Published: Sept. 23, 2016
The Cowsills are coming to Hartford
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Bob Cowsill, an original member of the band that bears his family’s name, has promised he and his siblings can still sing.
And yes, they can still put on a great show as they’re in the middle of a resurgence in their music careers.
Fans of the group that produced top-10 hits like “The Rain, The Park
and Other Things,” “Hair” and “Indian Lake,” can see Bob, his brother
Paul and sister Susan at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at Schauer Arts and Activities
Center, 147 N. Rural St., Hartford.
“It will be a blast,” Bob said.
The band is eager to return to Wisconsin.
They played at this summer’s Wisconsin State Fair, which was the band’s first appearance in the state since 1969.
“It was such a huge audience,” Bob said. “In the old days, there were always great crowds in Wisconsin.”
Plus, at one time, they were spokespeople for the American Dairy Association, appearing in commercials promoting milk.
“We are all about Wisconsin,” Bob said.
The band has gone through several breakups and transformations over
the years. But one thing has remained constant: the love of music.
That love never wavered far from their hearts and it’s what brought
them back together through the years. They also believe now they might
be better than ever, while maintaining the sound people fell in love
with in the 1960s.
“We’ve just kind of resurfaced,” Bob said. “Our kids are grown and everyone’s older now and we can come out and have fun.
“It’s pretty exciting actually. We’re all alive and well.”
Last summer, The Cowsills got back on the road — The Happy Together Tour, also starring The Turtles.
“We’re building our new history,” Bob said. “We didn’t create this resurgence; it’s happening though. I think
the songs that are powerful, the songs of our day are so strong that it
keeps all of us going, including our audience. It’s bonded all of us.”
The group was started by brothers Bob, Bill and Barry in 1965. Soon
after, brother John joined the fun. A short time later, sister Susan,
brother Paul and mom Barbara completed the group.
In 1967, MGM Records signed them. Their self-titled debut album
featured the song “The Rain, The Park and Other Things,” also known as
“The Flower Girl” song. It has sold 3 million copies.
In 1968, “Indian Lake” was on the band’s album, “Captain Sad and His
Ship of Fools,” and it reached No. 10 on the Billboard chart, including
No. 3 in Australia and No. 1 in New Zealand.
In 1969, the band recorded its third top-10 hit, “Hair.” It was No. 2
on the U.S. Billboard chart, but No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand.
To Susan, “Hair” and “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” are the
songs that mean the most to the group and not just because they were the
two most successful songs the band produced and released.
“Hair” was initially meant to be part of a television show to showcase
the boom of the long hair and fashion trends of the 1960s.
So when they got to recording it, they felt differently about how the song played out. They loved it.
“My brothers took it with them to a Chicago radio station and played it and the switchboard lit up,” Susan said. “It was a hit and MGM was forced to put it out.”
Paul said it was also special because it was a rare opportunity where each member had a singing part in the song.
It was from the 1968 Broadway musical “Hair” and was in the 1979 film adaptation.
As for “The Rain, The Park and Other Things,” Susan was 8 years old when it was released.
“She was our little flower sister,” Bob joked.
It has maintained popularity with the help of pop culture as it was
used in a scene in the 1994 film “Dumb and Dumber,” starring Jim Carrey
and Jeff Daniels. The song was used as background of a dream Carrey’s
character was having in the movie.
“That’s just my childhood heart song,” Susan said.
The band broke up at least twice for several reasons — personal squabbles, solo music aspirations, family, etc.
The family reason was the most important, Paul said.
“We spent 18 years raising our children,” he said. “We went to 13
different schools because our dad was in the Navy. It kept putting us in
different school after different school.
“I didn’t go to a prom. I didn’t go to a graduation. I don’t really
have people that I can call up and go, ‘Hey remember when we were in
high school?’ I didn’t want that for my kids.”
Other groups seen as their competition in the 1960s and ’70s kept going. The Cowsills took breaks.
“Through it all, we all kept singing,” Bob said. “We all kept performing.”
It was the right thing to do, especially looking back on it today.
“One thing when you’re an older artist is an appreciation for what you
did as a younger artist and the fact that other people appreciate it
still really blew us away,” Bob said. “We’ve had great crowds. The
audiences have been amazing.
“It seems like they’re glad to see us and we’re glad to see them.”
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