The David Cassidy Connections

Sharron Liddle has been a David Cassidy fan since the 1970s and is the driving force behind a happy trail of memorials around London which pay tribute to his legacy.

Sharron runs the David Cassidy Group of Great Britain on Facebook, which strives to ensure his name and contribution to the musical and cultural fabric of the UK is never forgotten.

Their first tribute was a plaque outside the stage door at the Phoenix Theatre where he starred in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers. It was unveiled by radio presenter, Mike Read in September 2018. Other tributes at the time included a star in the Hall of Fame at the Bristol Hippodrome where David starred in Blood Brothers with Clodagh Rogers.

In our conversation, Sharron talks about the legacy trail which has evolved which also includes a plaque within the Phoenix Garden opposite the theatre which carries the symbolic words "Dreams, Wishes and Happy Trails", a Make a Wish Charity virtual wall in his memory, a bench plaque in Hammersmith Park, and a tribute of remembrance at St Giles Church next to the Phoenix.

Other memorials have been established at Wembley's Empire Pool (now Arena) where David sold out a record-breaking 6 shows in 3 days in 1973; Heathrow Airport on the site of what was the Queen's Building which fans packed onto when he arrived, or left, the UK in the 1970s. Outside of London there are memorials at Nottingham Concert Hall and on the iconic Sheffield Heart of Steel.

Details of all the tributes, animals adopted in his name and charities which have benefitted from the group's work, can be found on this site: https://bit.ly/34fgATJ

Sharron's Facebook group can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/DCgbteam/

You can read more about Sharron's life mission and why he has been so important in her life, in my book, Cherish David Cassidy A Legacy of Love. Published by Unicorn Publishing, Cherish is available from Amazon and major bookstores worldwide. https://amzn.to/33jQmAh

Darrell Lloyd singles out David Cassidy being responsible for his successful career as a photographer, an interest which started in 1970 when he was 10 years old.

Teen magazines played an important part in that development mainly through Tiger Beat, Flip, 16 as well as Rolling Stone, Look and TV Guide. In our conversation he explains those early influences through images of The Osmonds, The Jackson 5, Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy. Photographers that made a huge impact on him were Gene Trindl, Kenny Lieu, Annie Leibovitz and Henry Diltz.

"Images from these photographers were a constant influence on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly schedule. I would be at my local newsstands absorbing all the magazine covers my eyes could handle," he explained.

"As time grew on, a person became a common denominator of each photographer I admired. They all singled in on one subject in front of their cameras.....David Cassidy who was on the trajectory of becoming a teen idol of gigantic proportions, the likes the world had never seen before.

"The way photographers did shoots with David were second to none. The man was incapable of taking a bad photo.

"Because each photographer had their main focus on David was like a master class in photography for me. They taught me a lot about the proper way to compose a photo. I owe these photographers a tremendous debt that I could never repay in 10 lifetimes."

Darrell shares anecdotes about his photographic career, meeting David, and a revealing conversation he had with Mike Melvoin who was a member of The Wrecking Crew the musicians who worked on The Partridge Family music.

Darrell also calls for musicians who admire David's work to pay a special tribute to his music.

The world knows Brian Forster best as Chris Partridge, the youngest boy in The Partridge Family, and the group's drummer, which was his passport to fame.

On September 25, The Partridge Family will be 50 years old having first aired on ABC that day in 1970, and in our conversation Brian recalls his excitement of landing the role and how he learnt to play the drums.

He also also been a science teacher, wine maker, race winning race car driver and these days races historic Formula Ford single seaters.

He recently got his first British passport thanks to his family ancestry: his great, great, great grandfather was Charles Dickens, regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era writing A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.

His grandfather was Alan Napier, who played Alfred the faithful butler in the Batman television series; his mother actress Jennifer Raine; father Peter Forster a renowned director, television and film actor; and his stepfather Whit Bissell a character actor.

In our conversation, Brian reflects on:

• His favourite episodes as a member of The Partridge Family
• What he learnt from his co-star David Cassidy
• Explains how his drumming technique improved
• Talks about his passion for motor racing
• His love for wine making
• His family history
• Why he and his wife might move to the United Kingdom

Best known for his work on ABC-TV's daytime drama, All My Children for over 30 years – 15 of those years as a director – Michael Pomarico has been a loyal David Cassidy fan since 1970.

In this episode, Michael reflects on his own career, David's acting career on television and the stage, relives David's 1972 Madison Square Garden concert, offers an analysis of David's songs and the respect he had from his peers.

Michael speaks movingly about seeing David in concert at the Garden State Arts Centre, Madison Square Garden and being present at his final show in New York 45 years later.

Michael was nominated 18 times for daytime Emmy Awards, winning six times, and we talk about how he would, if given the chance, directed The Partridge Family.

He began his career at ABC-TV in Master Control at the ABC Broadcast Center in New York directly from College. Michael moved on to work as a Technical Director – doing ABC sports integrations and worked with Howard Cosell on his Saturday Afternoon magazine show Sportsbeat. He was technical director for Howard's interview with boxing legend, Gerry Cooney.

In 1983 he became a full time Technical Director on All My Children, moving into directing in 1996. He directed All My Children in New York, Los Angeles, and then went on to direct the Web version of "All My Children" for Prospect Park (production company) in Connecticut in 2013 after the cancellation of the Network series.

Michael has worked with many outstanding actors and musicians from the worlds of Daytime TV, Primetime, and Pop Music. These include musicians: The Young Rascals, The O'Jays, Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge; actors such as Susan Lucci, Carol Burnett, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, David Canary, Cameron Matheson, Sara Michelle Gellar, Lee Meriweather, Stevie Wonder, Josh Duhmal, Eva LaRue, Abigail Spencer, James Mitchell, JR Martinez, Amanda Seyfreid, Michael B. Jordan.

