiery version of the song -- soloing alternately on banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, steel guitar and harmonica. Even Paul Schafer took the chorus for a spin on piano.

In an article in the New Yorker in January, Martin wrote, "A grand part of American music owes a debt to Earl Scruggs. Few players have changed the way we hear an instrument the way Earl has, putting him in a category with Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Chet Atkins, and Jimi Hendrix."

Flatt & Scruggs were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985, six years after Lester Flatt's death. In 1991, Scruggs, Flatt and Monroe were the first inductees in the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.His sons Gary and Randy both are accomplished musicians and songwriters, and played with their dad in a 1973 album, "The Earl Scruggs Revue."

Bobby Womack Diagnosed With Colon Cancer

It's rare that Bootsy Collins brings anything but good feelings, but the funk bassist has taken to Twitter and Facebook with some rather sad news: Soul legend Bobby Womack is suffering from colon cancer.

Earlier today, Collins tweeted that Womack had been hospitalized for pneumonia, Hypetrak reports, but he later updated the 68-year-old singer's condition, revealing that he's been diagnosed with early-stage cancer.

"I JUST SPOKE TO OUR FRIEND BOBBY WOMACK," Collins wrote. "He Wanted You All to Know That He Loves You & Thxs for the Prayers. Docs Says He Is In 1st Stage of Colon Cancer, He is Very Up Beat About His Future, we laughed & joked before we hung up. Thxs Funkateers, we will get him Back on the One!"

A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee whose string of hits includes "Woman's Gotta Have It" and "If You Think You're Lonely Now," Womack has been enjoying a late-career resurgence. In 2010, he appeared on the Gorillaz' Plastic Beach album, and after touring with the group, he worked with mastermind Demon Albarn on the forthcomingThe Bravest Man in the Universe, his first album of new material since 1994. The collection arrives June 12 via XL.

This latest health scare follows bouts with prostate cancer and drug addiction, but as Womack's recently released single "Please Forgive My Heart" suggests, the enduring crooner has got plenty of life in him. We at Spinner wish him a speedy recovery.

Watch Gorillaz' Video for "Stylo," ft. Bobby Womack

Madonna to Score 41st No. 1 on Dance/Club Play Songs

Madonna will achieve a record-extending 41st No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs chart next week, as "Give Me All Your Luvin' " will jump 2-1 on the tally.

"Luvin' " will be No. 1 on the upcoming chart dated March 31 (posted to Billboard.com on Thursday, March 22). The achievement also gives Madonna No. 1 Billboard singles in four consecutive decades: the '80s, '90s, '00s and '10s.

"Give Me All Your Luvin'"

Madonna extends her lead for most No. 1s in the chart's history, pulling further ahead of runner-up Janet Jackson, who has 19.

"Luvin' " (featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.) is the first single from Madonna's "MDNA" album, due March 26. It reaches the top of the chart courtesy of remixes by the likes of LMFAO , Nicky Romero and Laidback Luke.

Meanwhile, "MDNA"'s second single, "Girl Gone Wild," is already off to a fast start on Dance/Club Play Songs: it will charge 46-20 next week.

Madonna's first Billboard chart hit came 30 years ago this year, when her debut single for Sire/Warner Bros., "Everybody," bowed on Dance/Club Play Songs on Nov. 6, 1982. It went on to peak at No. 3.

Here, in chronological order, are Madonna's 41 No. 1s on Dance/Club Play Songs. For titles that spent multiple weeks at No. 1, total frames in the lead are noted in parentheses.

1983, "Holiday/Lucky Star" (five weeks; double-sided chart single)
1984, "Like a Virgin" (three weeks)
1985, "Material Girl"
1985, "Angel/Into the Groove" (double-sided chart single)
1987, "Open Your Heart"

1987, "Causing a Commotion (Remix)"
1988, "You Can Dance (LP Cuts)"
1989, "Like a Prayer" (two weeks)
1989, "Express Yourself" (three weeks)
1990, "Keep It Together"

1990, "Vogue" (two weeks)
1991, "Justify My Love" (two weeks)
1992, "Erotica"
1993, "Deeper and Deeper"
1993, "Fever"

1994, "Secret" (two weeks)
1995, "Bedtime Story"
1997, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
1998, "Frozen" (two weeks)
1998, "Ray of Light" (four weeks)

1999, "Nothing Really Matters" (two weeks)
1999, "Beautiful Stranger" (two weeks)
2000, "American Pie"
2000, "Music" (five weeks)
2001, "Don't Tell Me"

