August 3, 2001: The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Entertainer David Cassidy has managed to spend at least one day a year in Saratoga Springs during race season since he performed at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in the 1970s.

Last year, he came back as part of KidsCharities.org, an umbrella organization for children's causes run by his wife, Sue.

Saturday, he'll be part of the crowd in the At The Rail Pavilion for David Cassidy Day at the Races.

''Last year was our first year,'' he said. ''We raised $50,000, and this year we hope to raise $75,000 to $100,000.''

Tickets for the event cost $150 per person or $250 per couple. Funds support the Belmont Child Care Association, the Northeast Parent & Child Society, and The Catie Hoch Foundation for Neuroblastoma Research.

Patrons are treated to an enjoyable day at the racecourse, with a luncheon feast and open bar, courtesy of the New York Racing Association. There's the golden opportunity to mingle with Cassidy and racing celebrities, a silent auction with a wide range of items, including sports memorabilia, trips and art.

''There's no place finer than Saratoga,'' said Cassidy, who intends to build a summer home in Saratoga Springs next year. ''There's charm, history and maybe the greatest racing in the world. NYRA has created a great picnic atmosphere for families,'' he said.

NYRA has been very supportive of the charity, part of which is directed toward children of backstretch workers. Retired jockey and agent Angel Cordero and jockey John Velazquez will be on hand Saturday, he said.

Racing fans may be interested to know that Cassidy owns and races several horses at Saratoga Race Course. Lady du Jour raced last week, and the Sultress of Swing is expected to race Monday.

''I've been moving my life away from the West Coast, back to my roots in the East,'' he said. The New York City-bred singer and entertainer keeps his horses in New York and Florida. A few are in Canada, so Cassidy can pop up just about anywhere in public.

He's in the middle of a concert tour now, and will perform in North Boston and Chicago this month.

Saturday, for sure, he'll be at Saratoga Race Course.

''My wife is passionate about this charity and works all day, every day for it,'' he said. She isn't paid for her work, and corporate sponsors cover the cost of administrative help.

''When you donate, it all goes to the umbrella charity,'' Cassidy said.
 

For more information on David Cassidy Day at the Races, contact Debbie Avellino, Northeast regional director of the charity, at 581-7610 or log on throughout the year to www.kidscharities.org or davidcassidy.com.

David Cassidy will release his first album on a major label in 11 years this October when Universal Records U.K. puts out Then and Now. Cassidy, who is now signed to Universal worldwide, says a U.S. release has not yet been secured, but he's hoping for a 2002 release.

"We're going to meet with Universal's [U.S. team], when I deliver the CD in about six weeks," says Cassidy from London, where he's completing the project. "But I'm sure what they're going to say is, 'Let's see how it does in the U.K. and the rest of the world.' Whether they'll be committed to it depends upon who's there at the moment they get it."

Cassidy's last album, Old Dog New Trick, came out on his own label, Slamajama, in 1998. It featured the track "No Bridge I Wouldn't Cross," which reached No. 23 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Prior to that was 1990's David Cassidy, released on Enigma Records. Hit single "Lyin' to Myself" was No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 when the Capitol-distributed label folded.

After that disappointment, Cassidy focused on the stage, including stints in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Blood Brothers on Broadway with his brother Shaun.

In the mid-'90s, Cassidy replaced Michael Crawford in the Las Vegas show EFX. His success there led to two other Vegas shows, At the Copa (with Sheena Easton), in which he performed as well as produced, and The Rat Pack is Back, which he produced.

It was during At the Copa's run that Universal came calling. "They came to see the show eight or nine months ago," Cassidy says. "They said, 'No one has your material in the U.K.,' and I said, 'We can do something about that.'" The album will consist of new material that Cassidy has written (in some cases, with his wife, songwriter Sue Shifrin), his take on some classic tunes, such as Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," and remakes of some Partridge Family songs.

Cassidy is on his first U.S. tour in 10 years and will play more than 50 dates before the current leg ends in the fall. He plans to tour England in November and possibly follow with his first tour of the Far East in 25 years.

