When We're Singin'

Kickstarter's Staff more than Likes it, They LOVE it! Featured on their Blog!

70s Music, Kickstarter, Partridge Family Music, Partridge Family TV Show, pop bands, songwritersJohn MillerComment

Today, the staff at Kickstarter sent an email saying  they love this project so much the are featuring it on their blog! Check out the video clip of David Cassidy from an episode of The Partridge Family, as well as a plug for the book-- a book that cover the Partridge Family's music for the very first time! Here's the link:  http://kck.st/1F8Z8Ar

The biggest premium reward on our campaign! Signed by 'Wrecking Crew' session players! Includes real Partridge Family lead guitar player, Dennis Budimir, real Bass Players Joe Osborn and Max Bennett, artist Kirk Poffenberger and author Johnny R…

The biggest premium reward on our campaign! Signed by 'Wrecking Crew' session players! Includes real Partridge Family lead guitar player, Dennis Budimir, real Bass Players Joe Osborn and Max Bennett, artist Kirk Poffenberger and author Johnny Ray Miller. 

Tell all your friends, and pass the word! 

'A Very Partridge Kickstarter,' exclusive interview at The Huffinton Post!

David Cassidy, Kickstarter, Partridge Family Music, Partridge Family TV Show, pop bands, songwritersJohn MillerComment

When We're Singin' grabbed more national attention today, this time from The Huffington Post! We did an exclusive interview with contributor Mike Ragogna who strongly supports the Kickstarter Campaign to get the book published. The link to the article is here.

This Sticker Pack is just one of the many rewards that can be found at our campaign over at Kickstarter.com.

This Sticker Pack is just one of the many rewards that can be found at our campaign over at Kickstarter.com.

Don't wait one more second, Partridge Family fans! We need you at Kickstarter.com now! Help put this book on the shelves--a book that showcases The Partridge Family and their music. Help get this book published so the story of this music can be available to fans and to the new generations to come! 

 

We are selected as a Staff Pick at KICKSTARTER!!

David Cassidy, 70s Music, 1970s, Partridge Family Music, Partridge Family TV Show, pop bands, songwritersJohn MillerComment

Hello World Hear the Song that we're singin!!!!

I have just been notified by KICKSTARTER that "When We're Singin'" has been selected as a Staff Pick by the  KICKSTARTER team!! This is a HUGE endorsement for us! They choose select campaigns from THOUSANDS that are currently running! Tell all your friends! This is big news for us! Let's go for a wild bus ride on the Partridge Family campaign and get this book funded!!

 

A Partridge Family Caricature, By Artist Glen Hanson!

70s Music, 1970s, David Cassidy, Kickstarter, Partridge Family Music, Partridge Family TV ShowJohn MillerComment

Glen Hanson drew and painted this Partridge Family piece several years ago as an original design specifically created for me. For the first time, this print will be offered to the public in numbered, limited edition quantity, with each piece signed by Hanson exclusively for this campaign. Hanson has done caricatures on other retro TV shows including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Wonder Woman, The Golden Girls, and Charlie’s Angels. Hanson is an internationally accomplished artist and his caricature of Charlie’s Angels was also featured as a book cover! Check out the reward item over at KICKSTARTER.COM now!

24 Hours In, and 10% Funded!!

1970s, 70s Music, David Cassidy, Kickstarter, Partridge Family Music, Partridge Family TV Show, pop bandsJohn MillerComment

After our first 24 hours of launch, I am very pleased to report that we are showing an amazing 10% already funded towards our goal in bringing this book to life! 

There is certainly nothing quite like connecting with all of you who care so much about this project.  Your energy and eagerness to get on board and make this book a reality is fueled with an obvious passion, and you have sent us flying out of the gate!  Let's keep going!  Tell your friends and family!  Share it on Facebook and Twitter!  Get everyone on board that you can! 

Commemorative Lyric Sheet for "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted" signed by songwriter, Mike Appel! Only available on Kickstarter.com!

Commemorative Lyric Sheet for "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted" signed by songwriter, Mike Appel! Only available on Kickstarter.com!

If you haven't already, please remember to sign up for our daily blog and you will get these daily updates sent automatically to your email. We will be doing a newsletter too, about once a month, and we'd love for you to sign up on that as well!

Back to the campaign trail....

Johnny


Songwriters, Boyce & Hart!

1970s, David Cassidy, Kickstarter, Partridge Family Music, pop bands, songwriters, Teen MagazinesJohn MillerComment

Other than Wes Farrell, Bobby Hart is credited on more Partridge Family songs than any other songwriter who wrote for the group. Bobby Hart offers up his memories to WHEN WE'RE SINGIN' on how his involvement with The Partridge Family came to be, and why his long-time writing partner, Tommy Boyce, was not on board for more of the songwriting efforts!