2001, "What It Feels Like for a Girl"
2001, "Impressive Instant" (two weeks)
2002, "Die Another Day" (two weeks)
2003, "American Life"
2003, "Hollywood"

2003, "Me Against the Music," Britney Spears featuring Madonna (two weeks)
2004, "Nothing Fails"
2004, "Love Profusion"
2005, "Hung Up" (four weeks)
2006, "Sorry" (two weeks)

2006, "Get Together"
2006, "Jump" (two weeks)
2008, "4 Minutes," Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland (two weeks)
2008, "Give It 2 Me"
2009, "Celebration"

2012, "Give Me All Your Luvin'," Madonna featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.

Comparing her chart champs by decade, Madonna scored nine Dance/Club Play Songs No. 1s in the '80s, 13 in the '90s, 18 in the '00s and, now, one in the '10s.

At five weeks each, "Holiday/Lucky Star" and "Music" represent Madonna's longest reigns. "Ray of Light" and "Hung Up" are next with four weeks each in charge.

Bill Wyman on the way back to the Stones

The Rolling Stones will not tour to mark their 50th anniversary this year, Rolling Stone has learned after separate interviews with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. "Basically, we're just not ready," says Richards. Instead, 2013 is the new goal. "I have a feeling that's more realistic," he adds.

But Stones insiders say that one reason for the delay is Richards' health, which has raised questions about his ability to make it through a worldwide tour. The quality of the guitarist's performances declined after he suffered a head injury on vacation in Fiji in April 2006, midway through the Bigger Bang tour. Many fans observed that his playing in Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light documentary later that year was weak – and often inaudible. After the tour, Richards put the guitar down completely. "You are looking at a very rusty Keith Richards right now," he told Jimmy Fallon in 2010. "If you've been on the road for two years and suddenly you stop, you put it down for a little bit. And then a little bit longer and you say, 'I really got to catch up, man.'"

A top concert-business source confirms the reservations over Richards' condition. "They don't want to do a full tour," he says. "They don't want to travel, and there are concerns about Keith's health." A more likely scenario would see the band camping out for multi­night runs in arenas, similar to Prince's recent stands in New York and Los Angeles. "For example, they'd do 10 nights at MSG, 10 nights at Staples, 10 nights at London's O2 arena," the source adds.

The Stones are already considering offers: The band asked for proposals from promoters AEG, Live Nation and longtime Stones promoter Michael Cohl. "We're drilling down on this new proposal," says the source.

The news comes after the band gathered in a London studio in December and played together for the first time since the final night of the marathon two-year Bigger Bang tour in August 2007. Making the occasion even more special, former bassist Bill Wyman sat in for the first time since he left in 1992. "We played a lot of blues and outtakes of Some Girls and things like that," says Jagger. "It went very well."

Adds Richards, "It was a very back-to-basics sort of session. There was a lot of jamming. On the third day, Mick turned up, which was a real joy. Because I set it up really as a magnet, you know."

After one of the longest periods of Stones inactivity ever, the group is revving up again for a slew of projects, including the 2013 dates, new studio sessions and a major documentary. "I saw Mick on Saturday," Richards says. "He's going to be living in New York too for a while, so we're planning to get things going with the Stones again." Richards adds that the Stones will begin rehearsing for a studio session as early as next month. "We'll just get the boys back together again then and maybe cut a side," he says. "I've got plenty in the locker here, but it's not on tape."

Richards appeared healthy and jovial at his first major performance in years, playing alongside Eric Clapton at the February 24th memorial concert for blues legend Hubert Sumlin at New York's Apollo Theater. The guitarist has also been hard at work on a solo LP with producer Steve Jordan. "We're not rushing it, 'cause there's no need to," Richards says. "But I'm quite surprised how much stuff is coming out of it."

Three days earlier, Jagger proved he was in tour-ready form when he performed for President Obama at a White House blues celebration alongside B.B. King and Buddy Guy – his performance ranging from high-voltage R&B to the sleek soul of "Miss You." "It was so much fun," he says. "I've been playing guitar and singing and getting myself back together. You can't just walk up there and do it. If you're playing a football tournament, you've got to practice. I feel very confident. I don't want to sound cocky, but it's just part of what you do. If you prepare, then you can be cocky."

