David Cassidy Being Together

People going through the Hammersmith Park in London may read the sign on one of the benches. A small plate, and on it -   'REMEMBERING DAVID CASSIDY 1950-2017 LOVE & LIGHT ALWAYS  YOUR DEVOTED FANS' I was there too, in August 2019, with my English friends, David Cassidy's fans. Love and Light. We often use that phrase talking about DC's legacy. But what does it really mean ? For each of us? I've understood it a few days ago. It means love and friendship which change our lives for better and forver. I've never thought that virtual friendship could turn out to be a real and very important one. I know that there are a lot of such friendships made because of David Cassidy all over the world. I think it's because we fans have a lot in common even if we live in different countries. We are DC's fans, that's the strongest connection, but also we are of similar age, (and mostly women), we were teens in the 70s, we are the same generation, we have been tau...

  There is such a page on my blog - David Cassidy In His Own Words.  He wrote 2 autobiographies, gave thousands of interviews, for press, tv or radio. It was part of his job and many times, especially on tv shows, he had to say things which were written for him. Ready scripts, and even if he didn't like them he had to learn it and act. That's why I prefer newspapers interviews. I feel he was more himself with them. Sure a lot of times the things he said.. it was  PR, but especially at the beginning of his career DC was very sincere. And he was smart, witty, with a great sense of humor, sometimes sarcastic, he wasn't beating around the bush, he said what he thought. He looked like a teen but he talked like a man, very sophisticated one. Laurel Dann wrote about DC in 1971, the article was published in January 1972, TV Radio Mirror, 'The Backstage Life of Teenage Sex Idol' -  ' I like him , his unpretentious stance. His willingness to give of himself. There's n...

I've recently talked with my very close English friend, B. about those amazing covers DC's recorded during his career. And my friend was a huge David's fan in the 70s, but now DC is a history for her and she doesn't read my blog. But sometimes she asks me how my writing is going. And she's told me that DC's covers are nothing extraordinary, that everybody do covers, people just forgetting that such and such a song was written and recorded in the past. A new clever arrangment and a new hit is born. Recycling. Of everything. Don't be so naive, Weronika.  Yes, of course that people forgetting, I myself was so astonished some years ago when I learned that  'I Fought the Law', one of my fav The Clash' songs, was a cover , or that 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' was written from a man's point of view, and Cyndi Lauper's hit was a cover too. And David didn't do more cuts than others did, and quite a lot of songs were written just for h...

Ned Doheny. Another underrated songwriter, singer and guitarist, and very handsome and sexy man. From Malibu, born in 1948. He wrote this really great song in 1974, and he played as a session musician on DC's RCA albums. But David wasn't the first one who released it. This is the original version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aReu4CpRqcA And Ned himself recorded it in 1976, for his second solo album called Hard Candy. And I tell you that this is a great album, all  songs were written by Ned himself, he had fantastic  session musicians in the studio, and some interesting friends on backing vocals - Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Linda Rondstadt. I love Ned's version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwouzFuEMKI&t=109s Amazing, what a feeling. The David Cassidy's version. I've read many times that his song was banned by BBC, because of  'the sugestive, provocative title'. I like checking everything myself  so I've checked some lists of banned songs, and I...

 Saratoga Springs, New York..I like the sound of this name, it reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. In 1767 William Johnson, a British soldier, was brought by Native American friends to the spring to treat his war wounds. The place became a popular spa in the 19th century. A race course was open in 1863. And The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1951, 70 years ago..Very charming city with a population about 27 000 David Cassidy : 'No matter how I was busy, my contract always stated that I got a week off from August 7 to 14 so I could attend Saratoga.'(2005) David Cassidy's favourite place in the world, he bought there his first yearling in 1974, and a house in the 21st century. And it was in Saratoga, in 2008, at a  fundraising gala , where he publicly stated being an alcoholic. And also there he performed his community service hours in 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CXvbcKUWvQ Gary Contessa : 'Nobody loved Saratoga like D...

  The stories behind  some of the David Cassidy's songs..Amazing. 'This Could Be The Night' was written in tribute to Brian Wilson, and it's one of three songs that are credited to Nilsson and Spector. First Harry Nilsson's version. You are going to have a big surprise..I've had https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHBedYSAh98 and the original recording by Modern Folk Quartet (yes, with Henry Diltz! Before being a photographer Henry was a folk musician). Phil Spector used the song as the opening theme music for the 1966 rock concert film The Big TNT Show...You can also see some DC's friends in it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrgCkAHfE94 It was also recorded by Henry Diltz himself in 1989, and he sometimes performed it on stage, like in that video from 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU9zBfslv6w I'm posting those other versions to underline how an amazing DC's cover is. It appeared on his first RCA's album.  When you listen to Harry Nilsson o...