His U.S. dates included a July 21 show at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre that left him glowing: "The audience wasn't jaded at all; they were overtly enthusiastic. I just wanted to go out and play and have a great time and celebrate the fact that I've been doing this for 30 years. I love that they were so open." (The Beat, by Melinda Newman)

CLEVELAND -- A major exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will trace teen idols from Frank Sinatra to Britney Spears. "We're going to look at the phenomenon ... from the past to the present," said Jim Henke, the rock hall's chief curator. The exhibit likely will span from the early days of Sinatra in the 1940s to current youth sensations such as the Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera, Henke said. It's scheduled to open in spring 2002. The museum already has obtained memorabilia from several teen-idols, including David Cassidy, Debbie Gibson, New Kids on the Block, Neil Sedaka and Bobby Sherman. Memories and souvenirs from teenyboppers themselves will be "a big part" of the exhibit, Henke said. The museum hopes the exhibit will draw several generations of fans. "There will be something for everyone," Henke said. "Kids will be able to come with their parents or even their grandparents. Everybody had teen idols at some point." (AP)

HELP ME FIND MY TREASURED RING

Heartbroken David Cassidy is begging GLOBE readers to help him find a cherished ring given to him by his late father.
     "It's the most treasured possession I have and I am urging GLOBE readers to please, please help me get it back," pleads the former tean idol.
     The ex-Partridge Family star, who is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the heirloom, was 21 when his dad, actor Jack Cassidy, gave it to him.
     Five years later, in 1976, Jack, best known for his hundreds of TV guest shots on shows like Columbo and McCloud, perished in a fire at his Los Angeles apartment. Investigators believe the handsome star passed out while smoking a cigarette.
     David admits the tragedy triggered a bout of depression and a long battle with the bottle.
     Now 51 and with his career back on the track, the singer, who lives in Las Vegas with wife Sue and their 10-year-old son Beau, recently lost the precious keepsake during a concert tour. "I took it out on the road with me - I'm not sure which day," he tells GLOBE. Then he realized, "Oh my God, it's gone."
     "It's the only thing I have that my father gave me - the ONLY thing! My three brothers have one, my cousins have one - my father gave them to all the men in his family."
     The gold pinkle ring, which has his family crest bearing the word "Cassidy" and an inscription, is worth just a few hundred dollars but has priceless sentimental value for David.
     "I plan to pass it on to Beau when he reaches manhood," he says. "Please help me get it back."

If you know the whereabouts of David's ring, send an E-mail directly at info@davidcassidy.com  or contact Bob Burns at GLOBE 1-800-749-7733 ext. 1008.

This was the second year in a row The David Cassidy/KidsCharities.org put together a day at the races inside the At the Rail Pavilion at Saratoga Race Course.

On Saturday, an ''over sold'' crowd of more than 200 helped raise at least $75,000.

Founded in 1999 by Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, wife of entertainer David Cassidy, the non-profit organization, which assists children all over the world in various areas of need, has grown by leaps and bounds.

''It was my brainchild,'' said Sue Cassidy, who was quick to credit Chairwoman Debbie Avellino of Saratoga Springs with bringing a day at the races to fruition.

''When Kosovo occurred, we donated a song (''Message to the World'') we wrote and recorded with more than 80,000 people including celebrities as a fund-raiser for Warchild U.S.A.,'' she said.

A sponsorship by Yahoo helped give birth to KidsCharities.org utilizing the Internet as an ongoing way to assist children, she added.

Saturday's luncheon was specifically earmarked for Northeast Parent & Child Society, Belmont Child Care Association and the Catie Hoch Foundation.

The Catie Hoch Foundation was established in memory of a 9-year-old Clifton Park girl who lost her battle to neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive pediatric cancer. ''We established the foundation while she was alive,'' said her tearful mother Gina Peca of Clifton Park. ''We had a ball. She was an amazing child and we made the most of every single moment.''

Peca said she was upset over the fact there was little research being done for pediatric cancers. She also recognized young patients needed a break from their cancer. The foundation has since raised more than $60,000 helping 25 families to date.

A grant also was given to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City to provide funding for families to treat their children to a day in the city. ''A social worker usually gives them $50 to do something fun with their child,'' Peca continued. ''It's difficult when I think of Catie. She helped come up with ideas for kids to do such things as go to F.A.O. Schwartz (a toy store). She'd write down all the fun places so others could have fun.''

Money from the foundation also purchased $17,000 worth of equipment to upgrade the neuroblastoma lab at the hospital.

While guests bet horses, ate wonderful food and perused more than 100 silent auction items, David Cassidy signed autographs, posed for pictures, graciously chatted with the guests and took time to be interviewed by FOX23 News.

Cassidy and his wife Sue hope to eventually be summer Saratoga Springs residents. About a year ago they purchased 10 acres just outside the city to build a home.

''We have two homes in Las Vegas where I'm in the process of doing shows and touring,'' he said. ''By next year we hope to have a plan (for here), but realistically it most likely will be the year after that before we can build.''

