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Former Valley man releases book about '70s TV act's music
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Johnny Ray Miller is one of millions of fans of “The Partridge Family,” a television sitcom in the 1970s.
But the Canton native who grew up in Guilford Lake and now lives in Negley is far more focused on the music than the show.
Miller said Partridge Family songs represented some of the best music of the era, although the teenybopper marketing of the show, and heartthrob singer David Cassidy, diminished it in the public’s eyes.
Some of the best singers, composers and musicians were behind the Partridge Family’s string of hits, which include “I Think I Love You.”
To set the record straight, and to demonstrate his passion for the act’s music, Miller has written “When We’re Singin’,” an exhaustive 467-page hardbound book about the Partridge Family and its music.
The self-published volume includes a substantial color photo section, and never-before-told backstage stories about the cast and the music. It can be purchased at whenweresingin.com.
It’s the first book for Miller, who was the executive director of Salem Community Theater from 1992 to 2000.
A stage and screen actor, Miller’s credits include professional theater in Los Angeles, Boston and Dallas and appearances on the television shows “Desperate Housewives,” “CSI: NY,” “Rules of Engagement,” “The Ghost Whisperer,” “King of Queens” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”
The graduate of United Local High School, Kent State University and University of California-Long Beach said that “When We’re Singin’” is only the second book written about the Partridge Family, although there have been several books and autobiographies about and by the show’s stars, including Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Dave Madden and Danny Bonaduce.
Miller even promoted a concert by Cassidy at the Barrow Theater in Franklin, Pa., in 2009.
Cassidy also wrote a short foreword to the book.
Miller said he set out to write the definitive book about the show and, especially, the music. The volume is based on interviews he did with all of the cast members and others associated with the show and its recordings.
Although his introduction to the show, of course, was watching it on television as a child, he quickly realized it was much more than just another sitcom.
“I have tremendous respect for this music because it is simply great music made by some of the greatest musicians, songwriters and singers of the day,” he said. “The musical and vocal arrangements were put together by some of the biggest names and greatest musical minds of the era.”
Few people at the time realized the depth and talent of the musicians, said Miller.
“David Cassidy turned out to have an incredible voice, with nuances of personality, tone, range and the ability to communicate a lyric that rivals any contemporary pop artist of the same era,” said Miller. “But the marketing image controlled the way the public would view that music. While they sold millions, it was the image of teenyboppers that flooded the front pages everywhere, and it’s astonishing to me that by now someone else hasn’t unearthed the story behind this music.”
The list of songwriters included Tony Romeo, who developed strong musical chemistry with Cassidy.
Fans of ’70s pop music in general should be interested in the book, said Miller, because the act made some of the best songs of the era.
He said appreciation for the Partridge Family’s albums is gaining momentum.
“It’s interesting that, in a time when so many ’70s artists have seen their unreleased catalogs come out, the Partridge Family’s is still in the vaults,” said Miller. “[But] there is a huge movement on the Internet right now to get those songs out, and I expect the fans will continue to speak loudly until it happens.”