It was confusing for fans. The line between fiction and reality was blurred. When fans bought a Partridge Family album, with the family pictured on the cover, it seemed fairly obvious that all five kids and mom were belting out Partridge Family tunes. But the fact was the kids were not singing.
They did not even know how to play the instruments they held. It was all a show that David and Shirley led. David was the only cast member who played an instrument. The rest lip-synched and played their roles as musicians quite well.
The Partridge Family Outsold the Beatles
Maybe it’s because they had a weekly TV show to stage their music, but one song really flew up the charts. In 1971, the song “I Think I Love You,” written by Tony Romeo, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard charts in December of that year.
It won a gold disc award after it sold over 5 million copies. Not even the Beatles hit song “Let it Be” sold that many records!
What Shirley Jones Said about the Partridge Family Singers
Apparently, Shirley Jones was rather vocal about the other cast members’ lack of singing ability. Obviously, she thought David Cassidy, her stepson, was a proficient singer, but about the others, she said they were not good enough to be in the recording studio.
She was known to say that Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough, Jeremy Gelbwaks, and Brian Forster came up far short on talent to have their voices featured on the program.
Susan Dey
Susan Dey got her start in Hollywood with The Partridge Family. At 17, it was her first gig. She had no acting experience, but she landed the role of Laurie Partridge because her beautiful face was spotted in her budding modeling career. Screen Gems execs discovered her lovely visage on the cover of an ad booklet for a tampon brand, actually. Her career shot to fame with the TV series.
She’s known as the Partridge star who refuses to reunite. But, if you heard her side of the story, you might feel the same. Intimidate details of her relationship with Cassidy were exploited in his 1994 tell-all memoir, and since then, she’s refused to join reunion shows. And anyway, she’s retired from acting.
David Cassidy
David Cassidy was cast as Keith Partridge for his “androgynous good looks,” this, according to the producers. He was born in NYC to actor parents Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward. Growing up, he spent a lot of time at his grandparents’ house in Jersey while his parents toured. His acting premiere was in the Broadway musical “The Fig Leaves Are Falling.” It was to be his path to the Partridges. On the way, he appeared in TV shows like Ironside, Marcus Welby, Adam-12, and Bonanza. As we know, he didn’t handle fame well.
After he quit the Partridge Family, he focused on recording and songwriting. International success followed him, but he was flat broke by the ’80s. And, sadly, in his older days, he revealed that he suffers from dementia.