IT'S OFFICIAL! I've been holding off until I received final confirmation, and now I can share it with you all! We will be doing a book signing ALL DAY at Barnes & Noble in Robinson Township (Pittsburgh) at the Settler's Ridge location on this coming Saturday, December 17th! The actual address is 800 Settler's Ridge Center Drive, Pittsburgh PA, 15205. Pittsburgh-ers, I'll see you there!
Settler's Ridge, 800 Settler's Ridge Center Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15205
PARTRIDGE FAMILY ARTWORK & BOOK SIGNING! Hey all! Our next book signing will be at CHICO'S in Boardman this Friday, December 16 from 12 noon to 4PM in conjunction with/and special guest of artist Vicki Wilflin Ricci. Vicki will be doing an art exhibit of her exquisite work that now includes a new piece inspired by--you guessed it-- the music of The Partridge Family! It's appropriately titled "Come On Get Happy" and it will debut at her exhibit on Friday! Hope to see some of you! Here's the address: CHICO'S, 813 Boardman - Poland Road, #9b, Boardman, OH 44512.
"WHEN WE'RE SINGIN' " - RELEASED TODAY! I'm so happy to announce that the books arrived Wednesday, and we have been working day and night packaging books! The first batch shipped today!! They will ship out over the next several days in 4 or 5 separate batches. Just a reminder to all the locals that the very first book signing is TOMORROW, Saturday, December 10th at PEABERRY'S CAFE in Canfield, Ohio! I'll be there with Tyler Cosma, one of my team members who has been working on this project with me from the very beginning! And there's more....We have an entire schedule of book signing dates lined up going on in to the new year! Next Friday, December 16th, I'll be at CHICO'S in Boardman (813 Boardman Poland Rd., Boardman, OH 44512) from 12 noon to 4PM as a special guest to featured artist Vicki Wilflin Ricci! Check out the attached flyer!
Hey gang! It's time!! The book shipment is arriving from the printing company today and they will ship out to you on Friday!
First of all, I can't tell you how excited I am. I hope to have plenty of photos to share of the delivery and final stages of packaging and shipping! But for now...
...Just a reminder to those of you who pre-purchased books and have since sent me notes through Facebook regarding address corrections or other requests, please send me your requests directly to Johnnyraymiller1@gmail.com or through the contact link here at the website to insure those requests.
This is especially important for those who pre-purchased more than six months ago and have since moved. Those who backed the K-campaign should have received an email today to confirm updated information....so please double and triple check your addresses today.
If you pre-purchased the book within the last six months, and as long as your address has not changed, there's no need to confirm anything.
This is only the beginning of the next exciting phase, everyone! More to come as it unfolds...
Retro Clothing patch offered during the Kickstarter Campaign!
Our very first book signing is scheduled at PEABERRY'S CAFE next Saturday! Hey Ohio/PA friends...hope to see some of you at Peaberry's in Canfield, OH, next Saturday, December 10, from 10AM-2PM. Full address: 4350 Boardman-Canfield Road, Canfield, OH 44406!
Photo provided by Scottie Gee Gerardi
The biggest selling Christmas album of 1971! John Bahler tells the unusual story behind the coming together of this holiday classic! 5 more days and counting.....
The bus rolls forward! We have our first preview/review of WHEN WE'RE SINGIN'!
Headline reads: "LEGACIES: DAVID BOWIE, PINK FLOYD, ELVIS PRESLEY, DEPECHE MODE, AND ... THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY?"
Johnny Ray’s When We’re Singin’—The Partridge Family & Their Music is one of the most thoroughly researched books with quotes from virtually everyone who had anything to do with the television and recording phenomenon. Astonishingly, it even includes a foreword by David Cassidy, which is a coup if you know any of the behind the scenes drama associated with the star’s fight with Sony Music over royalties. And with all of the Partridge “experts” out there (I’ve occasionally fancied myself as one), it took someone with an innocent approach and ridiculous drive to achieve what no one else was able to concerning this much maligned/beloved fictitious musical family. Through interviews, endless photos, and hundreds of pages of knowledge, Johnny Miller’s book reads smoothly yet also serves as a meticulous encyclopedia of The Partridge Family’s released and unreleased recordings and what took place over the “group”’s brief four years of existence. Even if you hate the group, you might find yourself giving their musical story a little slack since this book also comes off like a primer on the music business of the early ’70s.