I've already written on my blog about Richie Furay, Buffalo Springfield, Poco,  'For What Is Worth' and 'Love In Bloom'. Also about Poco's Rusty Young when he died 3 months ago. Richie Furay and the bands he played with are real legends, even if Richie himself  never achieved a commercial success he should. Yes, he is Californian Country Rock Pioneer. And as one fan has written about Poco : 'those guys had hearts and souls'. So Richie Furay, and some other DC's friends from Poco in 1972 , and this beautiful song, 'Just For Me And You'.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z3B4TBEVyQ&list=PLO8_Csr-05JazB22ZBEtHs4vG8G-mswWE A documentary called 'Through It All. The Life And Influence Of Richie Furay' is in post-production and I'm waiting for it. Great and very proper title. He and his music inspired a lot of people. But I'm writing this post after listening to his conversation with Louise Poynton .The David Cassidy Connections ...

First, the  original https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3NTVkHwD5I When I've been reading about the origin of that song, it's struck me that John and David had more in common that it might seem. They both loved American standards,  Cole Porter's or Gershwin's music. They understood the meaning ..how to put it..the meaning of words, or better say, they were sensitive to words, the melody of English language (hope you know what I mean), of course they were musicians, artists,  and John Lennon was also quite a good actor himself.  The song is credited to Lennon/McCartney, but it was originally John's song and it was written as a bluesy, slow tempo track. John Lennon : 'I remember the day I wrote it, I heard Roy Orbison doing 'Only the Lonely' (..) And I was always intrigued by the words to Bing Crosby song that went - 'Please lend a little ear to my pleas' - the double use of the word 'please'. It was a combination of Ray Orbison and Bing Cros...

For the next year David Cassidy's Official Las Vegas Walk Of Stars Event April12th, 2022, some people have been  invited as guest speakers . Among them Bob, Paul and Susan Cowsill.  Maybe let's first listen to  that song and watch The Cowsills. The year is 1967. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGWEo33fok What a happy and charming song, be careful, it's very addictive..and what a drummer!  John Cowsill was at the time  just 11 years old. It's not a surprise that since 2000 he's been  working with the Beach Boys.. But that song was recorded by hired session musicians, the only Cowsill who performed on that hit was a lead vocalist, Bill..( and a little bit of back vocal from a mother).  I never heard about the Cowsills in the 70s, but truly speaking  about The Partridge Family too. I only knew that TPF had a connection with DC. The only source of info was Bravo, and me and my friends didn't know German (only basic words from war films). Their songs ...

 The number of entries for my blog. Magic of numbers, but also an opportunity to stop and look back, and even  make some conclusions. I never read my old posts, hope I don't repeat myself, so it will be interesting to do it just for once David Cassidy is remembered all over the world. Of course I know that a reader from Hong Kong could mean an English lady who lives there, and a lot of readers have visited my blog only once and never returned back..but anyway it's an impressive list. So.. Asia :Azerbaijan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan,  Malaysia, Nepal Africa - only once, one hit from The Ivory Coast. North America - Canada, Puerto Rico, USA Central America - British Virgin Islands South America - Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay Europe - Austria, Belgium,  Cyprus,  Czech Republic,  Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel,  Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK of ...

Yesterday I wrote that DC rearly sang duets, he was a solo act, sometimes painfully alone on stage. But on the other hand he was very good as a part of a team, a group, as a singer and also as an actor. He sang together with some very known artists, among them with those two global superstars, but on both occasions no one thought about taking pics.(or maybe they are somewhere..?) The first mini concert was a very private one. John Lennon and David Cassidy playing and singing together, talking and laughing and drinking wine, on New Years Eve, the last day of December 1974. What a great opening scene for the movie it would be : ' Susan woke me up and said, 'David, I think there's a Beatle in the house'' (David Cassidy: Could It Be Forever?, 2007). They were also talking about their current work, eg about DC's version of Be-Bop-a-Lula. And John also recorded that song, nearly at the same time as David. This is an outstanding, and exciting DC's version of that h...

   I love  discovering the stories behind the DC's songs. He recorded or performed on stage a lot of covers, but he always  added something from himself, from his own experiences, those covers became his own, different and sometimes better than the originals.  This is a story of a song which David Cassidy often performed live in the 2010s, and this blues standard was the last song sung by him on his posthumous 'Songs My Father Taught Me' EP. Fighting with pain, trying to make it, for himself, for his father, for his family and friends, for his band, and for us, his fans. His last gift for us..And the band..OMG, so much love, they played their best. Big words, but  I have to write it - perfection and art. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bI8T47s27A Sweet Little Angel, it's a blues standard, once it had  another title, and was recorded for the first time by a woman, Lucille Bogan, in 1930 .The most famous version was made by B.B. King  in 1956, and ...

