The FBI is being sued by the final surviving Monkee, Micky Dolenz, now 77, for what he calls a “secret dossier” the organisation allegedly has on him and his erstwhile bandmates.

Former frontman for the well-known British-American group from the 1960s, Micky Dolenz filed the complaint through his lawyer Mark Zaid, a music enthusiast and freedom of information specialist who told Rolling Stone that it would be “fun.”

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According to Zaid, he was introduced to Dolenz through mutual acquaintances. Dolenz’s band is known for such songs as I’m a Believer, Last Train to Clarksville, and Daydream Believer.

It could be interesting to check if the FBI had a file on Dolenz or his former bandmates, Zaid reportedly told Dolenz, according to Rolling Stone. Zaid quickly discovered that such a document indeed exist and that a severely redacted, seven-page excerpt was made public in 2011.

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Who are The Monkees?

The Monkees were an American rock and pop group that was founded in Los Angeles in 1966. The group’s members included English actor/singer Davy Jones and American actors/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork.

The ensemble was created in 1965 for the situation comedy series of the same name by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider. The show, which ran from 1966 to 1968, featured music credited to the band.

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While the sitcom was largely uncomplicated, the music production caused tension and controversy nearly right once. Due to his dissatisfaction with the actor/musicians’ musical prowess, music supervisor Don Kirshner restricted their participation in the recording process and relied instead on seasoned songwriters and studio musicians.

The band members were unhappy with this arrangement because they were receiving negative press for not playing on the recordings, despite the fact that it produced numerous successful albums and singles. The band members eventually won complete control over the recording process after a brief power struggle.

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The Monkees generally performed as a group for two albums, but after that, each member started using the moniker to pursue his personal projects.

The first two Monkees albums, The Monkees and More of the Monkees, featured top session musicians like Glen Campbell and Hal Blaine and were primarily folk-rock and Beatle-based. They were written by the best Brill Building songwriters. Given the opportunity to play whatever they wanted on album three, Headquarters, Davy chose a cockney knees-up (I Can’t Get Her off of My Mind), Peter Tork sounded jaded and a thousand years old by the time he recorded (Shades of Grey), Mike Nesmith created country rock (Mr. Webster), and Micky Dolenz produced Randy Scouse Git. 

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By the end of 1968, they had reverted to being a group in name only, the programme had been cancelled, and their film, Head, had been a critical and commercial failure. Nesmith joined Tork in leaving the group shortly after, and the Monkees disbanded formally in 1970.