“It was the first recording I ever bought,” Shaun Cassidy said of “Da Doo Ron Ron,” the 1963 classic written by the “Brill Building” writers – Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector. Fourteen years after The Ronettes’ version hit the charts and peaked at #3, Shaun’s own recording of the song went straight to the top, a number one hit for pop music’s new teen idol. It was a fitting debut: a pop classic sung by someone who seemed to embody the California “Pop” dream. With his golden boy good looks and show business lineage (his mother is Shirley Jones, Academy Award-winning actress and star of countless Broadway musicals, as well as “the mom” in The Partridge Family; his father, the late stage and screen actor, Jack Cassidy), Shaun seemed perfect for the late ‘70’s, an era when being young and having a good time were definitely au courant. Countless fans, too, were more than willing to embrace the half-brother of David Cassidy, who seven years earlier had enjoyed the teen idol status along with stepmom Shirley Jones in the singing group/TV show The Partridge Family. In fact, after Shaun went to #1, he and “Mrs. Partridge” became the first (and still only) mother-son combination to have both had their own number one singles. “That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll” was the follow-up, a song that went to #3 in 1977, written by the former lead singer of The Raspberries, Eric Carmen. Shaun’s recording of another Carmen song, “Hey Deanie,” went top ten the following year. His performance didn’t go critically unnoticed: Shaun was nominated for a “Best New Artist” Grammy in 1977. Both the songs and Shaun’s delivery of same were seamless pop at it’s best, part of a tradition we’ve since come to love and respect in an age where production now replaces melody. In addition to including his top ten hits, this one-of-a-kind collection also features some of Shaun’s own compositions including “Teen Dream,” the definitive teen anthem of its time (1979); the hard-driving story song “Break For The Street” (1979); the upbeat “Hard Love;” and a song that could have easily been an early Wham! hit, even though it predates that group by about five years – “She’s Right” (1979). Shaun’s rendition of the Lovin’ Spoonful classic “Do You Believe In Magic” is featured here, as is his cover of the Ian Hunter song, “Once Bitten Twice Shy.” Shaun’s version by the way, was recorded in 1980, ten years before Great White’s hit cover, and was produced by the legendary Todd Rundgren, who also produced two of the other songs on this collection – “Cool Fire” and “So Sad About Us.” Shaun’s recording of the Brian Wilson-penned “It’s Like Heaven” is another selection Shaun himself chose for this first-of-its-kind collection. In addition to his musical career, Shaun also pursued acting. He starred in two TV Series: The Hardy Boy’s Mysteries and Breaking Away. Shaun’s numerous stage credits include the Broadway production of Mass Appeal; the world premier of Pass/Fail at the Mark Taper Forum; Joyce Carl Oates’ The Triumphs Of The Spider Monkey at the Los Angeles Theatre Center; and Peter Sheridan’s Diary Of A Hunger Strike for which Shaun won a Dramalogue Award as “Best Actor.” He also starred in the world premier of Dangerous Music, and in 1980 made his London stage debut opposite Jerry Hill in the West End production of Bus Shop. It’s Shaun’s memorable foray into pop music that this special collection salutes, one which should bring back great memories for many fans. Another listen