First the original (which I love) from 1968, by Traffic, called 'Feelin Alright?'.  There is more famous version, recorded by Joe Cocker in 1969, with the title without a question mark, but I think Joe had no idea what he was singing about. Dave Mason, the author, told that it was a song about a broken relationship, but I've also read some interpretations, that this song is in fact about a relationship with drinking... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYXxbtkGtW0 The David's concerts in 2013, they were truly amazing, and there were some fans who actually followed DC and saw him performing as many times as possible. He played open outdoor concerts or in casinos, for bigger or smaller audience, sometimes for not more than 400 people. David Cassidy had various health problems - laryngitis, he had a cut above one eye and was given 8 stitches on it, and some other issues. David told fans about his injures during his performances. One of the best concerts that year was played ...

 Not me. He is 17 and I could have been his grandmother. I'm joking of course. It's because  recently I've spend a lot of time with this boy and his singing family. Writing synopsis, taking some screenshots.It's amazing how Keith kept changing. And the show. In the first season he was just a member of TPF, there were long minutes without DC on the set, songs performed off  screen, like in the 2nd ep. 'The Sound Of Money' or in 'Danny and the Mob','They Shoot Managers, Don't They ?', some songs weren't sung by David, even if from the start was obvious that he had a great voice, it was pure magic. Like when he was singing that short fragment in 'To Be Lovers' (episode 11). When David sings  this is the most wonderful song ever, so sincere and innocent, without his voice it's just dull. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1DTmE-NjKw From the start they worked on Keith's look. At the beginning Keith was just a member of the famil...

David Cassidy played only 25 concerts in 2013, but they were outstanding.While performing with Peter  Noone and Micky Dolenz they remembered  their late friend, Davy Jones, and at each concert they sang together - 'Daydream Believer' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3t1Vwo8qho On March 3rd, DC attended the first David T. Jones Memorial/Monkees Convention , it was held in East Rutheford, New Jersey , and a charity was founded called Davy Jones Equine Memorial Foundation.David gave an interview on stage, he talked about his friendship with Davy Jones, he was also on stage with Davy's 4 daughters. Some fans were disappointed that David didn't give autographs etc...but it wasn't about him ,he was a guest . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ILQ_7XpMs  David Cassidy's solo concerts in 2013. OMG..My English is too limited.David was mesmerizing..I just can't describe those performances, I would have jumped and screamed  if I had been there.What a voice, what a perfo...

 Herman's Hermits recorded a cover of that song as their debut single in 1964 , #1 in the UK , and #13 in the US. Here is TPF's version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rNLDVBFVPo This is a post on some of David Cassidy's concerts from 2013 , and that year  he appeared on stage 25 times , and in 9 cases with another former teen idol ,  actor - singer , Peter Noone. Peter Noone became the lead singer of Herman's Hermits when he was just 15 (born 1947). The group was from Manchester , and from 1964 to 1968 they were very popular , and really huge in the US with 2  Top 1 hits there. They were known in Poland too, their songs  were still  played on our radio in the 70s. I loved 'No Milk Today' written by a teen ..Graham Gouldman , and especially 'The End Of The World' . It's a song known from a lot of  other versions , but I love Peter Noone's cover.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U7_r2C6Q5A Peter left the group in 1971, and ..that's really fu...

David Cassidy's tv career started in spectacular way in 1969. In 2013 , after nearly 44 years he had his last tv role, on a popular CBS show called 'CSI' , David played a veteran poker player , Peter Coe , a murder victim. That episode was called 'Last Woman Standing' and was aired on February 27th .I've once seen a short fragment of it on YT, but I can't find it now. Maybe it's better , that episode is really drastic ,and DC's character is murdered in an elevator (in a very unpleasant way).. David Cassidy's tv career..some lost chances..Let's listen to this song written by Adam Miller, it's about the lost love of course , but.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWxlrioMjx0 He first appeared on The Survivors aired November 7, 1969 , later the same year  was Ironside (Dec25th) , in 1970 - The FBI (Jan4th) , Marcus Welby (Jan13th) , Adam-12 (Feb14th) ..and the next day on Feb 5th - Bonanza , Medical Centre (April 1st) , Mod Squad (April 7th)....

