Tuesday, May 28, 2002 1:36:53 AM
Rock 'n' Roll Artists A-Z...Re: The Cowsills
http://cowsill.com/cowsills/index.html
http://www.srv.net/~roxtar/cowsills.html
All-in-the-family vocal group from Newport, Rhode Island. The Partridge Family television show was based on The Cowsills.
Back in the early 1960's, four brothers who wanted to be The Beatles formed a band called The Cowsills. The original Cowsills consisted of Bill on guitar, Bob on guitar and organ, Barry on bass and John on drums. Early gigs were at school dances and churches around their home in Newport, RI. Eventually, as their harmonic sound was perfected, they got a regular gig on Bannisters Wharf in Newport where they would sing Beatle songs hour after hour. Early recordings were released by the four brothers on Mercury Records. Barbara ("mini-mom") joined the group to record The Rain, The Park and Other Things and shortly thereafter 7 year old Susan and brother, Paul, were added to the group. They were signed by MGM records and the group began it's climb to the top!
Here's what Bob had to say about the early days and getting started:
Although Bill and I performed at a very young age, and Bill, myself, Barry and John did a lot of frat parties at Brown University and clubs in Newport ... the most memorable performance of what I would view as the precursor of what The Cowsills would be was at King's Park in Newport (right at the foot of Halidon Hall) at some carnival. The family angle just evolved ... first Bill and me, then Bill me and Barry, then Bill, me, Barry and John, then Bill, me, Barry, John and Mom, then Bill, me, Barry, John, Mom and Paul, then later, me, Paul, John, Barry, Mom and Susan, then back to Bill, me, Barry and John (very briefly in the end) and then to me, Paul, John and Susan. Our first real break came when we were playing the MK Hotel in Newport (in the basement there) and a guy from the Today show saw us and asked if we wanted to be on the Today show. We weren't famous or anything but we were young and we were related and we were quite good. So we went on the Today show (I doubt a tape exists of that but if it did it would be priceless to see) and someone from Mercury Records saw us which ultimately led to our signing with that label and putting out "Most Of All" (a great "school's out" song that should have been our first hit in my opinion) which led to Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. Mercury dropped us, but Artie and Steve had written "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" and we went in and recorded that song at A&R studios in New York and took the whole package to MGM who decided wouldn't it just be terrific if their mother performed with them and, voila, the rest, as they say, is history.
The Cowsills enjoyed great success during the late 60's and in to the very early 70's not only with their music but appearing as guests on many TV shows and even hosting their own TV special. They were approached to do a TV series but the producers had already signed an actress to play the mother on the series so it was a no go for The Cowsills. What was the series? It was The Partridge Family. The Cowsills were also spokespersons for the American Dairy Association and appeared in commercials and print ads for milk. The Cowsills disbanded in the early 1970s but most of them have never really left the music business and various members have regrouped through the years ...
Bridey Murphy, aka Paul, Bill, Barry and Waddy Wachtel, was formed in the mid-70's. Bill and Barry drifted in and out of this group and one single, The Time Has Come / Be Your Mother's Son, was recorded with Paul doing all vocals and Waddy playing all instruments.
Then, in the late 1970's, some of the Cowsills regrouped and recorded an album affectionately known as Cocaine Drain. This album was produced by Chuck Plotkin and also featured Dennis Castanares as a "member" of The Cowsills at that time. To this day, the album has never been released. During those days, The Cowsills sometimes played the LA area as The Secrets. The Critics was another alias for The Cowsills and The Critics also recorded (and never released) a few songs.
Flash forward to the 1990s when some of The Cowsills (Bob, Paul, John and Susan) again regrouped. This time they were going to hit the oldies circuit but somehow playing just oldies didn't appeal to them. They had too much fun on some new material written by Bob and his wife, Mary Jo. So, this incarnation of The Cowsills started playing small clubs and showcases in the Los Angeles area and across the country. They generated great reviews from the critics and fans alike. The Cowsills also went back into the studio and Global is a result of those sessions.
The Cowsills I ( ? - ? )
William "Bud" Cowsill - guitar/vocals - b. January 9, 1948, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals - b. August 26, 1950, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Barry Cowsill - bass/vocals - b. September 14, 1954, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
John Cowsill - drums - b. March 2, 1956, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
The Cowsills II ( ? - 1970)
William "Bud" Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Barry Cowsill - bass/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Barbara Cowsill - vocals - b. 1929; d. January 31, 1985.
Dick Cowsill - vocals - b. August 26, 1950, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals - b. November 11, 1952, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Susan Cowsill - vocals - b. May 20, 1960, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Albums:
"The Cowsills" (1967) - Single: "The Rain, The Park, And Other Things"
"We Can Fly" (1968)
"Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools" (1968) - Single: "Indian Lake"
"The Cowsills In Concert" (1969)
"II x II" (1970)
"On My Side" (1971)
Group disbands. William "Bud" Cowsill later forms Blue Shadows.
The Cowsills III (1990 - 1991) (reformed)
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Susan Cowsill - vocals
Group disbands. Barry Cowsill goes solo. Susan Cowsill joins Psycho Sisters and later joins The Continental Drifters.
The Cowsills IV (1998) (reformed)
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Susan Cowsill - vocals
Album:
"Global" (1998)
Group disbands.
The Cowsills V (September 2000) (reformed)
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals
Barry Cowsill - bass/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Susan Cowsill - vocals
Rich Cowsill - vocals
Compilations:
"All Time Hits"
"The Best Of The Cowsills" (1988)
"The Best Of The Cowsills" (1994)
]
Breaking Clay Makes My Day!
http://cowsill.com/cowsills/index.html
http://www.srv.net/~roxtar/cowsills.html
All-in-the-family vocal group from Newport, Rhode Island. The Partridge Family television show was based on The Cowsills.