Hart wrote some of the greatest album cuts found on the later half of the Partridge Family albums, including “Sunshine,” “Looking For A Good Time,” “Money, Money,” “Girl, You Make My Day,” “I’m On My Way Back Home,” and many others, ALL of which are available as LYRIC COMMEMORATIVES at our campaign on KICKSTARTER.COM! 

We have just gone live with our campaign on KICKSTARTER.COM last night, and you can find a limited number of signed items by Bobby Hart available only from the campaign! We hope you will join us in this exciting time to produce this brand new book on THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY! 


The Kickstarter Campaign Has Officially Launched!

70s Music, David Cassidy, Partridge Family Bus, Partridge Family Music, Partridge Family TV ShowJohn MillerComment

Well, here we are, gang! I hope you are as excited as I am! 

The Campaign has been launched within moments of this blog post! We have till May 31 to reach our goal! 

We have an exciting 30 days ahead of us, and I hope that you will all join me on the wild bus ride to get this book published and on the shelves for  Partridge Family fans, music fans, and fans of classic television!

In the next 30 days, you, the fans, will decide whether this book gets published. Here's the link that will take you over to our page on Kickstarter.com or you can go to Kickstarter.com and search for us by using the title of the book, When We're Singin' The Story of The Partridge Family and Their Music. It's time to have some fun on the campaign trail! 

"Come on now, and meet everybody....and hear us singin!"  Right?

 

Thinking about Suzanne

Partridge Family TV Show, 70s MusicJohn MillerComment

Dear friends,

As the day has worn on, I have been unable to do anything but think about Suzanne Crough and her family. It is all quite shocking and devastating. Before I could bring myself to continue promotion on the book, I felt the need to take this extra day of silence, if you will, in memory of Suzanne.

When I first met Suzanne, she was like talking to an old friend. She had that way about her. She was instantly personable and casual. Some years later, I saw her an an autograph show, and to my surprise, she remembered me. The photo I have posted here is the one in which Suzanne signed for me that very day. Coincidentally, it was this particular day that I spoke with her about my interest in doing a book. It was just a seed in the back of my mind at the time, but she  encouraged me to follow through with it. Flash forward a couple years.

When Suzanne spoke with me on the phone during our interviews, she was that same instantly casual, fun, sincere person I had met several years before. She still had that very broad sense of humor--the kind that makes you not just laugh out loud, but ROAR out loud! It is one of the things I will remember most about her. It isn't something I wrote about in the book because it is more of my own personal memory. But I find myself wanting to share it with all of you.  

One time we spoke while she was in her car, and she had to put me on hold because she said she was at the Starbucks Drive-Thru. It just made me laugh for some reason. Once again, there was that quality she possessed that made you feel like you were talking with your closest of friends. She had the ability to make you feel very special.

I have no photos of The Partridge Family framed or hanging on my wall, but this photo is going to be my first. In the days and months to come,  let's continue to wish the best for her family as we all remember her with our hearts.

Johnny Ray Miller

 

Bell Records

70s Music, David Cassidy, Partridge Family MusicJohn MillerComment
Looking through the Eyes of Love 45 single3 (2).jpg

Larry Uttal was president of Bell Records, a record label on top of the world during the run of The Partridge Family. When the show went off the air, Bell Records was also changing hands. Uttal went on to a new venture and Clive Davis took over, renaming the label Arista.

For the first time ever, former Bell Records executives are interviewed about The Partridge Family and share stories and insights about the record label and how it worked in tandem with the television show! Find out who came up with all the record album cover designs and the powerful and unbreakable image of The Partridge Family that was marketed to the entire world!

Newly-revealed interviews, Courtesy of Ken Sharp!

1970s, David Cassidy, Kickstarter, Partridge Family Music, pop bands, songwritersJohn MillerComment

 

In 1993, author, musician and music historian Ken Sharp began research on a Partridge Family book, but soon discovered that Joey Green was already signed to do one (primarily as an episode guide) so Ken dropped his project. But Ken had interviewed the legendary Wes Farrell (music producer on all Partridge Family album) and songwriting legend Tony Romeo ("I Think I Love You") in what turns out to be the last known in-depth interviews given by these two music legends on the subject of The Partridge Family. Shockingly, both Farrell and Romeo passed away within six months of each other, and only shortly after these interviews took place. 

(Bell Records president Larry Uttal on left; Wes Farrell on right.)

Well, guess what? Along the wild ride taken in researching this book, the president of the Just David Fan Club (Barbara Pazmino) introduced me to Ken Sharp. She knew he could help me.  Ken had worked with David Cassidy on his 2008 autobiography, David Cassidy: Could It Be Forever, and he was intrinsic in getting all the outside interviews used in that book.  

Ken wanted to do whatever he could to help make When We're Singin' become the definitive book on The Partridge Family and their music, so he has graciously and whole-heartedly offered up  both the Farrell and Romeo interviews, in their entirety, for use in When We’re Singin’! Both Tony Romeo and Wes Farrell share loads of commentary, heard in the pages of this book for the very first time! Romeo and Farrell elaborate on putting the albums together, and discuss all of their individual songwriting efforts! It is a sentimental and passionate exposition of their work on this amazing body of music.