Early in 2016, Michael assisted with the live theatrical production of a one-woman show – Tammy Faye Tweets produced by and starring Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing, 1980's Original Dallas TV show) in Los Angeles, California at the Whitefire Theatre. In the Fall of 2016 Michael directed Season 2 of the web based, Pride: The Series on Amazon Prime.

His most ambitious project was for charity – a Historical Talk Show (Town Hall) for Holmdel, New Jersey, his hometown. The show was recorded in front of a live audience. The 3-hour program hosted by one of the High School's prominent teachers included interviews and clips telling the story of the High School's beginning by the men and women who created it. Michael produced, directed, edited, and authored the program on DVD as a fundraiser for the school's football field refurbishment. This program went on to win two Telly Awards in the Directing Category and the Editing Category.

Currently Michael is part of the creative team of two Drama/Comedy programs that are in development and are being prepped for presentation to various streaming platforms.

Michael enjoys spending time at the Jersey Shore with his wife and two children, visiting friends around the country, and attending concerts with his family and friends.

Michael shared more personal memories of his career and role David has had in his life and that of his family, in my book, Cherish David Cassidy – A Legacy of Love available from Amazon and leading bookstores.

In this week's episode fans explain why and how David mattered. This month – September 2020 – it is 50 years since The Partridge Family first aired on ABC in the United States; the night he entered our hearts and minds. It is, as he once sang, a love there is no cure for.

It's wrong to say we don't think of David – he has been such an important part of our lives for 50 years – and because we have always loved him for what he represented to us, the way he made us feel and how he unknowingly played an important role in our growth, we will always remember him.

You will hear how he influenced fans including Leigh Ashton who was born in Manchester, England, moving to South Africa when he was three. He launched his career as a singer-songwriter when he was 19, releasing his first single in 1975. Two years later he had a hit with his self-penned song, Tanya, in a career inspired by David's vocals.

Visit the Leigh Ashton Home Recordings channel on You Tube to hear more of his work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh6b6B68-GI

Recalling on this podcast how David impacted on young lives are fans from Australia, Poland, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. They include Peter K Ackerman, who recalls meeting him on the set of The Partridge Family. Peter is the son of executive television producer Harry Ackerman, who worked on popular family series' including The Flying Nun and Bewitched. Peter's mother is actress, Elinor Donahue who played the role of Betty Anderson in the 1950s sitcom, Father Knows Best.

A very special thanks to the fabulous fans who, in this episode, share their memories: Peter K Ackerman, Leigh Ashton, Barbara Balducci, Regina Chapman, Weronika Cyrynger, Dr Haley Gienow-McConnell, Alison Haines, Michael Lefner, Suzanne McConnell, Lizbeth McAnary Pierce, Clea Mylonas, Sally Newman, Joanne Rizzo, Robin Silva, Liz Tiley, Yasmin Wendling.

You can read more about these fans and their memories along with friends, colleagues and tributes from David's peers in the award-nominated book, Cherish David Cassidy – A Legacy of Love, available from Amazon and leading book stores worldwide

https://amzn.to/3h3OTS1

Name a popular television series from the 1960s through to the late 1980s, and chances are the name of director, Ralph Senensky, will be listed on the credits – the original series of Star Trek, The FBI, The Waltons, Hart to Hart and Dynasty are among the dozens of shows he directed in his distinguished career – including seven episodes of The Partridge Family.

At 97, Ralph Senensky, is a great storyteller. Growing up in Mason City, Iowa, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life but his love for the movies was always a constant presence. He shares his story of how Gone With The Wind was the film which had the most impact on his life and career path.

He first directed The Partridge Family in June 1970 with the episode, When Mother Gets Married, and went on to work on a further six episodes – To Play Or Not To Play, A Partridge Up A Pear Tree, 40 Year Itch, Dora! Dora! Dora!, Guess Who's Coming To Drive and The Undergraduate.

In our conversation, he reflects on his career, the seven weeks with The Partridge Family, how he remembers working with David, recalling his experience of seeing David's father, Jack, on stage and working with his own favourite actress, Barbara Stanwyck.

More information about Ralph Senensky's career can be found on his website, Ralph's Cinema Trek: https://senensky.com

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Kaity Floyd treats us to a world exclusive performance of a song she wrote about her inspiration, David Cassidy, which she sings before explaining how she would like it to be recorded.

Kaity admits she was born too late to absorb the excitement of the 1970s. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter cites David Cassidy as one of the biggest musical influences on her career.

In this episode, Kaity talks about being a "tom boy" while growing up with the influence on her career of musicians from Axl Rose to Julie Andrews.

She explains how she writes her music and talks about David's impact on her chosen path.

From Texas, she has played at numerous venues including The Palladium, Freedom Fest, Dallas Lakewood Theatre, Celebrate Freedom, and The Curtain Club.

You can read more about Kaity's life story in my book, Cherish David Cassidy – A Legacy of Love available from Amazon and leading bookstores.

Kaity's website link:

http://sheisfloyd.com/index.html

Philip Clark has been an ardent fan of David Cassidy since October 1973 when David released his Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes album.

David Cassidy has been a strong source of inspiration and influence in different aspects of Philip's life. He talks about David's impact, his music and why he needs to be recognised for his contribution to music.

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In this introduction, Louise Poynton invites fans of David Cassidy to explain why he has meant so much to them in their lives.