David Cassidy on the Web
Music legend David Cassidy to perform at fairgrounds
July 28, 2016
By Stephen J. Pytak
http://standardspeaker.com
In 1972, when Eddie Collins of Pottsville was 15, he lived in Hazleton and sang lead vocals and played drums with a band called Tammany Hall.
The band played its share of covers. And when Collins heard the title track from David Cassidy’s second solo album, “Rock Me Baby,” inspiration struck.
“I first heard it on my transistor radio. I was listening to WAZL-AM. In those days the disc jockeys would front-sell and back-sell the record. They would introduce it, especially if it was something brand new. The disc jockey said: ‘This is a great new happening song by David Cassidy. ‘Rock Me Baby!’ Here we go!” Collins, 56, said July 13.
At the time, Cassidy was well-known for his work with The Partridge Family and the pop mainstream sounds of “Come On Get Happy” and “I Think I Love You.”
Recalling the first time he heard “Rock Me Baby,” Collins said: “The first thing I noticed is it did not sound like David Cassidy. It had a harder edge. At the time, he wanted to forge ahead. He wanted to break out of that mold. As soon as I heard it on the radio, I went out to a record store called Greco’s and bought it. It was on Broad Street in Hazleton. The 45 cost me 69 cents. And when I called the guys in my band and said ‘Hey, we’re going to learn a David Cassidy song,’ they laughed at me. They didn’t take me seriously. And I said, ‘You have to hear this song. It sounds nothing like The Partridge Family. It’s straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll.’”
Collins, a veteran entertainer, radio personality and music historian, praised the Schuylkill County Fair Association for booking Cassidy.
“Over the years at the fair, we’ve seen many acts from the 1960s, from The Turtles to Paul Revere and the Raiders, Davy Jones and Felix Cavaliere and The Rascals. Charlie Kershner has done a great job of bringing all those acts in,” Collins said, referring to the fair’s entertainment representative.
“But the people who are the late baby boomers, our days were the 1970s. So to bring David Cassidy in as kind of a forerunner of that is a great idea,” Collins said.
The Schuylkill County Fair managed to book Cassidy since the legendary singer was going to be in the area at the time, Kim Morgan, Pine Grove, public relations and marketing director for the Schuylkill County Fair Association, said Monday.
On Aug. 7, Cassidy is scheduled to perform at The Historic Suffolk Theater in Riverhead, N.Y., according to his website at www.davidcassidy.com.
“We got him because he’ll be passing through. Charlie Kershner heard he was going to be in the area. The Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau contacted us and said they had x-amount of dollars and asked if they could have some input into who we brought onto our main stage that Saturday night. Charlie came up with a couple of suggestions. They came back with a couple of ideas and Charlie got him,” Morgan said, referring to Cassidy, who could not be reached for comment.
Fans who want seats close to the M&T Stage should make arrangements for “premium seating,” Morgan said.
“New to the 2016 Schuylkill County Fair this year will be premium seating for select concerts. Premium seating will be sold as a cash transaction on the day of the performance on a first-come-first-serve basis with a two-ticket limit for per person. Persons seeking to purchase Premium Seating for the selected concerts will be required to pay the $5 admission to the fair as well,” Morgan said.
Premium seating will be available for three concerts:
¦ David Cassidy in Concert on Aug. 6, $20. The concert is at 9 p.m. Premium seating starts at 11 a.m. that morning.
“Payment will be made at the M&T Stage. Patrons purchasing premium seating must place their lawn chair in a numbered space that is the width of a regular lawn chair,” Morgan said.