Thanks, Ken, for your incredible support!

The Youngest of Memories

70s Music, Partridge Family TV Show, pop bandsJohn MillerComment

Little Ricky Segall joined The Partridge Family in the 4th season as the little boy next door. Ricky was only 4 years old when he got the part, and although his short stint on the show was brief, he walked away from this experience with a tremendous amount of opportunity going forward. His memories of being on the set of The Partridge Family and working with the other cast members are precious and heartfelt.

Ricky earned an album deal with Bell Records, thanks to Wes Farrell, who discovered the songwriting talent of Ricky’s father, Rick Segall, Sr. When We’re Singin’ offers up the memories of both father and son in a special segment discussing the album deal and the attempt to take The Partridge Family TV show into a 5th season without David Cassidy. 

Some Quotes from the book, "When We're Singin' "

70s Music, David Cassidy, Partridge Family TV Show, songwriters, pop bandsJohn MillerComment

How would you describe the voice of David Cassidy?

“ …an indelible sound…one of the most under-rated artists of all-time…L. Russell Brown, songwriter.

Why is When We’re Singin’ an exciting and important book for fans?

“It’s important they know the origin. It happens with a team of people. The creative dynamic is what really counts…that’s what makes us what we are.” Paul Anka, singer/songwriter.

“Of all the bands we had, David Cassidy was one of the nicest. As a live vocalist, he held his own.” Beverly Weinstein, Executive VP of production , Bell Records.

The Partridge Family was sentimental. It changed the way people think about TV. Jeremy Gelbwaks, actor, “Chris Partridge”

“I’m not surprised by the impact…the personalities of the younger boomers were forming when they were watching that show as kids…” Paul Junger Witt, producer


The Partridge Family Bus

David Cassidy, 70s Music, Partridge Family TV Show, TV VehiclesJohn MillerComment

There is no Hollywood TV vehicle out there that can rival the great Partridge Family bus! Hear the stories behind the creation of the bus for the very first time, as told by series Creator Bernard Slade, Producer Paul Junger Witt, and several former executives of Bell Records!

Shirley Jones tells stories of learning to drive the bus, and the countless number of replica busses she has seen along the way! Brian Forster, Danny Bonaduce and producer Mel Swope all offer up stories of working on the bus and the difficulties of shooting out on the road!

The details behind the Partridge Family bus are mostly untold to date, and When We’re Singin’  has the scoop!  As a featured story, you will hear new revelations on what happened to the bus after the series cancelled. It is a story filled with twists and turns and a very surprising road map told for the very first time! Rest assured, It's worth the weight in Partridge Diesel fuel! 

 

A Tribute to Dave Madden!

David Cassidy, Partridge Family TV Show, pop bandsJohn Miller1 Comment
from the personal collection of Dave Madden

In a special tribute to the late, great Dave Madden,  When We're Singin' offers the final in-depth interview from our favorite band manager regarding his days on The Partridge Family. In capturing the sometimes wild, sometimes witty and sometimes sentimental Dave Madden, we have showcased  the interview in this book as a special remembrance in a segment all of its own. 

Dave was an inspiration for many young comedians, with his sharp wit and dry sense of humor, but he was most remembered for his role on The Partridge Family as  Reuben Kincaid. There is even a band named after him! Check out the "Reuben Kinkaid!" 

Casting The Partridges

Partridge Family MusicJohn Miller2 Comments

David Cassidy and Shirley Jones have a great story about how they first discovered they were cast together on The Partridge Family, a story that is frequently repeated on the talk show circuits.  But did you know there was more to the story? Much more!  

Read the behind-the-scenes complications from the casting director herself, Renee Valente, who recounts with great detail the very scenario about casting real-life family members--in this case a step-mother and step-son--on the same show, and what drama it created for the powers that be!  

Eighteen days until the Kickstarter campaign begins!  Keep spreading the news!!

The Music + The Image = Global Phenomenon

David Cassidy, Kickstarter, 70s Music, Cassidy Concerts, Partridge Family MusicJohn Miller1 Comment

When We're Singin' explores the effort behind matching the image of the Television show to the sound of the music.

While the producers and creators of the TV show were crafting the look and feel of the show, the music was being done at Western Recorders, Studio 2, and Wes Farrell was in charge. Farrell was highly driven, and it was his responsibility to come up with credible pop music, but it had to match the desired image of the show.

He pulled the best musicians, singers and songwriters of the day into the project, and as a result the music was truly rooted in an adult contemporary, or easy listening sound.  With the music as believable as the strength of its image created through the magic of television, (thanks to some really terrific actors and directors) the marketing of this product took off on an international roller coaster ride that proved to be bigger than any TV/Music marketing package ever created up to that point.