In the meantime, fans will get their Stones fix from the upcoming documentary, out in the fall, which will trace the band's entire 50-year journey and is packed with unseen footage and unreleased music. "Nobody has put the story together as a narrative," says the movie's director, Brett Morgen, who made 2002's The Kid Stays in the Picture. "We've been looking under every rock going through their archives. It will be music never heard before, and I've conducted 50-plus hours of interviews so far. By the time we're done, they will be the most extensive group interviews they've ever done." Says Richards, "He told me 80 percent of the footage has never been seen before, which amazes me. I didn't know there was that much around."

Despite holding off on touring this year, the band is still buzzing from reuniting with Wyman. "We're back in touch, which is great, because I hadn't really spoken to him for years," says Richards. Will Wyman rejoin the group on the road in 2013? "I think he's up for it," Richards says. "We talked about it. I'll let you know when I can."

And Richards points out that next year works just as well for an anniversary trek. "The Stones always really considered '63 to be 50 years, because Charlie [Watts] didn't actually join until January," Richards says. "We look upon 2012 as sort of the year of conception, but the birth is next year.

Doobie Brothers' Michael Hossack Dead at 65

(rollingstone) Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack died at his home in Dubois, Wyoming yesterday at the age of 65. He had been battling cancer for some time and succumbed to complications of the disease with his family at his side.

Hossack was a member of the Doobie Brothers between 1971 and 1973, playing on several of the band's best-known hits, including "Jesus Is Just Alright," "Listen to the Music" and "China Grove." Hossack returned to the band when they reunited in 1987 and was a mainstay of the group through the next two decades, performing on most of the group's tours until he took a health leave in 2010.

The Doobie Brothers released a statement on Hossack in January, saying he was improving slowly. In 2010, Hossack wrote a message to his fans explaining that while "it's been hard not touring with the band," he had "incredible support" from his family, friends and the Doobie Brothers.

You can watch Hossack perform "Listen to the Music" with the Doobie Brothers on The Midnight Special in 1973 below.

Remembering the Notorious B.I.G., 15 years later

(LA Times) “Hah, sicker than your average Poppa / Twist cabbage off instinct … don't think … stink / pink gators, my Detroit players / Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn / Dead right, if they head right, Biggie there every night / Poppa been smooth since days of Underroos.” -- “Hypnotize”

It's been 15 years since the Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. While there are plenty of unanswered questions in the still-unsolved homicide, one thing that can’t be questioned is Biggie’s game-changing contributions to rap music.

With only two albums of studio material under his belt (“Life After Death,” while released posthumously, was completed before his death), the man born Christopher Wallace made himself an indelible force in the genre and helped put the East Coast sound on the map at a time when ears were glued to the gangster rap that was brewing out of the West.

He exposed the poisons, paranoia and seedy underworld that came with slinging drugs on the streets of Brooklyn, using his ability to craft stories with witty wordplay and braggadocious swagger.

His wheezy, gruff and almost lazy cadence was his greatest asset, and he used the delivery as something of a secret weapon, crafting lyrics that had the ability to creep up on the listener from behind. Pair this with the production work of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who dialed up soul samples to bolster the timelessness of Biggie's voice, and his songs had a classic feel on arrival. Need evidence? Songs such as "Juicy," "Warning," “One More Chance” and “Hypnotize,” the latter two being his biggest singles on pop radio during his lifetime, easily stand as some of the more memorable moments in rap. Seriously, try to listen to the breakneck opening bars of “Hypnotize" without bobbing your head and mouthing the words.

Biggie didn’t leave behind a wealth of vaulted works. Unlike peer and eventual rival Tupac Shakur, there have been only two traditional posthumous releases, with one serving as a duet/remix album. Wallace, in fact, was just getting started when he was killed. But look at it this way: His legacy has not been tarnished by an outpouring of previously unreleased works cobbled together without his input.

Friday marks the 15th anniversary of his death; at the end of the month, his critically heralded (and rather ambitious) final album, “Life After Death,” will also reach its 15-year mark. There are plenty of hits to choose from to remember Biggie’s sonic contributions to rap. Here are a few classics, in their "clean" versions, from the gone but never forgotten (and certainly "slicker than average") Biggie Smalls:

"Big Poppa"

Disney songwriter Robert B Sherman dies aged 86

(BBC News) Robert B Sherman, who penned songs for Disney classics including Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book with his brother Richard M, has died in London aged 86.

