Remember when? Rating the Top 10 TV bands of all time.
Our picks for the best groups that starred on the small screen
Music and television have long had an important relationship, dating back to even before Elvis Presley and The Beatles drove teens wild on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
One intriguing offspring of that relationship is the socalled “made-for-TV” band.
Some of those acts have even proven stunningly popular. Take, for example, the Flight of the Conchords, the comedy duo of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement that saw their popularity mushroom when they starred as a fictionalized version of themselves on an HBO show. Years later, the Conchords are still going strong, playing two shows in the Bay Area next week — Monday at the Masonic in San Francisco and Tuesday at (we kid you not) Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View.
In honor of the occasion, we’re offering a look at some of the greatest TV bands of all time. We’re talking any act that was either created especially for a TV show or gained its true taste of fame by starring on the small screen. Thus you won’t see the likes of the Jonas Brothers — who were already a phenomenon before starring on a Disney TV show — in this roundup.
Here is our list.
The Monkees
Hollywood execs were looking to create their own version of Beatlemania, so they found four fab candidates — Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith — and The Monkees were born. The public was definitely sold on the concept, tuning in to watch the band star in its own eponymous TV show on NBC from 1966 to 1968. The group was also a big hit on the charts,
reaching No. 1 with each of its first four studio albums.
Career highlights: The band’s first two albums — 1966’s “The Monkees” and 1967’s “More of the Monkees” — boasted such excellent cuts as “Last Train to Clarksdale,” “I’m a Believer” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” Each release went on to sell more than 5 million copies.
Trivia: The band’s bizarre stream-of-conscious
feature film, 1968’s “Head,” featured cameos by Teri Garr, Carol Doda, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston and Jack Nicholson (who also co-wrote the film).
Where they are now: The surviving Monkees — Dolenz and Tork — are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band with a new album (“Good Times!”) and tour that touches down Sept. 20 at the Warfield in San Francisco.
The Archies
Spawned by the CBS Saturdaymorning cartoon “The Archie Show,” this bubble gum rock band was fronted by Riverdale teen Archie Andrews and included pals Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead. The real musicians were assembled by Don Kirshner in 1968. Ron Dante (The Cuff Links) performed lead vocals.
The Partridge Family
Inspired by The Cowsills, these singers — along with their colorful tour bus — were at the center of a beloved series that ran for four seasons (1970-74) on ABC. David Cassidy and his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones, were the only cast members to provide vocals on the musical numbers.
Career highlights: Their 1970 single, “I Think I Love You,” hit No. 1, outselling the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” Cassidy became a teen idol and the band earned a Grammy nomination (for best new artist).
Trivia: “C’mon, Get Happy”? Yeah, right. Amid his teeny-bopper fame, Cassidy often griped about being trapped and typecast. He appeared nude for a 1972 Rolling Stone cover story designed to combat his wholesome image.
Where they are now: Cassidy, Jones and Susan Dey have all done some television work over the years. Danny Bonaduce, whose struggles with drug addiction have been well-chronicled, is now a morning-show host for a Seattle radio station.
Jem and the Holograms
Jerrica Benton was a busy woman on the animated TV series “Jem.” Besides running her Starlight Music company, she also secretly maintained a second career as the leader of Jem and the Holograms. But don’t tell anyone that Jerrica and Jem are the same person. It’s a secret.
Career highlight: “Jem” ruled the Nielsen ratings for a spell in the late ’80s, coming in as the No. 1 syndicated cartoon series.
Trivia: More than 150 different songs were featured on the “Jem” TV series.
Where they are now: Somebody thought that making a live action “Jem and the Holograms” feature film in 2015 was a good idea. And they were wrong. The film bombed.
Flight of the Conchords
This New Zealand-based comedy folk duo — made up of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement — played fictionalized versions of themselves in an HBO sitcom (2007-09). The show revolved around their efforts to make it in America while dealing with a clueless manager (Rhys Darby) and fending off their only fan, an obsessive stalker (Kristen Schaal).
Career highlight: The show, which featured songs about parttime models, humdrum sex lives and robots, earned a 2009 Emmy nomination for best comedy.
Trivia: Bret and Jemaine met as students at Victoria University of Wellington while performing in a play about male body issues.
Where they are now: The Conchords’s U.S. tour lands in the Bay Area next week, and the pair have talked of wanting to do a movie.
Mouse Rat
The band was known by many names, but the one that will forever be tattooed on fans’ hearts — as well as, perhaps, other body parts — is Mouse Rat. It was the pride of Pawnee, Indiana, the mythical setting of NBC’s hit TV show “Parks and Recreation,” and led by the bumbling musical visionary Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt).
Career highlights: There are so many. … The shortlist would include headlining Edward Phillips Senior Center Valentine’s Dance, winning WKKR’s Pawnee Battle of the Bands and performing at the Li’l Sebastian Memorial.
Trivia: Mouse Rat has also been called Scarecrow Boat, Department of Homeland Obscurity and a bunch of other names probably not suitable for print. Where they are now: Pratt is a major Hollywood star, having appeared in the blockbusters “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic World,” but fans still have hope that he’ll someday return to his roots and make “Mouse Rat: The Movie.”