Happy Birthday to David Cassidy

I've been doing this blog almost every day for 4 months now without ever resorting to ask the question, "what would my readers want to see?". Oldies music is such a broad subject, that I figured that whatever I wrote about...it would be read. This morning there are two birthdays that caught my eye. One was Tiny Tim, the folk singer who's, "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" was a hit in the late 60's.....and then I see the other and quickly cave to what I know will be a much more popular blog....shame on me.

The debate among middle school girls in the early 70's was, "David Cassidy or Donny Osmond". I never fully understood (until much later) why Michael Jackson wasn't in the debate, but was always amused how little talent entered into the equation. Of course, from the early 60's till now, talent had little to do in the "teen idol" star maker machinery. The story of David Cassidy was one of who wanted to go the path of a rock musician, but followed the door (Television) that was open to him. Unfortunately, the "machinery" behind the door almost ate him alive, but as opposed to many teen idols, he re-invented himself and has enjoyed a long and fruitful career as an actor/singer.

As we look back 40 years we see that the actual music of The Partridge Family and David Cassidy has held up incredibly well. Much like the Monkees, they were made for TV, but the music written was top notch pop. What separated them from the other TV groups was the fact that Cassidy was a true charismatic figure who not only looked good on the screen, but had a great voice. In interviews I've seen over the years, he has come to peace over who he was, and who he is now which is always great to see....so those of us on the Bus which him a great 61st birthday. And....we'll have that blog about Tiny Tim soon....I promise....:--)