His death on Monday, initially announced on Facebook by his son Jeff, was confirmed by his agent, Stella Richards.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and It's a Small World (After All) were among the Shermans' many compositions.

The sibling duo won two Oscars and were nominated for seven others.

Born in 1925 in New York, Robert B was the son of Al Sherman, a celebrated songwriter who achieved success on Manhattan's Tin Pan Alley.

It was Al who first challenged his sons to try songwriting, a challenge they met in 1958 when they had their first US hit with Tall Paul.

The Annette Funicello track caught the attention of Walt Disney, who invited the Shermans to become staff songwriters at his studios.

In 1964 they wrote It's a Small World (After All) for an installation at the New York World's Fair that went on to become a popular fixture at Disney's theme parks.

Mary Poppins, released the same year, featured some of their most enduring compositions, among them A Spoonful of Sugar and the Oscar-winning Chim Chim Cher-ee.

The Shermans worked again with actor Dick Van Dyke on 1968 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, for which they wrote popular songs including Truly Scrumptious and Me Ol' Bamboo.

For 1967 favourite The Jungle Book, Robert and Richard wrote Trust in Me, Colonel Hathi's March and I Wan'na Be Like You.

The Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the Winnie the Pooh shorts were among other Disney productions to feature their words and music.

Julie Andrews sings A Spoonful of Sugar in Mary Poppins

The Sherman brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and received the US National Medal of the Arts in 2008.

A decorated soldier in World War II, Robert B Sherman was also a painter, screenwriter and novelist.

"He wanted to bring happiness to the world and, unquestionably, he succeeded," said his son in his Facebook message, republished by the Hollywood Reporter.

"His love and his prayers, his philosophy and his poetry will live on forever. Forever his songs and his genius will bring hope, joy and love to this small, small world."

Diddy to launch cable music channel

Hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs announced Tuesday that he has partnered with cable provider Comcast to launch a music network aimed at an African-American audience.

The network, named Revolt, will be a "platform for artists to reach an extraordinary number of people" through music videos, live performances and interviews, Combs said in a press release. He developed the channel alongside former MTV programming chief Andy Schuon.

Combs said Revolt, a would-be rival to MTV, will be "live, like all great moments in television history" and "immediate, like today's social networks." It is expected to launch in 2013.

WIREIMAGE

Diddy performs at 1 Oak on February 18.

Revolt is one of four new minority-owned independent networks to launch on Comcast between April 2012 and January 2014, the company said.

Comcast will also distribute Aspire -- developed by NBA legend Magic Johnson -- and two networks aimed at Hispanic Americans.

Combs said proposing his new network to Comcast was "a highly competitive process and we want to thank Comcast for this opportunity to truly change television."

The 42-year-old impresario has been a persistent force in the rap and hip-hop industry since the early 90s -- as a producer, Grammy-winning rapper "Puff Daddy," and a successful clothes designer.

Reinventing himself in 2001 with a new stage name "P. Diddy," he focused his energy on his charitable efforts and transitioned into Hollywood with several film roles as well as various business ventures.

In 2005, he dropped the "P" in his name to become "Diddy," saying in an interview on the "Today" show that "the P was getting between me and my fans."

Monkees singer Davy Jones dies in Florida at 66

Davy Jones, the diminutive heartthrob singer who rocketed to the top of the 1960s music charts by beckoning millions of adoring fans with the catchy refrains of The Monkees, died Wednesday. He was 66.

His publicist, Helen Kensick, confirmed that Jones died of a heart attack near his home in Indiantown. Jones complained of breathing troubles early in the morning and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Rhonda Irons of the Martin County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's spokeswoman said there were no suspicious circumstances.

JIM SMEAL/WIREIMAGE.COM

Davy Jones, the lead singer of the pop group The Monkees, has died at age 66, TMZ reported Wednesday.

Jones' stylishly moppish long hair, boyish good looks and his British accent endeared him to legions of screaming young fans after "The Monkees" premiered on CBS in 1966 as a made-for-TV band seeking to capitalize on Beatlemania still sweeping the world.

Aspirations of Beatles-like fame were never fully achieved, with the TV show lasting just two years. But The Monkees made rock 'n roll history as the band galvanized a wide American following with love-struck hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer" that endure even today.

Born in Manchester, England, on Dec. 30, 1945, Jones became a child star in his native England who appeared on television and stage, including a heralded role as "The Artful Dodger" in the play "Oliver."

