The Monkees Quiz: Ultimate Fan Trivia

At first, the four Monkees were cast actors for a TV show and did not play the instruments on their earliest hit recordings — seasoned session players (like members of the Wrecking Crew) did the playing and many band parts.

After clashing with their music supervisor, the group sued for — and won — full creative control in 1967; on the album Headquarters they played most of the instruments themselves and insisted on using their own vocals and songwriting.