David Cassidy on the Web
C'mon Get Happy: David Cassidy at Biltmore
October 3, 2012
By Tony Kiss
www.citizen-times.com
David Cassidy has a great relationship with his 1970s TV character Keith Partridge. They were both teen idols in their day.
Singer-actor David Cassidy plays Friday night at Biltmore Estate. / Special to the Citizen-Times
But unlike some former TV superstars who come to regret their work, Cassidy has embraced "The Partridge Family" and what it still means to many fans. Maybe it's because Cassidy has so much happening on stage and in his off-stage life.
"I've met a number of (former celebrities) who are bitter, but I love what I did," said the actor-singer who plays Friday night at Asheville's Biltmore Estate. "And when it ended, it ended."
Cassidy's on-stage repertoire included a long singing career, more acting on TV and Broadway. He's happy to get on the road, do those "Partridge Family" hits and more with his band and finally get to meet some of his fans in person, without all the screaming, Beatles-like hysteria that swept him along in the 1970s.
Cassidy keeps strong family ties and is close to his mom, the actress Evelyn Ward, who has been battling Alzheimer's disease. Promoting Alzheimer's awareness and caretaking are very important. "The baby boomer generation that I'm a part of — we haven't even begun to see the effects. We don't have enough facilities or caretakers" to care for future Alzheimer's patients, he said.
Wealth? It "doesn't mean a lot," he said. "Material possessions can make your life comfortable, but in the end, it's the relationships that we form."
Cassidy's bond with his fans has always been close. When "The Partridge Family" first aired on ABC-TV 1970-74, the show transformed Cassidy into one of America's hottest entertainment stars. Even in a pre-Internet era, fans watched his every move.
"I couldn't even begin to tell you the intensity of that,'' he said. "It took me many years to understand it, other than I was the focal point of a lot of people's attention."
In those days before VHS or DVD or other playbacks, Cassidy wasn't watching "The Partridge Family." "Every Friday night I was in the studio or on my way to play shows on Saturday or Sunday. If you weren't in front of your TV, you missed it. But it became a family event. A lot of people tell me it was a chance to sit all together (with family) and watch it."
