Home Is Where The Heart Is.. Part 1

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 And 'I'm On My Way Back Home Again and I Can't Go Back Home Again and Sing Me..David Cassidy wrote and sang songs about being on the road and about his lost home..During his life he lived in many different places, houses he rented or owned..constantly on the move. 

He was born in New York , and he loved this city, even wrote a song called New York City Life. As a child he lived in West Orange, New Jersey , at 23 Elm Street ,with his grandparents , and his mother. Here is a great virtual tribute walk  video where we can see his home town, West Orange, and his home,  kindergarden, school, the church where he was a solist in the church choir, his playgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5hnxViOh0E

David's grandmother, Ethel died in 1967. His grandfather, Frederic Ward, who became a kind of surrogate father for David, all his life worked as an utility meter reader. He just could see his grandson at the moment of his glory, for David that concert was the most important, the famous  Madison Square Garden concert. Frederic died one year later. Those years in West Orange gave DC a kind of upbringing which equipped him with strong values, and helped him to survive during the hectic70s.

In 1961 Evelyn Ward with her son moved to California. David's father had already been living there for four years with his second wife, a movie star, Shirley Jones, and their son, Shaun , born in 1958. Evelyn thought that moving to California would be good for her career, and also for David, because at 11, he was quite wild and without discipline, and that contact with Jack, who was a disciplinarian, would be sth he needed at that age. Evelyn and David moved into a small house on Crest View Court in West LA and he went to Fairburn Elementary

In 1962 Evelyn married a filmaker, Elliot Silverstain (btw he is 93 ) and they started living together in a much bigger house, on  Glenbarr Ave in Cheviot Hills. DC went to Emerson Junior High, where in 1963 , through a mutual collegue , met a boy who became DC's  special friend - Sam Hyman.They liked the same kind of music and loved surfing. The two of them had similar, difficult relationships with their fathers. Sam's father died when Sam was 19 years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPTzLYzR86k&t=15s

Sam and David began high school together at University High , but DC was bombed out and some time later again from another, he finished his education at Rexford, where he went with another special friend , Kevin Hunter, who died of overdose  in 1970  .

At last DC graduated , but not with his class, he had to make last session of summer school, but after it he moved to New York to live with Jack and Shirley...It wasn't easy , even if DC lived in a small guest house . He got used to do what he wanted. 'My dad was laying on the fatherly advice which I didn't want to hear. But he made me get my own self-discipline , because he had the same trouble himself. He made me see how irresponsible I was and how dependent on everybody else. I wasn't looking after myself. I was looking for people to do it for me.' (Dec 1970, Modern Screen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KPpdWop8zE

As we know, he worked part-time in mailroom of a textile company, he did acting classes, and auditions, about 200 before he got his first role , his Broadway debut, being just 19 year old. But the musical was closed after 4 performances and DC returned to LA..The rest is history..I'm interested in those LA David's houses.

When DC got his first tv roles at the end of 1969 , he proposed that  he and Sam would rent a flat or a house together. They decided to rent a small house on Cole Crest Drive in the hills of Laurel Canyon.

This is a video about the legends of Laurel Canyon, we can see some DC's friends in it, actually quite a lot of them. And  Henry and Elliot did the talking I'm disappointed that Elliot forgot that for a while he'd had one other unique neighbour - David Cassidy..but..maybe it's better that way, DC never belonged to any group, he was one of the kind . 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl6vxrKfuc

Sam said that they wanted to have their own place so they could party . The house was up in the hills and had just 2 bedrooms. The rent was $315, and because David paid $200 he took the bigger one. The house was a mess as they didn't like cleaning, they slept on mattresses on the floor and used orange crates as..furniture. They lived with their two dogs..David told 'Tiger Beat's' reporter : '..it's the attitude of the people who are there. Before I'd worried a lot about material things and making an impression on people. I've got a mattress on the floor (..) I don't have a lot of things but I've got my friends, my dog and my Canyon. I want to save up my Canyon memories to last me the rest of my life..' (July 1970)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4gvxt1WgaA







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