David Cassidy on the Web
The Crossover Crowd: Miley Cyrus is the latest in a line of TV stars to invade musical charts
November 4, 2007
By Chris Hansen Orf
Tribune
www.eastvalleytribune.com
As "American Idol" winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood show, being on TV can be a high-profile launching pad for a musical career, providing a built-in fan base that can power a record into the upper regions of the music charts.
Another example: Fourteen-year-old Miley Cyrus, who stars as the title character in the Disney Channel's wildly popular series "Hannah Montana." Her CD, "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus," topped the album charts when it was released in June. At her sold-out show at Jobing.com Arena, she'll perform as herself and Hannah Montana.
But Cyrus is merely the latest in a line of nonreality TV stars to parlay fame on the tube into a successful music career. Some other TV stars/musicians who paved the way:
Ricky Nelson
As a teen TV star on the family comedy series "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet," which ran from 1952 to 1966, Ricky Nelson was a pinup long before he became a singer. When a girlfriend professed a crush on Elvis Presley, the jealous Nelson figured he could do what Elvis was doing, too. And he did, in 1957 scoring his first Top 10 hit with a cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'." Today Nelson, who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1985, is best remembered for his contributions to L.A.'s burgeoning country/rock movement in the '60s and for his 1972 Top 10 hit, "Garden Party.
The Monkees
In the mid-'60s, no band was bigger than The Beatles, who were stars on the charts with their music and in movie theaters with "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) and "Help" (1965). Inspired by the madcap adventures in The Beatles' films, Hollywood producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider hired four young musician/actors - Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz - to play The Monkees, which ran on television from 1966 to 1968. The fictional group, known for hits such as "I'm a Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Daydream Believer," became an actual band when The Monkees toured, began playing their own instruments on their albums and making their own film, "Head," in 1968 after the show was axed. Of all The Monkees, Nesmith had the most solo success, scoring a few hits in "Some of Shelley's Blues" and "Joanne" in the '70s.
David Cassidy
When David Cassidy, then 20, was hired to play Keith Partridge on "The Partridge Family" in 1970, the producers wanted him to lip-sync the fictional group's hits. Cassidy claimed he could sing the songs better than the singer who had recorded them, and he was right. With Cassidy singing lead on such Top 10 hits as "I Think I Love You," "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" and "I'll Meet You Halfway," Cassidy became a star, playing sold-out shows across the country when he wasn't filming the series. Cassidy had a few solo hits while still on the show, but after the "The Partridge Family" was cancelled in 1974, Cassidy's star dimmed. The singer is still touring and has been a fixture in Las Vegas shows such as "EFX" and "At the Copa."
Rick Springfield
Before he was known for playing hunk Dr. Noah Drake on "General Hospital" in the early '80s, Rick Springfield was a rock star in his native Australia, scoring a No. 1 hit with a tune titled "Speak to the Sky." Springfield moved to L.A. in 1972, signed with Capitol Records and went Top 20 in the States with the same song. When his music career fizzled out in the mid-'70s Springfield turned to acting, landing the "General Hospital" gig, and used the popularity of the show to relaunch his music career. This time around he became a major rock star with his classic 1981 disc "Working Class Dog" (which spawned the No. 1 single "Jessie's Girl") and Springfield won his first Grammy. Springfield had his last hit in the U.S. in 1984 with "Love Somebody," but the singer is still a popular concert draw.
