Biography
In partnership with Bobby Hart, songwriter and vocalist Tommy Boyce shaped numerous lasting pop compositions of the 1960s, several of which were recorded by the Monkees. Additional writing credits encompass Fats Domino's "Be My Guest" and Lee Curtis' "Pretty Little Angel Eyes."
Born September 29, 1939, in Charlottesville, VA, Boyce cut sides for RCA Records and scored one charting single of his own composition, "I'll Remember Carol" b/w "Too Late for Tears," which reached number 80 pop on Billboard's charts during fall 1962. Teaming with Hart produced their initial breakthrough, the 1964 number three pop smash "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay and the Americans. Contracted as staff songwriters to Screen Gems Music, the publishing division tied to Columbia Pictures' television unit, they supplied material for the NBC-TV primetime series The Monkees, among them "Theme From the Monkees," "Last Train to Clarksville" (gold, number one pop, fall 1966), "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (the charting B-side of "I'm a Believer," later cut by Paul Revere and the Raiders on their 1966 LP Midnight Ride), "Words" (the flip of the million-selling number three pop hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday"), "Valeri" (gold, number three pop, early 1968), and "Tear Drop City." Another widely performed Monkees number from the pair is the gentle ballad "I Wanna Be Free." The songwriting team also surfaced on additional Screen Gems productions, ABC-TV's Bewitched and NBC-TV's I Dream of Jeannie.
As a performing duo, Boyce & Hart signed with A&M Records. Their debut charting release, "Out & About" b/w "My Little Chickadee," climbed to number 39 pop in summer 1967. The pair's peak single arrived with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" b/w "The Ambushers" (number eight pop, late 1967). Further Boyce & Hart 45s included "Goodbye Baby (I Don't Want to See You Cry)" b/w "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows"—the title theme from the follow-up to The Trouble With Angels—and "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)."
During the 1970s Boyce & Hart joined the Monkees on tour and cut tracks alongside certain members under the name Dolenz, Jones, Boyce, and Hart. Boyce also wrote and produced for Iggy Pop, U.K. band Darts, Del Shannon, and Meat Loaf. After discussing his struggles with depression on television talk programs, Boyce took his own life at his Nashville residence in 1994.
Associated catalog appearances comprise Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart: Anthology, Boyce and Hart: The Songs of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart from Uni/Varese, Sarabande, and Concert In Japan.
Born September 29, 1939, in Charlottesville, VA, Boyce cut sides for RCA Records and scored one charting single of his own composition, "I'll Remember Carol" b/w "Too Late for Tears," which reached number 80 pop on Billboard's charts during fall 1962. Teaming with Hart produced their initial breakthrough, the 1964 number three pop smash "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay and the Americans. Contracted as staff songwriters to Screen Gems Music, the publishing division tied to Columbia Pictures' television unit, they supplied material for the NBC-TV primetime series The Monkees, among them "Theme From the Monkees," "Last Train to Clarksville" (gold, number one pop, fall 1966), "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" (the charting B-side of "I'm a Believer," later cut by Paul Revere and the Raiders on their 1966 LP Midnight Ride), "Words" (the flip of the million-selling number three pop hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday"), "Valeri" (gold, number three pop, early 1968), and "Tear Drop City." Another widely performed Monkees number from the pair is the gentle ballad "I Wanna Be Free." The songwriting team also surfaced on additional Screen Gems productions, ABC-TV's Bewitched and NBC-TV's I Dream of Jeannie.
As a performing duo, Boyce & Hart signed with A&M Records. Their debut charting release, "Out & About" b/w "My Little Chickadee," climbed to number 39 pop in summer 1967. The pair's peak single arrived with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" b/w "The Ambushers" (number eight pop, late 1967). Further Boyce & Hart 45s included "Goodbye Baby (I Don't Want to See You Cry)" b/w "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows"—the title theme from the follow-up to The Trouble With Angels—and "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)."
During the 1970s Boyce & Hart joined the Monkees on tour and cut tracks alongside certain members under the name Dolenz, Jones, Boyce, and Hart. Boyce also wrote and produced for Iggy Pop, U.K. band Darts, Del Shannon, and Meat Loaf. After discussing his struggles with depression on television talk programs, Boyce took his own life at his Nashville residence in 1994.
Associated catalog appearances comprise Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart: Anthology, Boyce and Hart: The Songs of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart from Uni/Varese, Sarabande, and Concert In Japan.
Albums