He earned a Tony nomination at 16 when he reprised that role in the show's Broadway production, a success that brought him to the attention of Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems Television, which created The Monkees. Hundreds turned out for auditions, but the young men who became the Monkees had no idea what ultimately awaited them.

"They had an ad in the newspaper," Jones recalled on NBC's "Today Show" last year, "and then we all showed up."

"The Monkees" was a band clearly patterned on the Beatle's film "A Hard Days Night," chronicling the comic trials and tribulations of a rock group whose four members lived together and traveled to gigs in a tricked-out car called the Monkeemobile. Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz starred with him. Each part was loosely created to resemble one of the Beatles.

At 5-feet-3, Jones was by far the shortest member of the group — a fact often made light of on the show. But he also was its dreamboat, mirroring Paul McCartney's role in the Beatles. And as the only Briton among the four, Jones was in some ways the Monkees' direct connection to the Beatlemania still strong in the U.S. when the TV show made its debut.

In August 1966, the Beatles performed in San Francisco, playing their last live set for a paying audience. The same month, the Monkees released their first album, introducing the group to the world.

The first single, "Last Train to Clarksville," became a No. 1 hit. And the TV show would caught on quickly with audiences, featuring fast-paced, helter-skelter comedy inspired as much by the Marx Brothers as the Beatles.

It was a shrewd case of cross-platform promotion. As David Bianculli noted in his "Dictionary of Teleliteracy," ''The show's self-contained music videos, clear forerunners of MTV, propelled the group's first seven singles to enviable positions of the pop charts: three number ones, two number twos, two number threes."

Yet after the show's launch, The Monkees came under fire from music critics when it was learned that session musicians — and not the group's members — had played the musical instruments on their recordings. They were derided as the "Prefab Four," an insulting comparison to the Beatles' nickname, the "Fab Four."

In reality, Jones could play the drums and guitar, and although Dolenz learned to play the drums after he joined the group, he could also play guitar, as could Nesmith.

Nesmith also wrote several of The Monkees' songs, as well as songs for others. Tork, who played bass and keyboards on the TV show was a multi-instrumentalist.

The group eventually prevailed over the show's producers, including music director Don Kirchner, and began to play their own instrumentals. Regardless, the group was supported by enviable talent.

Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and Neil Diamond penned "I'm a Believer." Musicians who played on their records included Billy Preston, who later played with the Beatles, Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, Ry Cooder and Neil Young.

Young tweeted Wednesday that he was sad to learn of Jones' death. "The Monkees were such a sensation that it was a thrill for me to have them record some of my early songs," he added.

The group also released the 1968 film "Head," derided at the time as a psychedelic mishmash notable only for an appearance by Jack Nicholson. It has since come to be considered a cult classic by Monkees fans.

After two seasons, the TV series had flared out and was cancelled after 58 episodes in the summer of 1968. But The Monkees remained a nostalgia act for decades. And Jones maintained that the stage was the only place he truly felt at home.

"Even today, I have an inferiority complex," he told the Daily Mail in an interview last year. "I always feel I'm there at the window, looking in. Except when I'm on stage, and then I really come alive."

After the TV show ended, Jones continued to tour with the other Monkees for a time, sometimes playing the drums at concerts when Dolenz came up front to sing.

Many also remember Jones from a widely seen episode of "The Brady Bunch" that aired in 1971, in which he makes an appearance at Marcia Brady's school dance. In the episode, Marcia Brady, president of her school's Davy Jones Fan Club, promised she could get him to appear before her classmates.

The group eventually broke up over creative differences, although it did reunite from time to time for brief tours over the years, usually without Nesmith.

In 1987, Jones, Tork, and Dolenz recorded a new album, "Pool It." And two years later, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On Wednesday, flowers were placed on Jones' own Hollywood star nearby as fans mourned.

All four of the Monkees came together for a 1996 album, "Justus," and a subsequent TV movie "Hey, Hey, It's The Monkees!" that saw them still living in the same house and still traveling in the Monkeemobile — just like old times.

Tork said Wednesday of his former bandmate: "His gifts will be with us always." Nesmith said "David's spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people," using a phrase from a Beatles song that seemed to again cement the two groups' ties.

Jones, who is survived by his wife Jessica Pacheco and four daughters from previous marriages, continued to make appearances on television and stage later. But it was the fame of The Monkees that pulled him back to that era time and time again. On his website, he recalled during auditions for the show when all four men finally were put together in a scene.

"That's it," he recalled everyone around him saying: "Magic."