Back in the early 1960's, four brothers who wanted to be The Beatles formed a band called The Cowsills. The original Cowsills consisted of Bill on guitar, Bob on guitar and organ, Barry on bass and John on drums. Early gigs were at school dances and churches around their home in Newport, RI. Eventually, as their harmonic sound was perfected, they got a regular gig on Bannisters Wharf in Newport where they would sing Beatle songs hour after hour. Early recordings were released by the four brothers on Mercury Records. Barbara ("mini-mom") joined the group to record The Rain, The Park and Other Things and shortly thereafter 7 year old Susan and brother, Paul, were added to the group. They were signed by MGM records and the group began it's climb to the top!
Here's what Bob had to say about the early days and getting started:
Although Bill and I performed at a very young age, and Bill, myself, Barry and John did a lot of frat parties at Brown University and clubs in Newport ... the most memorable performance of what I would view as the precursor of what The Cowsills would be was at King's Park in Newport (right at the foot of Halidon Hall) at some carnival. The family angle just evolved ... first Bill and me, then Bill me and Barry, then Bill, me, Barry and John, then Bill, me, Barry, John and Mom, then Bill, me, Barry, John, Mom and Paul, then later, me, Paul, John, Barry, Mom and Susan, then back to Bill, me, Barry and John (very briefly in the end) and then to me, Paul, John and Susan. Our first real break came when we were playing the MK Hotel in Newport (in the basement there) and a guy from the Today show saw us and asked if we wanted to be on the Today show. We weren't famous or anything but we were young and we were related and we were quite good. So we went on the Today show (I doubt a tape exists of that but if it did it would be priceless to see) and someone from Mercury Records saw us which ultimately led to our signing with that label and putting out "Most Of All" (a great "school's out" song that should have been our first hit in my opinion) which led to Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. Mercury dropped us, but Artie and Steve had written "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" and we went in and recorded that song at A&R studios in New York and took the whole package to MGM who decided wouldn't it just be terrific if their mother performed with them and, voila, the rest, as they say, is history.
The Cowsills enjoyed great success during the late 60's and in to the very early 70's not only with their music but appearing as guests on many TV shows and even hosting their own TV special. They were approached to do a TV series but the producers had already signed an actress to play the mother on the series so it was a no go for The Cowsills. What was the series? It was The Partridge Family. The Cowsills were also spokespersons for the American Dairy Association and appeared in commercials and print ads for milk. The Cowsills disbanded in the early 1970s but most of them have never really left the music business and various members have regrouped through the years ...
Bridey Murphy, aka Paul, Bill, Barry and Waddy Wachtel, was formed in the mid-70's. Bill and Barry drifted in and out of this group and one single, The Time Has Come / Be Your Mother's Son, was recorded with Paul doing all vocals and Waddy playing all instruments.
Then, in the late 1970's, some of the Cowsills regrouped and recorded an album affectionately known as Cocaine Drain. This album was produced by Chuck Plotkin and also featured Dennis Castanares as a "member" of The Cowsills at that time. To this day, the album has never been released. During those days, The Cowsills sometimes played the LA area as The Secrets. The Critics was another alias for The Cowsills and The Critics also recorded (and never released) a few songs.
Flash forward to the 1990s when some of The Cowsills (Bob, Paul, John and Susan) again regrouped. This time they were going to hit the oldies circuit but somehow playing just oldies didn't appeal to them. They had too much fun on some new material written by Bob and his wife, Mary Jo. So, this incarnation of The Cowsills started playing small clubs and showcases in the Los Angeles area and across the country. They generated great reviews from the critics and fans alike. The Cowsills also went back into the studio and Global is a result of those sessions.
The Cowsills I ( ? - ? )
William "Bud" Cowsill - guitar/vocals - b. January 9, 1948, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals - b. August 26, 1950, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Barry Cowsill - bass/vocals - b. September 14, 1954, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
John Cowsill - drums - b. March 2, 1956, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
The Cowsills II ( ? - 1970)
William "Bud" Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Barry Cowsill - bass/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Barbara Cowsill - vocals - b. 1929; d. January 31, 1985.
Dick Cowsill - vocals - b. August 26, 1950, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals - b. November 11, 1952, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Susan Cowsill - vocals - b. May 20, 1960, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
Albums:
"The Cowsills" (1967) - Single: "The Rain, The Park, And Other Things"
"We Can Fly" (1968)
"Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools" (1968) - Single: "Indian Lake"
"The Cowsills In Concert" (1969)
"II x II" (1970)
"On My Side" (1971)
Group disbands. William "Bud" Cowsill later forms Blue Shadows.
The Cowsills III (1990 - 1991) (reformed)
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Susan Cowsill - vocals
Group disbands. Barry Cowsill goes solo. Susan Cowsill joins Psycho Sisters and later joins The Continental Drifters.
The Cowsills IV (1998) (reformed)
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Susan Cowsill - vocals
Album:
"Global" (1998)
Group disbands.
The Cowsills V (September 2000) (reformed)
Bob Cowsill - guitar/vocals
Paul Cowsill - keyboards/vocals
Barry Cowsill - bass/vocals
John Cowsill - drums
Susan Cowsill - vocals
Rich Cowsill - vocals
Compilations:
"All Time Hits"
"The Best Of The Cowsills" (1988)
"The Best Of The Cowsills" (1994)
] Breaking Clay Makes My Day!
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