David Bruce Cassidy was born to Jack and Evelyn Cassidy on April 12 1950. His parents divorced when he was young but didn’t tell him. He found out two years later from a neighbor. His Father would marry actress and musical comedy star Shirley Jones who would become a step mother of sorts to David but would later become his TV mom in The Partridge Family. David got his GED early and followed his dreams to go into show business. His Father was a character actor seen in many 1960s TV shows and on Broadway. His mother was also an actress.
David first got hired in a Broadway show that closed very quickly. He then went to Hollywood where he would appear in various TV shows until landing the role of Keith Partridge in ABC’s The Partridge Family. With the roll of Keith David Cassidy would shine as a major star for the length of The Partridge Family television run. After The Partridge Family David would go on to do concert tours, televisions show, Vegas acts and other various work. He authored two books on his life one published here in The United Sates and one published in Great Britain.
David Bruce Cassidy died on November 21, 2017. He was 67.
David Cassidy was probably one of the most influential people in my young life. In the third grade I transferred from a Catholic school to a public school. I wanted to do this as my friends all went to public school and so I felt pretty much alone the first two years of my academic life. After transferring I found that not much had changed. The one thing no one took into account was that my friends were all either older or younger than I and, so I was basically still alone, though we were in the same building. And then I found The Partridge Family.
Friday nights meant everything back then. You had The Brady Bunch at 8 followed by The Partridge Family at 8:30. Somehow during those years you really felt apart of each of the families. You cared when Marsha got hit with a baseball and you wondered every week what kind of trouble Danny would end up in. David Cassidy played Keith Partridge oldest child to Shirley Partridge and brother to Laurie, Danny, Chris and Tracy. Keith was the older brother every kid would want. He was either fighting with you, getting into trouble with you or helping you get out of trouble. I was around ten so I may have wanted to be Danny, I needed Keith.
Keith Partridge cared about his brother and sisters and his mom. He was flawed but he was a good-hearted teenager who only wanted the best for everyone in his family and he could sing.
The music of The Partridge Family was my first break into my own music. My oldest sister had Herman’s Hermits, my Brother, The Beatles and my closest sister had Davy Jones. I had The Partridge Family and I didn’t let go. The Partridge Family has traveled with me throughout my life. I went form Vinyl to CD to Digital. When a change was made in technology I found the music I loved.
I never got into hard rock. I followed my love for softer more mellow sounds as I entered my teenage and adult years. Because of The Partridge Family I found The Carpenters, Neil Diamond, Helen Reddy, Glen Campbell, The Captain and Tennille and many others. But my music roots are The Partridge Family and the voice of David Cassidy. That voice has seen me through good times and hard times. It has encouraged me along the way to try new things and it has helped me celebrate Christmas every year.
Songs like, C’mon Get Happy, Let The Good Times In, Together (Havin A Ball), I Think I Love You, Together We’re Better, My Christmas Card To You, and so many other will forever live in my heart.
Thank you, David Cassidy, for being a part of my life. Thank you for the talent that you shared with all of us and for being my big brother
The post David Cassidy April 12, 1950 to November 21, 2017 A Tribute appeared first on PCM Reviews.