David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy to perform at Resorts Atlantic City
July 17, 2008
By David Spatz
www.northjersey.com
The Record Online Edition
His career has taken him around the world more times than he can remember, but a gig in an Atlantic City casino is more than just another job for David Cassidy.
For the popular singer, actor and producer, it's all about coming home.
Cassidy spent the better part of his first 11 years living with his grandparents in West Orange after his parents divorced when he was 3. A big part of his early years were summer visits to the Shore.
"My grandparents used to take me down to Atlantic City to where they went when they were young," he recalls. "It brings back a lot of memories for me to come back to New Jersey because I spent so many of my formative years there."
And one of those memories is the scent of the Atlantic Ocean.
"It just smells different, and it smells fantastic to me," he says. "So every time I go there, I get a real sense of belonging, a sense of 'it's mine.' It's a part of me, probably more than anywhere else. I feel that connected to it."
Cassidy, who performs Saturday night at Resorts Atlantic City, says he's in a "good place" with his life and his career. The 58-year-old former teen idol, whose career accelerated in the early 1970s with his starring role on television's "The Partridge Family," has struck a comfortable balance with his career and his personal life.
"I can't imagine being any happier than I am today," Cassidy says during a phone call from Palm Desert, Calif.
"Life is good, and it has nothing to do with money or fame," he explains. "It has to do with the quality of my life. My family is very close, and I'm closer now with my son [Beau] and daughter [Katie] than we've ever been before."
Cassidy began his acting career after moving to California with his mother when he was 11. He appeared in small roles on 1960s television series like "Ironside," "Adam-12" and "Bonanza"; his popularity exploded when he was cast as Keith Partridge in "The Partridge Family," which starred his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones.
Cassidy was quickly tapped to be the lead singer of his TV family's musical group. The Partridge Family had successive hits with songs such as "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" and the ensemble's biggest hit, "I Think I Love You," which he used as a launching pad for his solo career.
He became one of the most popular teen idols of the era - and, for a time, the world's highest-paid entertainer - before making the transition to mature rock and pop artist. He's released more than a dozen original albums over the past 35 years. The most recent one, this year's "Dance Party Remix," features a modern and danceable take on many of his hit songs.
Parallel to his music and acting career, Cassidy has also been a successful producer of live stage shows. He created the long-running Las Vegas-style production shows "The Rat Pack Is Back" and "At the Copa," and also rewrote and starred in the popular Las Vegas production show "EFX."
David Cassidy performs at Resorts Atlantic City at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $40, available through Ticketmaster.
