Sharon Lee, the editor of Tiger Beat magazine, contacted Michael Lloyd and suggested that he try getting me into a recording studio to capitalize on all of the mail and attention I was getting from the fans. Michael Lloyd was and is a very talented guy who, in addition to being a terrific songwriter and producer, also had a knack for helping to develop young talent into what I guess you could call teen idols. He had a stellar track record. In the 1960s, as a teenager, Michael had been a hotshot performer and producer working with many artists in Los Angeles. In 1970 he became vice president in charge of A&R (artists and repertoire) at MGM Records. While there, he helped craft and steer the careers of Lou Rawls and the Osmond Brothers, among many others. In 1975 he began working with Shaun Cassidy, and for the rest of Shaun’s career, Michael did everything from produce his biggest records to lead Shaun’s band onstage.
As much as anyone, Michael knew what it took to make a teen idol successful. So I got together with him, and I liked him. He was a funny guy who obviously knew a lot about the business, and he made me feel very comfortable as we recorded in his little home studio. A deal was struck with Twentieth Century Fox Records, and we did a cover song called “Come Back When You Grow Up,” an old song by Bobby Vee. I reflect a lot these days on my past lives, and this one for me will always kind of leave me scratching my head. Why was a fifteen-year-old singing “Come Back When You Grow Up”? Doesn’t make sense to me, and the record-buying public didn’t get it either. The single did nothing. So much for being a singer. I’ll admit for one fleeting moment there I did kind of imagine myself as the next Robert Plant. I mean, what could be cooler than getting onstage in front of a huge adoring crowd and singing music? But it wasn’t meant to be. At least not this time. Oh well. It was disappointing. At least I still had acting.