I was really afraid that I wasn't be able to listen to the Virtual  Fundrising event last night. ITILY Animal Foundation and those special guests, David Cassidy's friends. Very late hour , 1am for me , and 12 hours later I was to be (at my best) at the very important family event..And the weather. All day long on Friday it was very hot and sauna like , and suddenly about 7pm it got dark, a very strong wind began to blow, torrential rain, a powerful storm. And because I live in a forest , very often a storm means no electricity..I set an alarm clock on 1 a.m. and went to sleep (I can sleep in every conditions) , when I woke up, the weather was the same , but the electricity was still there. I started watching on You Tube, but only about 30 people were there , so I switched on FB. More fans , a lot of comments , those who missed the event can watched it  here. https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&v=334947324775936&ref=watch_permalink So...

On the pic there is  Holy Trinity Church in West Orange , NJ , where David's grandmother was the head of the senior choir , and DC  became a member of that choir too , as soon as he was big enough.  His mother , Evelyn Ward was born in 1923  in West Orange , and her ancestors were among the founders of Newark, New Jersey.  A few days ago I published a post on DC's last concerts in the UK in 2012 , and at the end of it  I wrote that it was also a year when his mother died. And I've thought that maybe I should write a post on her . Of course , like every DC fan I know a lot about Evelyn , from DC's books , his interviews, I've seen This Is Your Life in which she took part, and  there are some pics.. But she had also her own career , and I've tried to find sth more about it . She was not only David's mother and Jack's first wife.  Let's start with that beautiful  song (great Tony Romeo again)  David/Keith sings for his screen mother , a rea...

  I just have listened to Louise Poynton's conversation with Bruce Kimmel. It's taken me some time, it's long, more than 100 minutes. Wow..Where to start ? Maybe with a song , Bruce was so lucky, David Cassidy was singing for him, one of the biggest TPF's hits . Tony Romeo's and..DC's masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqBc549rcF4 It's obvious that they liked each other, David and Bruce and Susan..and Shirley. Bruce Kimmel said :' I loved them all , and they loved me. Like being in a family'. And they wanted him on the set . Bruce Kimmel appeared as 4 different Laurie's boy friends on 5 TPF's episodes. They hit it off immediately, became friends also off the set , had great time together. He is very generous , Bruce Kimmel is, in spite of being so busy himself , he finds time to share his memories with fans. Last year on the 50th TPF's anniversary, and he will be in Las Vegas next year for DC's star ceremony. It's not ea...

 At the beginning of May 2019 I spent a few days in Liverpool. I was to meet with my English friends and  I also wanted to see the city. It was very cold and  windy , but it was a great stay, I loved Merseyside Maritime Museum , and especially Walker Art Gallery with just amazing collection of the 20th century works , also  Lucian Freud's and David Hockney's paintings , and   Liverpool is a great walking city , so I walked a lot through the streets of  The Beatles' native hometown . I was to meet with my friends at the Royal Albert Dock  and because I came there too early , I started just strolling aimlessly at the Dock and in the area,  at last I found a nice bench ,  sat down and started searching Internet for the Echo Arena..Yes, very funny , it was just about 200 meters from my bench...Echo Arena, David Cassidy played there his last concert in the UK , on November 17 th, 2012..His very first concert in England was not far from the Ec...

On Friday , July 9th , at 7 p.m. EDT , I Think I Love You Animal Fundation will hold its first  world - wide online event - 'David Cassidy Then & Now ' 'Then And Now' was the title of David Cassidy's album released in October 2001 in the UK ( and it achieved Platinum Sale Status there ) and in 2002 in the US and Australia. With a few exceptions all songs on that album were new versions of the old TPF's hits.They were recorded for David Cassidy's biopic by the original band from the 70s , in the original , old studio . Mike Melvoin said : 'It was like everybody put themselves back in time and relieved that moment.' So let's listen to 51 year old David Cassidy singing his first and the biggest hit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHuIJM5BFPo&list=PLWcJ94kdcJREhTlTSFwatdjEC58Ohq14j Then & Now 2021 , I think that like DC's album, this event  will  be also about the past and the present. The story of David Cassidy's life is over , ...

  There are two reasons that I'm writing about  Louise Poynton's podcast again   1. The Cassidy Connections  is just priceless . Each guest , each conversation is like meeting a new friend who wants to share some amazing stories with us. For me it's also a source of new info. 2. Don't ask me why , because I don't know , it was a pure accident , but I've removed the first post on Louise's podcast, published on my blog on June 16th. It was 2 days ago, a crazy day for me , in a hurry all the time , and every 5 free minutes I spend working on my blog's new design..And..it's happened, and because I haven't saved it, that post has gone forever.. But I really believe that every cloud has silver lining , and for me it's an opportunity to write about The Cassidy Connections again https://thedavidcassidyconnections.libsyn.com/ In that first post Ive written how I've enjoyed listening to Philip Clark's story, and now I want to write about a conv...