The Backing Band

Let's take a moment to acknowledge the musicians who currently support The Monkees during their live concerts, and to also say thanks to all of those who have played with The Monkees since they regrouped in 1986.

(Photo by Sherri Hansen)

Wayne Avers
(Guitar/Backing Vocals)

Wayne is a familar face to Monkees fans. He has been a constant presence on the road with The Monkees since 1996.

In the early 1990s, Wayne was asked to join Breakaway, the group that supported Davy Jones during his solo performances. He continued to be a part of Davy's touring band in the '90s and backed both Micky and Davy on their joint 1994/1995 Together Again tour.

Wayne acts as musical director for The Monkees' band and handles electric guitar duties. He also serves as musical director and lead guitarist for Micky's solo shows.

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Coco Dolenz
(Backing Vocals/Percussion)

Micky's sister, Coco, has a long history with The Monkees. She provided harmony and background vocals on such Monkees tracks as "Shortly Blackwell," "Little Girl," "Midnight Train," and "Mommy and Daddy." She wrote for teen magazines in the 1960s at the height of her brother's fame, and in the late 1970s, she toured with Micky and Davy after the dissolution of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. In 1987, Coco released her own album, One Voice. 

When not touring with The Monkees, you can hear Coco at Micky's solo shows, where she often duets with her brother on "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Crying in the Rain" while taking over on lead vocals for Michael Nesmith's own "Different Drum."

(Photo by Sherri Hansen)

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(Photo by Sherri Hansen)

Christian Nesmith
(Guitar/Backing Vocals)

Christian is Michael's eldest son and was often seen in photographs in 1960s teen magazines posing with his dad and mom, Phyllis. He joined The Monkees' backing band upon his father's return to the group in 2012.

Christian has a long list of musical accomplishments. His songs have been heard in both film and TV (Blades of Glory, The Hills Have Eyes, Lionheart) and he has composed commercials for companies ranging from AOL to ESPN to Starbucks. His theater credits include being the musical director for the first ever production of Hair  in Moscow, Russia. Christian was also musical director for Hair  in Los Angeles in 2007 (which featured fellow backing band member Circe Link), and that production was awarded Best Musical of the Year by LA Weekly.

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Dave Alexander
(Keyboards/Guitar/Backing Vocals)

Dave Alexander is another very familiar face to Monkees fans. He's been a member of both Davy and Micky's touring bands, and has been involved in Monkee business on and off since the mid-1990s. Dave played keyboards during the 2001 and 2002 Monkees tours, and formally returned to the backing band in 2012.

A chance encounter with Davy Jones in 1993 eventually led to Dave being asked to join Davy on a tour of Japan in early 1995. Dave went on to work as a stage manager for The Monkees during their mid-1990s tours and was fortunate enough to travel to the United Kingdom in 1997 when all four Monkees played a series of concerts there in promotion of their Justus  album. 

Dave is a devoted Beatles fan and is a member of the Beatles tribute band Glass Onion. He speaks

  

(Photo by Sherri Hansen)

highly of his time spent with The Monkees. "What matters to me is the family that I accrued over the years. That's what being in the Monkees is really like to me," he told Fred Velez. It's a real family affair. Sure, it has its business aspects to it every now and then. But, for the most part, it all turns out to be an incredible family, with everything that every family has. Its quirks, its weird times, but mostly the good times. I absolutely love them all."

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(Photo by Mike Brown)

Rich Dart began his association with The Monkees several years back when he started playing drums for Micky during his solo performances. 

Rich earned a Bachelors of Music degree from Keene State College in New Hampshire. Since

Rich Dart
(Drums)

then, he's had an eclectic career as a free-lance percussionist. Rich has played with various symphonies, jazz groups, theater troupes, rock bands, country bands, and percussion ensembles. He also played drums for Avenue Q  on Broadway and for its first national tour, and traveled with a production of Pippin. 

Rich is one of the founding members of the rockabilly band Creamed Corn and he also performs with The Illegitimate Sons of Keith Partridge. He will join Micky on his upcoming solo appearances this summer.

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John Billings
(Bass)

John Billings was introduced to the Monkees family by Wayne Avers. "Wayne had been in the Monkees circle for nearly 20 years and had, at that time, run Micky Dolenz's band. The bass chair opened and Wayne brought me into the fold," John told Epiphone.com. "After Davy Jones died, The Monkees began using Micky's band and I found myself as one of the new guys in that organization. It's been wonderful learning those songs and deeper cuts the fans have always wanted to hear."

John resides in Nashville, where he owns a recording studio. He also played with Donna Summer from 1995 until she passed away in 2012. When performing with The Monkees live in concert, John received some good advice from Avers on how to approach the songs. "Wayne...gave us a fundamental direction," John said. "Go back to the records."

   

(Photo by Jonathan Weingarten)

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(Photo by Sherri Hansen)

Circe Link
(Backing Vocals)

Circe Link is the newest member of The Monkees' backing band, having joined the group for the first time on the 2014 spring tour. 

A singer, songwriter, and musician in her own right, Circe has previously described her music as ranging from "Cowboy Jazz to Alternative to Americana." She has recorded several albums, including a live CD from a successful tour of Japan. 

Circe writes, records, and performs with her companion, Christian Nesmith. "I think putting together a collection of songs is like curating an art show," Circe told Riveting Riffs. "I was a painter for a long time, so I think about things visually. We don't sit on anything around here for a couple of years. If it is hot, it’s hot and we are working on it and we get it out the door. I think that is one of the reasons we are productive."

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Read more about members of The Monkees' backing band in the Live Almanac's Archives