Newspaper Articles





Dean's Little Guest
November 21, 1969
S. F. Valley Times
North Hollywood, California






Little Susan Cowsill leaves the rest of the family to be a "solo" guest with Dean Martin, Thursday at 10 PM (NBC) on The Dean Martin Show.

The history of The Cowsills' rise from family singalong to nationally acclaimed phenomenon in the world of pop music has been well documented, fraught as it was with narrative "color" - Halidon Hall, the run-down 22-room mansion in Newport, Rhode Island; no money, little furniture; the mere fact that a talented tribe of seven children, a mother, a father could make a dent in the hard business of hard rock.

But The Cowsills - Bob, Paul, John, Barry, and Susan, and parents Barbara and Bud - don't consider themselves twentieth century Cinderellas. It wasn't grim. And therefore success hasn't made a bit of difference personally.

Those were the days, June, 1967, marked the explosion of The Cowsills into the national musical consciousness with their first MGM album, "The Cowsills," which contained group's first million-seller, "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things," among other things. MGM Records embarked on a heavy-hype campaign on the product, affronting probable disbelief on the part of the American public. With a name like Cowsill they had to be good.

They are, which explains in the simplest terms the survival of a family group named The Cowsills pitted against the established image of what pop groups should be, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Bob started in on the guitar at 7, joining older brother Bill, and they performed as a duo; Barry reached seven and reached for the bongos, later switching to bass guitar, having taught John a single drum beat which sparked him to become the best (and youngest) drummer in the U.S. today. Paul only recently switched from the backstage to performing aspect of Cowsill life, debuting as keyboard man on The Cowsill's second million-seller, "Hair." Barbara found herself conned into joining her progeny for "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things"; and Susan convinced "the boys" to accept her as one of The Cowsills in time for the "We Can Fly" album. They don't stand still, though, The Cowsills. Bill and Bob cut their teeth as record producers on the "We Can Fly" single and album, and Bob solo'd in that capacity for the first time on "The Prophecy of Daniel and John the Divine."

The Cowsills, constantly on the move, recently made a big move, from Halidon Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, to a sprawling Spanish-style house in Santa Monica, California, where they are now home-based.





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