Top pop Australian singer Lynne Randell was overcome (wouldn’t you be?) when she not only got acquainted with Davy, Micky, Peter and Mike but also was asked to tour with them!
Every teenage girl in the world has an idol. It is usually a young star and he is always the biggest, greatest and most important thing in her life. I’m just like every other teenager except for one thing—I worship four idols. Well, maybe I’m not alone after all, for their names are Peter, Davy, Mike and Micky! Yep, I guess there are a whole lot of us banded together in history’s largest “hero worship cult” when it comes to the Monkees!
But who would ever dream that I could possibly meet all four of the guys who had knocked me for a loop when I saw them on the American telly late last November. The very first time I saw The Monkees, I was in a hotel room in Hawaii with my manager, Carol West. I’m from Australia, and we had stopped in Honolulu overnight on a trip to New York City, where I was to meet the executives of Epic Records and maybe sign a contract with them. At that time, I had had five records in the top ten in Australia and I guess someone told Epic about it, because they expressed interest in me. For a girl who was 16 (I’m 17 now), life was pretty exciting—but I found out that I didn’t know what excitement was until I saw The Monkees on TV!
Monkee turn on! Permalink
As you Americans say, the Monkees really turned me on. Many weeks later, in New York City, the Good Fairy must have been looking over my shoulder, for a miracle happened! I was in a supper club called Basin Street East, watching Dusty Springfield’s debut, when Davy Jones walked in! At my insistence (well, wouldn’t you?), one of the executives at our table introduced Carol and me to Davy. Davy is as warm-hearted as he is good-looking—and when he heard of my budding career, he went out of his way to help me. He arranged for me to meet Gloria Stavers, Editor of 16 and 16’s Spec.
Meets The Monkees! Permalink
Many months later, when I was in Los Angeles to promote my first Epic single, Ciao Baby, Davy introduced me to all the Monkees. I even went to one of their recording sessions, and—grab on, cos here comes another miracle!—I got to sing in the chorus on Zilch (along with David Pearl, Joey Richards, Samantha Juste and Neko, The Painter). At this time, as any proud young teener would, I presented each of the Monkees with a copy of my single record, not really thinking that they would play it, let alone anything come of it.
Well, they did play it—and not only that, Peter (who especially liked my voice) played the record for Steve Blauner of Screen Gems and suggested that the Monkees use me on some of their “in person” concerts! Mr. Blauner, and the powers that be, must have liked the record too, for sight unseen they booked me to sing with the Monkees in Wichita and Hollywood!
Wichita was my first concert with the Monkees and it was absolutely super. I was terrified that the fans would boo me or shout “We want the Monkees!” but—what wonderful people they were—they did the opposite. They clapped, screamed, sang along with me and made me feel wanted and loved.
Just before the concert, I got to talk to each of the boys in their suite. Because I knew the Monkees are not allowed into the stadium until just before they go on, and that after they finish they rush straight off stage, into their limo and onto the plane—I took the only moment available to thank each of them personally for the fabulous opportunity they had given me.
Their part of the show, of course, was sensational. I stood like what I really am—a spellbound teenager—watching them from the wings with a pounding heart and tears of joy in my eyes. When they finally ran away, amidst the greatest roar of applause I ever heard in my whole life, I burst out crying! Though some of the people backstage stared at me, I know you understand why I cried.
I had no idea whether the Monkees had dug my appearance or not until two days later, back in New York, when Gloria Stavers called me and told me that a Screen Gems exec had phoned her to tell how much he and the Monkees had dug my performance! Well, since then there have been other appearances, but there’s no room to tell you about them here. However—and here’s a final miracle—I’ll soon be writing special articles just for 16 Magazine, and will tell you how it feels for a teenage girl to discover America and to work with the groovy-groovy Monkees!
(For news from two more teeners who got to meet the Monkees, turn to Page 62.)
All photos copyright 16 Magazine.
