Surviving Monkees reunite for US tour

The three surviving members of The Monkees are reuniting for the first time in 15 years for a 12-date US tour later this year, the 1960s made-for-TV pop rock group said Wednesday.

News of the tour -- bringing together Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz -- comes on the heels of the February 29 death of the combo's British-born singer and front man Davy Jones.

"This seems like a good time to do this -- the right time," said Nesmith, quoted by Rolling Stone magazine on its website. "Who knows when we will get another chance?"

Put together for a TV series that debuted in 1966, the mop-topped Monkees rang up a string of chart-topping hits -- including "Daydream Believer" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" -- before Nesmith quit the band in 1970.

The reunion tour begins November 8 with four dates in California, then heads east via Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities before concluding in New York on December 2.

In a statement, the band said the concerts will include a multimedia salute to teen idol Jones, who died of a heart attack in Florida at the age of 66.