David Cassidy on the Web
Cassidy brings show to Foxwoods
March 7, 2001
By RAY KELLY
The Springfield Union-News & Republican (Massachusetts)
www.masslive.com/republican
IF YOU GO
Event: David Cassidy in concert
When: Saturday, 9 p.m.
Where: Foxwoods Casino, Ledyard, Conn.
Cost: $38.50 and $55 For more info: Call (800) 200-2882
The image of David Cassidy imprinted on American pop culture may always be that of a baby-faced heartthrob crooning "I Think I Love You" and other pop hits to a gaggle of screaming teen-age girls.
But much has changed for Cassidy in the 27 years since he walked away from TV success on "The Partridge Family." He has starred opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in London's West End, earned kudos for his work on Broadway, and retooled a Las Vegas show into an attraction that drew a million visitors.
So it may be a bit of surprise that Cassidy, 50, recently embarked on his first concert tour in a decade.
"When I went out in September of last year and did two nights in Atlantic City and it was sold out in a day . . . it made me realize that there were a lot of people out there that still wanted to see me, thank God," Cassidy said in a telephone interview before the start of the tour.
"I really have fun doing it. It's not like I have been out playing this material to death and I am sick of it, I'm bored with it (or) it's just my job. I am really anxious to play a lot of the stuff I haven't played in so long."
Cassidy has scheduled the year-long tour to allow him to spend time with his wife, songwriter Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, and their 10-year old son, Beau - a far cry from the hectic pace of the early tours when Cassidy performed on weekend breaks from filming "The Partridge Family."
Before 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys were born, "The Partridge Family" star was the cover boy for 16 and Tiger Beat magazines, selling 25 million records and supported by a fan club whose ranks dwarfed those of The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
For four years, Cassidy, along with stepmother Shirley Jones, starred in the ABC sitcom about the musical Partridges and their wholesome adventures at home and on the road.
Cassidy and Jones sang on the chart hits "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted," "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat" and "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," backed in the studio by famed Holyoke drummer Hal Blaine, bassist Joe Osborn and guitarist Tommy Tedescoe.
"These guys were legendary players," he said. "For me, to be playing with these guys and Hal, who is on every great Beach Boys record, the Mamas and Papas . . . he's an encyclopedia of great pop records."
By 1974, Cassidy grew tired of the role of Keith Partridge and wanted out.
"People thought that because I didn't want to go back and do it anymore that I didn't like it or I was bitter by it and I never was," he said. "I loved it. I just wanted to do other things. I never felt anything but love and respect for how good it was, for what it was."
The late 1970s and early 1980s were tough time for Cassidy personally and professionally as chronicled in his autobiography "C'mon Get Happy . . . Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus," as well as a VH-1 documentary and made-for-TV movie. Divorce, unemployment and a strained relationship with his father, actor Jack Cassidy, marked those years.
Jack Cassidy and wife Evelyn Ward divorced when David Cassidy was 3½ years old. David Cassidy said his father was a major influence in his career, but also described him as "extremely narcissistic and self-involved."
While the younger Cassidy achieved overnight success by the age of 21, Jack Cassidy labored for decades before becoming popular in the early 1970s with his television work on "Columbo" and "The Andersonville Trial."
"I know it killed him that he was so talented and had worked so hard and (fame) seemed to come so effortlessly for his wife, Shirley, and for me," Cassidy said. "Emotionally, he was very manic depressive and in those days they didn't recognize it . . . and he was also an alcoholic and that's a bad combination . . . a very bad combination."
"He was a wonderful actor and singer . . . all of that creative talent, genius (and) he had one foot in and one foot out of reality and that became very painful for him and for the people who loved him."
David Cassidy's relationship has been far closer with his three half-brothers, Shaun, Patrick and Ryan Cassidy. "We are one. They are my best friends, along with my wife."
Cassidy teamed with his brother Shaun in 1993 on Broadway for "Blood Brothers."
"Probably one of the highlights of my life was being on Broadway with my brother Shaun," he said. "It was so successful instantly for the both of us and it changed my life and his . . . It took me to the next plateau and people saw me as not just a pop star but as an actor and as a draw for ticket sales."
Following "Blood Brothers," Shaun Cassidy helped his brother renovate and reinvigorate the Las Vegas show "EFX." That 1996 show marked the start of Cassidy's Las Vegas success.
He followed "EFX" with two successful and critically acclaimed productions, "The Rat Pack is Back!" and "David Cassidy at the Copa," which teamed him with Sheena Easton.
Cassidy, whose last album was 1998's "Old Trick, New Dog," has inked a new record deal and expects to release an album at the end of the year in Europe.
"I am a very happy person these days," Cassidy said. " I am somebody who has taken a great journey and been dealt a phenomenal hand. And I love the fact that people who have cared about me, and I mean the fans, have always been there for me and I have tried to give them my best."
