David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy plays Friday at Presque Isle Downs
August 8, 2013
By Dave Richards
Erie Times-News
www.goerie.com
Any "Partridge Family" fans in the house or in a pear tree? C'mon, get happy. David Cassidy is on the way.
The former teen star, 63, will perform at Presque Isle Downs & Casino's racetrack patio on Friday at 7 p.m. He usually starts with a jazzy version of the theme song to "The Partridge Family," which ran on ABC from 1970 to 1974.
Like members of the Beatles and Monkees before him -- and Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber of today -- Cassidy's face became plastered on the walls of teenage girls' bedrooms. In a 2009 interview with Showcase, he said today's teen stars don't have it worse than he did.
"You have to remember there are 140 or 280 channels now. We had three, and the impact was so dramatic," he said.
The Partridge Family -- which included his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones -- racked up five Top 20 bubblegummy hits, including their only No. 1, "I Think I Love You." Cassidy's solo career also produced a Top 10 hit, "Cherish."
He had to convince the show's producers that he could actually sing to record the Partridge songs; a hired band played the songs. He was no stranger to music. He was turned on to rock by seeing the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
"(I) grabbed an electric guitar the next day," Cassidy told Showcase. "Me and 2 million other kids all did that. And I just kept going and playing."
Years later, Cassidy jammed with John Lennon.
"The first time he came over was New Year's Eve, I think in 1974 or 1975, and we'd both been drinking too much. He came over with a mutual friend and we headed to the music room off my bedroom. I picked up a guitar and started playing some of the early Beatles' stuff, and he'd forgotten a lot of it.
"So, here I was like reteaching him, and I got to sing the Paul parts. It was just so awesome, so inspirational for me. A lot of people have said, 'Oh, my God, what if you had recorded it?' It's not about putting it up on eBay. That's not my style."
His concert style today is casual and chatty; he likes to share stories and anecdotes. In addition to solo songs and Partridge Family hits, he also covers some of his favorite songs. Cassidy has included a tribute to the late Davy Jones at several shows, as well.
"I'll be taking people on a musical journey," he told Showcase before his 2009 concert in Franklin.
The same should hold true on Friday.