Cassidy, who was born in New York and brought to the Spa City by his mom who was doing summer stock here, admits he can't get Saratoga off his mind. Having about five horses to race here could also have something to do with it. ''It is just one of the prettiest places I've seen. I've been here at least one day a year for the past 26 and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can come to stay at the place I just love the most.''

Faces in the crowd included locals Mary Beth Onyon, a member of the luncheon committee; Diane Dodd, who lost a son to liver cancer years ago; Cathy and Peter Belmonte; Mary Song and Assemblyman James Tedisco; and Diane and Richard Bomze, owners of Fourstardave, who are very involved with Belmont Child Care Association, which will have its own fund-raiser Aug. 22 at Canfield Casino (call 516-358-7224); horse owners Eileen and Joe Cornacchia and Laura and Eugene Melnyk, whose horse Edey's Village won the third race.

Also, Holly and Bill Carroll, Donna Smith and Jim Bissett and Darlene and Dr. Jerry Bilinski.

For more information about The David Cassidy/KidsCharities.org log on www.KidsCharities.org.

The seventies icon David Cassidy has parted with his management company (run by Engelbert Humperdinck's son) after it sold tickets to a comeback UK tour apparently without his consent.  Cassidy has apologised to his fans after Scott Dorsey's WAM Management sold tickets for the shows in October.
     "I never committed to these dates", he writes on davidcassidy.com.  "They were booked and advertised without my knowledge or consent, and with absolutely no contractual or verbal agreements."
     The 51 year old actor-singer says "I will be doing some dates in England, as promised, in conjunction with the release of my new CD Then And Now, in October. He confirms that all tickets purchased with be refunded.

The vibrant nature of Rat Pack takes audiences back to that timeless and unforgettable old Las Vegas era, says Sahara Marketing and Entertainment Director Jackie Brett. She's right. Brett adds, "Over the last year this show has found its niche at the Sahara. We are just thrilled to have it with us through March of next year."

The show has been rotating a list of leads since it opened at the Sahara more than a year ago. Steve Lippia, a well regarded singer who has the sound and stylings of Sinatra down to a "T," has recently been starring as the Rat Pack's charismatic ringleader. Other current stars include Doug Starks, Rick Michel and Mark Cohen. The Rat Pack debuted at the Desert Inn in July 1999, where it received numerous accolades from the local and national media.

Multi-talented David Cassidy and partner Don Reo are its producers and creators. How good is the show at recapturing that long-ago "Rat Pack" era of the early 1960s? Judge for yourself from the fact that the production continues to be dogged by legal problems in the form of suits filed by the estates of some of the original "Rat Pack" originals whocontend the Cassidy-Reo creation took unlicensed advantage of the images of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis and so forth.

As of several weeks ago, the suit remained unsettled. It is being watched closely by a number of Las Vegas entertainment insiders, some of whom believe that if Cassidy and Reo lose, the impact could affect the use of celebrity impersonators in other shows. That's why advertising for the current show is very non-specific about the image Rat Pack is intended to evoke.

For certain women of a certain age, there's never been another man quite as sexy as David Cassidy. That yearning voice, those deep dimples, that feathered hair -- it can all make a fan's heart skip a beat just the way it did when she was 10 and thought carrying a Partridge Family lunchbox to school was just soooooo cool.

Well, here's some good news for anyone who's still got the Cherish LP kicking around: David Cassidy has just signed his first major record deal in more than a decade. Then and Now, the first album under the deal with Universal Music U.K., will be released in October. Even better, Cassidy is touring in the U.S. now, and plans to expand the tour next year.

Cassidy, of course, was the star of The Partridge Family, an ABC sitcom about a single mother (played by Shirley Jones, who happened to be Cassidy's step-mom in  real life) and her six singing kids who all travelled around in a psychedelic bus. The show ran from 1970 to '74 and during those years, Cassidy had the biggest fan club in history, bigger even than The Beatles or Elvis. At 21 he was  the world's highest-paid performer, breaking box office records at concert venues around the world.

But after The Partridge Family and a couple of fairly successful solo albums, Cassidy seemed to drop from sight. For years he was haunted by his teen-idol past; no one took him seriously as either a musician or an actor. His personal life was a mess, too. (For more dish on David, check the official Web site www.davidcassidy.com or track down last year's cheesy made-for-TV biopic.)

These days, though, he's happily married, with a 10-year-old son, and he's got a successful stage career, especially in Vegas where he is a hugely popular headliner.

