Shawn Cassidy--That's Rock and Roll (1977)

     Shawn Cassidy is known, much like his half-brother David (they shared the same Dad, Jack Cassidy, while Shirley Jones was his Mother) as 70's teen idols. However, that was the about the only similarity. Shawn had what would be considered a "normal" teen idol trajectory: the music came first, then other doors opened. David's early career would have been more akin to Davy Jones, in that the music was created FOR television as well as radio.
     Also, as much as Shawn loved music, the acting bug bit early. (he used to beg his mom to get a spot part on 'The Partridge Family', but she refused citing that he needed to focus on his studies), Since he never had to burden being typecast ala Keith Partridge, when he won the gig to play in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, people saw it a novelty, but the transition was a smooth one. In fact, the show outlasted his life on the music charts.
       This opened up more opportunities to act and in 1980-81 he was cast in the show, "Breaking Away". For most of the 80's and into the 90's, he followed the path of his parents, spending most of his time on the stage. Since the mid-90's however, he has concentrated on writing and producing for television for shows like, "American Gothic", "Invasion", and "Blue Bloods".
     "That's Rock and Roll" was his second hit in the late summer of 1977, and the first of two written by ex-Raspberries front man Eric Carman (the other one was Cassidy's next hit, "Hey Deanie").

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Eric Carmen--All By Myself (1975)

     Eric Carmen was the lead singer of one of my favorite bands of all times. The Raspberries who became one of the groundbreaking bands of what is now known as power pop. They were also highly misunderstood by a press that couldn't pigeonhole them, and by a public who seemingly couldn't either. What they were however, was a band who could play straight-ahead rock and roll with a leaning towards The Who and, who just as easily could sound like a Beatles/Beach Boys hybrid with gorgeous harmonies and inventive melodies.
      The frustration with attempting to just be seen as a serious rock band finally led to the break-up of the group. Carmen went into a solo career and his first outing was based on the 2nd movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor (interestingly enough, his second hit was also based on a piece by the same composer). It reached #2 on the charts in early 1976 and was the first of eight top 40 hits. It has spawned several dozen covers and launched Carmen into a success that eluded him with his previous group. Over the last decade or so, he works on projects now and then, and reunited with his former group for a tour and a fantastic live CD.

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