So before everyone who loved this show is dead, please Sony, can you get the unreleased material on the market? It seems like over the last twenty-five or so years, every burp and hiccup has been released on much more obscure artists than this, so here are a couple of suggestions: Release an original albums box with an approximation of what the last unreleased album was proposed to be plus a final disc of rarities. Or combine their complete output with David Cassidy’s solo albums since you own all of his Bell and RCA material as well as his Romance album. Either approach could make a highly marketable product that could be a terrific last statement on the group and a pretty compelling audio story of Cassidy’s prolific, almost Beatles-level international popularity and early career. Or how about a sacrifice to Zeus? Whatever it takes, just do it and get this over with, okay? Love ya... ;)
For more information: Johnny Ray’s When We’re Singin’
Check out the full article HERE
Special thanks, Mike Ragogna!! Check it out!!
Hey gang!
Our first bus stop: WUSB 90.1FM, New York!
On December 17th at 6PM DJ Roger Passero is hosting "An Old Fashioned Christmas" featuring the Christmas music of The Partridge Family and the Carpenters. Both Randy Schmidt (author of "The LIfe of Karen Carpenter") and myself are the scheduled guests. The first part of the program will focus on The Partridge Family while the second half focuses on the Carpenters. I hope you will all join in! There are a lot of parallels between The Partridge Family and the Carpenters and it should be a really interesting discussion. We will also be talking about David Cassidy's new EP Christmas release!
If some of you may recall, WUSB hosted an evening of the Partridge Family in support of our Kickstarter campaign in May 2015. Thanks, Roger, for having us back!
Yep! That's right, gang! I'm sure most of you have noticed it on the cover of the dust jacket already-- David Cassidy has supported the book by contributing a written foreword!
I can't tell you how excited I was when this moment came to be. It was a moment of awe and continued inspiration. I hope this will make all of you as happy as it has made me. I am so very excited to be able to share this with all of you--my fantastic Kicstarter backers and all of the fans who lent support and kept the spirit alive and thriving for this project.
We are still on target for a December 9th release. The book is on the presses at the printing company, Signature Book Printing, and things are going very smoothly. The company has been very complimentary on the book, and Kristina's fantastic jacket cover design is going to dazzle everyone!
Please pass the word to all of your friends on Facebook and other sources. The book is currently available to pre-order exclusively through this website, and it's priced at $29.99. It is a LIMITED EDITION, 9 x 6 hardback with 568 pages that include a 64 page full color section!
It's finally here! C'mon Get Happy!
John
We're off to print!
After a long week of Kristina, Donna and I working nearly round the clock, the book went to print earlier today!
I'd like to thank all of you for your extraordinary patience. I, too, never dreamed how much time it would take for this project to complete, but I can tell you this: It is because of YOU, the fans, that this book has finally made it's way to reality. Because of YOU, the book was controlled by a group of professionals who care enough to release the best possible book on The Partridge Family and their music, filled with the kinds of detailed information fans have wanted for years and years.
Check out the final artwork for the book cover!
The 64 page color photo section is also another extraordinary accomplishment. Rarely does a book like this see a full color section in the middle, let alone 64 pages! But YOU wanted it, and YOU funded it and that is testament to the passion we all share for the music of The Partridge Family.
I am thankful that avenues such as Kickstarter exist today, making it possible for all of us to speak, and to act on what we want. There is no publisher on the planet who would have released a book as thorough and elaborate as this, and it all happened because of you.
In the coming days and weeks, I will be here, telling you more about the book and its contents. I thank you again, wholeheartedly, for your support, your patience, and most of all, your undying love for all things Partridge!
RELEASE DATE:
On December 9, 2016, "When We're Singin' - The Partridge Family & Their Music" will be officially released! The book (originally planned for 410 pages) is a whopping 504 pages with the 64-page color photo section taking it to a grand total of 568 pages!
"When We're Singin'" is a LIMITED EDITION hard back, available exclusively through the website, WhenWereSingin.com. "You can pre-order When We're Singin'" in time for Christmas by going to the link on the website now!
Be sure to sign up for the "daily blog" to receive updates that will come directly to your email inbox! I will be back to share more information and exciting details during the days and weeks to come!
Hop on the bus, everyone! It's time to move on to the next stop!
