The Monkees

So, I'm a dork, I admit it. I was raised on The Monkees, and I still love them. Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith. Mickey spawned my lifelong appreciation for a good beat and percussion — or was it Davy Jones shaking his tambourine?

Funny thing is, they weren't real musicians at all but, rather, the fictional product of a hit '60s TV show of the same name.

I lived in Japan at the time, so I learned of The Monkees' only after my mother bought a 33 rpm vinyl record. In fact, we likely owned every Monkees record ever made. My sisters and I knew the words to all the songs — from The Monkees' television theme song and I'm a Believer to Last Train to Clarksville and Aunti Grizelda.

The way I saw it, The Beattles were the '60s band for my parent's generation. The Monkees were the '60s band for mine.