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When The Partridge Family premiered on Sept. 25, 1970, it was about more than just a made-for-TV band. The ABC sitcom starred Shirley Jones<\/strong> and her real-life stepson, David Cassidy<\/strong>, as the leads of a musical family.<\/p>\n While co-stars Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough, <\/strong>and Jeremy Gelbwaks\/Brian Forster <\/strong>all sang and played instruments on the show, they weren\u2019t really part of the \u201cband.\u201d Instead, session musicians provided the music and backing vocals on The Partridge Family tracks. No one expected The Partridge Family to spin off into one of the most successful bubblegum pop groups of the 1970s.<\/p>\n Six months after The Partridge Family premiered on ABC, the group was surprisingly nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The Partridges were up against heavy hitters The Carpenters<\/strong>, Melba Moore, Anne Murray, <\/strong>and Elton John<\/strong> at the 13th annual Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n So how did this happen? Well, it turns out The Partridge Family had a radio hit before the TV show made its debut. One month before The Partridge Family premiere, the single \u201cI Think I Love You\u201d was released.<\/p>\n The catchy Tony Romeo tune topped Billboard\u2019s Hot 100<\/a> in November and December of 1970. The song was also featured in\u00a0The Partridge Family Season 1 episodes \u201cBut the Memory Lingers On” and \u201cMy Son the Feminist.\u201d<\/p>\n In a 2020 interview with the<\/a> celebrity.land<\/a>, Jones admitted she was \u201cquite surprised\u201d to receive the Grammy nomination. \u201cAt the time, I thought only newer rock acts, and older, more established acts like Sinatra or Miles Davis, received Grammy nominations. Happy to have joined the club,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But it almost didn\u2019t happen. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> several years before his death, Cassidy revealed that producers for The Partridge Family were originally \u201cjust casting actors\u201d without singing talent. Cassidy did not sing at all in the pilot episode, which featured the session musicians performing the song “Together (Havin\u2019 a Ball)\u201d while he and the rest of the cast lip-synced.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the pilot sold, I auditioned for Wes Farrell, the record producer,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cThankfully, I passed the audition. And when I started singing on the show, it was a whole other thing.\u201d<\/p>\n While they lost the Grammy to The Carpenters, both Cassidy and Jones appeared at the March 1971 ceremony<\/a> to present the musical siblings a separate award for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.<\/p>\n The Partridge Family ultimately received another prestigious award. \u201cThat song [\u201cI Think I Love You\u2019] was awarded record of the year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers,\u201d Cassidy told THR. \u201cIt was up against the Beatles. Paul McCartney was sitting there, and there I was, an upstart young punk, beating one of the greatest songwriters in history.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4<\/strong>SIGN UP for our The Voice newsletter to get access to exclusive news, interviews, insider info, sneak peeks & more<\/strong><\/a>\ud83c\udfa4<\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally reported by Parade<\/a> on Sep 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n