Hi gang!
Wanted to let you all know that Kristina has finished the first proof for layout of the book body. I received the proof and I have already gone through it and passed it on to Donna. (copy editor). Once Donna is finished, it will then return back to Kristina. She will make all edits/corrections and then provide us with a second proof to look over. If all goes well, at that point, it goes to print. For fun, check out the picture of Kristina working on the book at her office!
I will be back with all of you as I share the step by step process of these final stages! By the way, happy anniversary, all of you! (Did you know yesterday was the debut of The Partridge Family, 46 years ago?) Yep...we're THAT old!
Countdown....6....
Hi Gang,
A quick update for you...
Kristina, our graphic artist, has completed the book cover design! We met yesterday to look at the proof and it looks fantastic!
The cover is vibrant, full of color, an elaborated version of our Kickstarter campaign artwork, and the back includes quotes from the cast, musicians, and songwriters. Once she finishes her final edits, I will post the cover for all of you to see.
She is still working on the layout of the body. I'm hoping we will have a proof of that in another week, but it all depends on how smoothly it goes for her. Once we have a proof, I will be able to share the page count with you!
We are in the final stretch, and with each development, I will be on here posting about all of it. Meanwhile, enjoy the photo posted above--a David Cassidy concert program from the '70s!
The countdown is now at 8!
C'mon Get Happy!
John
Hi gang,
Just a quick update for you.
The text and final artwork for the book cover is currently in the layout stages. Kristina Danklef of Sourballpython Studios (Sourballpython.com) will be taking the book through the final stages of layout, including the final design for the book cover.
Kristina is from Salem, Ohio, and has a long background in graphic art. She recently completed work on several books, including "Wisdom from the Woods, Seasons," and she has taken on our Partridge Family book with tremendous excitement.
David Cassidy in Melbourne, March 10, 1974. (this is not the book cover...just a photo for your enjoyment!)
First thing on deck is the book cover, and she will be sending me proofs to look at in the coming days. I am as excited as you are, and as soon as I get the first proof, I'll be back with all of you to fill you in!
For now...we countdown to NINE!
Johnny
Number 10!
We are going to layout!
This week, the text is sent to the graphic designer's for initial layout! During this stage the graphic artist will work closely with our editor, and myself, as well as our photographers who keep an eye on photos, colors, that sort of thing.
Over the past week we have had several meetings as a team. Some of you have asked where the book is being printed. I am proud to say the book is being printed in the U.S.A.!
Signature Book Printing Inc. in Maryland will be printing our books once we complete the layout process. Signature Book Printing is highly reputable in their work, producing high quality and quantities of their books. In addition to standard books and paperbacks, they also do high end coffee table books, so they are a great choice for us, given the 64 page color section.
We will be back with you next week to continue counting down!
Let the bus ride continue!
Johnny
Hi gang!
I'm ready to begin the final countdown with all of you, as we are now getting very close to the actual release date!
Some updates for you:
While the photo section has been done, the actual layout of the book, the design, was done in early June. BUT...
...we ended up about 50 pages over budget. So I have spent countless hours with our amazing editor, Donna Spencer, determining what we can do to bring the page count down a bit. After long discussions, rather than sacrificing pertinent information contained in the extra pages (which would have needed to be cut in order to fit), our designer is going to reformat the book, and lay it out all over again for the second time. I suspect this process will take about a week. Donna will be working on final edits this coming week before it goes to the designer.
I'm going to begin sharing with you, a countdown to release, because I think it will be fun to share the excitement of the book's arrival, together. I know it has been six months longer than originally anticipated, but rest assured that the reasons lay in the careful focus on detail and content.
I will be back with you at least weekly from now until release, if not more frequently.
On another note, all backers have all been listed on the website as funders of this project, and I sent out a survey over a month ago through the Kickstarter update program asking for any corrections to your names, spellings, things like that. There are still several people who haven't responded, so if you are a backer, would you please go to the backer list on this site and take a look at your names and make sure it is listed to your satisfactory. Any further edits have to be submitted by Tuesday of this week if we are going to make them. You can email me at JohnnyRayMiller1@gmail.com.
Thanks again for your patience. I'll be back very shortly with a countdown of events!
John
Hi everyone!!
The 64-page color photo section is done and will be going to the print sometime next week! (The photo section goes to print separately from the text section, which will be ready in a few more weeks!)
