The drummer with the extremely ordinary name of Bill Lewis has had his paradiddles, rim shots, and cymbal strokes heard by an extraordinary number of listeners. He was one of the studio players who actually played the music on the first two albums by the Monkees before these chumps, or rather chimps, took the instruments into their own hands. Lewis, whose background was generally in any kind of rock music being played in California in the mid-'60s, had a longstanding relationship with the producing and songwriting team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, also playing on sessions for some of that duo's own recordings.

He has continued to appear on recording sessions for various bands over subsequent decades. Meanwhile, the story of the Monkees' lack of relative instrumental prowess in the early days has become common knowledge. Interestingly enough, teenyboppers back in the day who didn't know any better thought they were hearing a band -- and in a way, they were.

The crafty Boyce Hart had put together a group of players who actually had a long history together. Drummer Lewis had played for years in a group called Gerry McGee the Cajuns, whose guitar-strumming leader was responsible for the ringing chord heard as the Last Train to Clarksville leaves the station. Bassist Larry Taylor had been a member of this group, played frequently with both Lewis and McGee in other groups, and not surprisingly had also been brought in for the Monkees. Producer and arranger Don Costa had taken an interest in the McGee unit a few years earlier, arranging an instrumental session for Reprise. The unit of players continued to hold an appeal for various producers, bouncing back and forth between New York City and Las Vegas in order to back new singing prospects. McGee disbanded the group in 1964 out of frustration with none of these ventures leading anywhere; they found themselves reunited for the Monkees in 1966. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi