Boyce And Hart
Recalled chiefly for their association with the Monkees, this songwriting team also enjoyed a fruitful independent career. Tommy Boyce had recorded several singles during the early '60s, charting briefly with I'll Remember Carol, while Bobby Hart helped compose hits for Little Anthony And The Imperials and Tommy Sands. The duo was originally cast as members of the Monkees, but secured the musical/production rights when this idea was vetoed. Together they wrote several of the groups early classics, including Last Train To Clarksville, Valleri and (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone, but they were latterly supplanted during the backroom machinations surrounding the group's progress. Boyce and Hart then embarked on a performing career. They scored several US Top 40 hits, the most successful of which was I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite which peaked at number 8 in January 1968. Their interest in the Monkees continued with the release of several previously-shelved masters, and in 1975 they joined former members Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz for a nostalgia tour. This in turn engendered a handful of new recordings. The songwriters subsequently pursued a myriad of projects. Bobby Hart recorded a solo album, while Tommy Boyce enjoyed a successful career in London, producing a series of hits for Showaddywaddy and Darts.