In the meantime, I have sent out a survey form to all of my individual backers. This feature is only offered as a one-time feature through Kickstarter. It allows me to get your shipping address and your name, as you would like it to appear in print and on the website. I have saved the survey until now, knowing I can only do it once, because I wanted to send it out as close to the print date as possible. You should be getting it about the same time you receive this update!
Once the text section is sent to print I can announce an exact release date, which will be approximately five weeks following the printing process because the book is being printed in the U.S.A., (as opposed to 4 months delivery time if it were printed in China or anywhere overseas).
I know it has been a long wait for all of you, but I hope the added work on the book will prove worth the wait! I appreciate each and every one of you and all the support you have given me through this past year. Not just for the backing, but for all the kind emails and words of enthusiasm that you have sent as well!
More big news coming soon! Time to get back on the bus! :)
Johnny Ray Miller
Hi All!
I wanted to get a note out to everyone and fill you in on the book's progress as we head into the spring.
As most of you know, we exceeded our Kickstarter goal by 15%, and we promised that we would expand on the photo section with the extra money. So in the fall, we began work on the photo layout, which went from 48 pages to 64--all color. There was a lot of interest from fans to include the most comprehensive photo section of Partridge Family memorabilia that we could find, so we literally contacted people from all over the world in search of rare items. The end result is a photo section that will have more images of the rarest of collectibles than anyone has ever seen--many of which have never appeared in print. But this has taken a lot of extra time. Not only did we have to locate the memorabilia, but we had to get multiple photographs of everything so we could have the best possible photos to work with. All in all, there are over 400 individual images that will make up the entire photo section!
As of this week, we are nearing the end of the work on the photo section, and the rest of it will be editing. The book is about halfway through editing at this point. I am hoping that in the coming few weeks I will be able to announce an exact release date.
Thanks, everyone, for your understanding and patience. Rest assured that you have some very talented professionals who are in charge of the editing and the layout, and they are both working daily to get the book out to you as fast as possible.
As the weeks go forward, you will be getting updates from me more frequently as we approach our "go to print" date. Once the book goes to print, it will be approximately six week after that when we have them in hand to mail out to you.
I thank you again for your patience and your support, and I'll be back with you very soon!
Johnny
After the sudden and shocking passing of Suzanne Crough, TV brother Brian Forster, agreed to write a very special dedication to her as an exclusive piece for "When We’re Singin.’" The tribute will be included in the book, and it is one of the most heartfelt passages you will ever read from anyone who was ever involved with The Partridge Family.
Suzanne and Brian were very good friends from the time of their youth to the day she passed away. They played together on the set as children, and they attended countless Partridge Family events and reunions as adults through the years. Thanks, Brian, for your generous and heartfelt contribution to "When We’re Singin.’"
During the Kickstarter campaign, it was Debbie Daum of Indiana that claimed the grand prize, a mini Fender Stratocaster signed by the three great Wrecking Crew musicians: guitarist Dennis Budimir, and bass players Max Bennett and Joe Osborn. These three musicians played on the Partridge Family albums, and all three of their signatures on this guitar make it one of a kind, and an extremely valuable item.
The guitar sports the "When We're Singin'" logo, created by graphic designer Kirk Poffenberger of the Design Studio in Salem, Ohio. The sharp colors and crisp lines were created with the use of vinyl art techniques.
This past weekend, Debbie met with us, along with a few other local backers, and picked up her prize! Thanks, Debbie, for believing in the book, for getting behind it in such a grand way, and for the great new friendship that we have forged through this process.
A giant, heartfelt, and long overdue thank you to my buddy Jason Snyder, who has been on board with this book from the very beginning.
Jason is the guy with the bionic ear, who has helped me interpret countless pieces of audio transcript when my ears could not distinguish exactly what was said. Jason and those amazing ears cleared up dozens of details that otherwise would have been lost in transcript. In addition, he was able to help isolate various lyrics in the songs that have been written incorrectly on most lyric sites, and even liner notes from as far back as the ‘70s.
Jason especially worked countless hours on the transcription of material making this one of the smoothest processes of all the various stages in putting together this book. I can’t tell you all how grateful I am to have this man on the team, and for all the crazy amount of time and work he has put into making this happen.
Thank you so very much, Jason! I couldn’t have done it without you!