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David Cassidy
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
David Cassidy was born in 1950 in New York, the son of the actor and singer Jack Cassidy and the actress Evelyn Ward. His parents were often on tour, and for the first few years he grew up with his grandparents in New Jersey. His father later married the singer and actress Shirley Jones. In 1969 David made his Broadway debut and signed with Universal, after which he got small roles in television series.
Music and breakthrough
In 1970 he was cast as Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family, a television series about a singing family. Shirley Jones played his mother. When it turned out that he could sing well, he was allowed to do the lead vocals on the records. The music was played by studio musicians. The first single, I Think I Love You, became a big hit. Cassidy himself later called the music bubblegum: light, cheerful pop for teenagers.
Influence
The series made him an enormous teen idol. For a while he was the best-paid performer in the world, and his fan club was bigger than that of The Beatles or Elvis. As a solo artist he scored with Cherish, How Can I Be Sure and Could It Be Forever, especially in England. But Cassidy felt trapped in the image of an idol. He wanted to be a serious rock musician, like Mick Jagger. In this way he became an example of a star made by television and marketing. He died in 2017.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1972Cherish
- 1972Rock Me Baby
- 1973Bulletin Board
- 1973Dreams Are Nuthin’ More Than Wishes
- 1975Forever
- 1976Gettin' It in The Street
- 1976Home Is Where The Heart Is
- 1985Romance
- 1990David Cassidy
- 1992“Didn’t You Used to Be…”
- 1996When I’m a Rock & Roll Star
- 1998Old Trick New Dog
- 2001Then and Now
- 2003A Touch of Blue
- 2003The Higher They Climb, the Harder They Fall
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 2: Youth Cultures 1950-1980NL Reader