Born in 1945 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, the performer adopted the persona of the ‘King of the Street Singers’. Former Viscount Don Paul encountered him performing on the streets at London’s Berwick Street market and subsequently took on management duties. Partridge wrote his own debut single, ‘Rosie’, which reportedly cost just £8 to record yet climbed unexpectedly into the UK Top 5 during 1968. His candid manner and unorthodox way of living generated extensive press coverage that exceeded what his one-off novelty appeal might have produced on its own. The next release, ‘Blue Eyes’, climbed to number 3, though it has not lingered in memory as vividly as the earlier track. Partridge later oversaw the various-artists collection The Buskers and secured one additional chart placement with ‘Breakfast On Pluto’ in 1969. Once that short period of recognition ended, he resumed his street-performing origins and continued appearing in public through the 1990s.