And although the long, feathered hair is cropped to a more grown-up look, that voice and those lovely dimples remain.

   He may not have arrived in a hip, psychedelic bus, but David Cassidy came to Joliet this weekend.

   For the first time in 10 years, Cassidy is back on the road, entertaining fans across the country with hits spanning his entire career. These days, instead of singing to screaming teen-age fans, Cassidy is now crooning to an audience comprising three generations.

   "I'm having the best time I've ever had," Cassidy said. "This is the icing on the cake of the last 30 years."

   Cassidy performed at Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet on Saturday as part of a Harrah's exclusive tour. Most of the tickets were distributed by Harrah's and the rest were sold; all were gone within four days, said Steve Marshall, the casino's director of marketing.

   For this tour Cassidy took requests from his fans, literally. Using his official Web site, Cassidy asked fans to list their top five songs. The No. 1 song was Cherish.

   Not all of the songs listed were his old hits. Cassidy said that two of the top five songs were from his 1998 album, Old Dog New Trick.

   Cassidy has also been performing music from At the Copa and The Rat Pack is Back, two shows in Las Vegas that he created with writer-producer Don Reo, and hits from The Partridge Family.

   So far fans have reacted well to the playlist.

   "The reaction by the audience is so overwhelming," Cassidy said.

   The tour is not the only thing new for Cassidy. His latest album Then and Now will be released by Universal Records UK in the United Kingdom this October. American fans can look for it sometime during the first quarter of next year.

   As the title suggests, the album is a culmination of his career, including new songs and remakes of earlier works.

   To promote his new album, Cassidy will be touring in the UK in November and Australia later in the year. He has not performed in the UK in more than a decade because he has been working in the United States.

   "It's time," Cassidy said. "I have worked so long in the U.S. that a lot of fans haven't seen me."

   Cassidy had never been in Joliet but said he was looking forward to coming. He also had a message for fans attending the concert.

   "Come prepared to scream and shout and bring the roof down."

Gill Scott thought she was Daydreaming. The teen dream idol who had captured her heart more than 30 years ago was coming back to Newcastle, and she had front row seats.

But her dreams were shattered while surfing the net when she found out her David Cassidy tour tickets were not worth the perforated card they were printed on.

It was 1970 when Gill, of Westcliffe Road, Sunderland, first got bitten by the Cassidy bug when she tuned in to the hit American TV show The Partridge Family.

The show, casting Cassidy as its juvenile star, launched his career and a string of chart hits including Daydream, Could it be Forever and How Can I Be Sure?

Gill last saw the object of her affection back in 1987 when he showed that he still had the magic to wow the crowd at a gig at Newcastle City Hall.

But as 42-year-old Gill looked forward to recapturing the excitement of her youth at Newcastle Arena, her anticipation was cut short by a message from the man himself on his official website, quashing 'rumours' of an alleged UK tour in November.

She said: "I bought two tickets back in June after I saw an advert in one of the Sunday papers for the show at the arena on November 14. Being a mad ex-teenybopper, I thought I would treat myself.

"When I visited his website and saw the message saying that there was no tour, I was gobsmacked. I can't believe the tickets went on sale when David Cassidy obviously knew nothing about the tour."

After her initial disappointment, Gill said she was determined to get to the bottom of the 'mystery tour,' and contacted Ticketmaster - the company she bought the tickets from.

She said: "The person I spoke to said the tickets had been taken off sale but that they had no idea why."

The website says fans will receive a full refund for any tickets they have bought.

But Gillian said Ticketmaster couldn't confirm whether she would get a refund for the two £25 tickets, or indeed the £2.90 booking fee for each ticket.

The 'tour' to which the website refers was to take in venues from Glasgow to Plymouth and was being promoted by World Artist Management, (WAM).

Spokeswoman for David Cassidy, Jo Geffen, said: "David never ever, ever agreed to the dates, the venues or any part of the tour. These people never managed him. What he is trying to do now is take WAM to court in the UK to force them to notify venues that the tour is cancelled.

"He has told the venues himself, but they have no contract with him. Their contract is with WAM and the only way fans will get a refund is if WAM are made to officially cancel the tour."

She said he was doing everything he could to organise a UK tour as near to the WAM-promoted dates as possible, when he would be promoting his forthcoming album Then and Now.

Anthony Bishop, executive producer at WAM management said: "Obviously we are aware of the website, but at the moment I am unable to comment any further." A spokeswoman for Telewest Arena said: "All we know is that the tickets are no longer on sale."

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