The Real-Life Partridge Family: The Story of The Cowsills

Aside from being an era of amazing music, the 60s-70s marked the rise of many prominent musical families. The Jacksons, Osmonds, and the Wilson brothers of the Beach Boys were just a few families to have come out of that irreplaceable era.

When bandmates are also relatives, there is a sort of chemistry that just cannot be found elsewhere. Most often seen in their harmonies, families in music often succeed together thanks to their unique connection to one another.

No group personified this better than the Cowsills. Made up of six siblings and their mother, the Cowsills seemed to be on the rise. With a string of hits, multiple television appearances, and even a comic series, the Cowsills also served as the inspiration for the Partridge Family.

With just a quick listen to any of their songs, you could easily tell that the band was destined to go far. They had the talent and the potential to succeed and by all means should be regarded today as one of the most capable and successful family groups of all time.

Unfortunately, personal problems, mismanagement, and other difficulties caused the blossoming band to fade away just before they solidified their legacies. In this article, we will explore the story of what is arguably the most underrated musical family in recent history.

Early years

The Cowsill family consisted of parents Bud and Barbara Cowsill and their seven children: eldest boy Billy, twins Bob and Richard, Paul, Barry, John, and youngest sibling, Susan. Bud was in the navy and was constantly in and out of the children’s lives. When he was around, it was often tense and abusive, and when he was away, the children worked on honing their musical talent.

In 1965, Billy, Bob, Barry, and John formed the band's first incarnation. The boys honed their skills by performing gigs anywhere they could. The brothers soon began to make a name for themselves from churches to frat parties thanks to their talent and chemistry.

They were a musically sound group who gelled well with one another and like any young men of the time, strove to emulate the style of The Beatles. However, this was not meant to be. Although the boys’ talent attracted the attention of the Today show and the legendary Artie Konfeld, their image of the band differed very greatly from the boys’ expectations.

Envisioning The Cowsills as a clean-cut family group, they decided to add their mother Barbara into the band. The boys’ vehemently resisted it as they knew that their mother’s presence would destroy the rockstar image they sought to craft for themselves. Despite this, Barbara’s addition to the group would soon be followed by their most successful period.

Heyday

Although the boys were somewhat embarrassed to have their mother in the group, they could not deny that she was an asset. Barbara had an amazing voice and could harmonise well with her sons. Together, they recorded their first studio album with the hit song, The Rain, The Park, and Other Things climbing straight to number 2 on the charts.

Soon, youngest sister Susan would join the group at the tender age of eight. Brother Paul would follow suit. Being the middle child of the family, Paul became the group’s keyboardist on stage and the babysitter of his younger siblings behind the scenes.

While not the kind of band its founding members imagined it would end up being, the idea of an entire musical family did have its appeal. Soon enough, The Cowsills received multiple TV deals and even a multi-appearance contract on the Ed Sullivan show.

To play on the same stage as the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones before them was a dream come true for the band. The group’s appearances only helped raise their image, and it seemed that the world was at their feet. They received their own TV Special, comic book, and made another hit with their rendition of Hair.

Unfortunately, their run on the top would end just as quickly as their rise.

Downfall

Like most musical families, the Cowsill’s patriarch, Bud, began to take charge of the band’s affairs behind the scenes. In the vein of Murry Wilson or Joseph Jackson before him, Bud was a domineering father who drove his family hard to achieve success.

Unfortunately, unlike Wilson or Jackson, whose children became successful despite their harsh treatment, Bud Cowsill’s heavy-handedness and abuse only served to harm the band his wife and children were in.

Having married and fathered many children at a young age, many of the Cowsill children had publicly stated that Bud was unfit to be a father. With his only experience in life having come from the Navy, Bud sought to use their discipline style on his family. His children grew to fear and resent their father.

Bud sought to take the band in a creative direction that they felt was not in their best interests. He often clashed with his eldest son and the band’s leader, Billy, whom he kept a tight hold on and did not allow to move out even after getting married. Bud also prevented one of his other sons, Richard, from joining the group and instead sent him off to the Navy.

Eventually, Billy had enough of his father’s treatment and rebelled, causing his father to fire him from the band he helped create. This led to a physical confrontation in a hotel bar which led to Bud getting arrested and spending a night in jail. Although Billy had won that battle, both he and the band suffered greatly.

Known as the band’s leader on and off stage and their biggest creative force, The Cowsills struggled to cope without Billy. Although second eldest brother Bob attempted to continue pushing the group on, it wasn’t the same. By the time Bill returned in 1972 and tried to reform the group in its original incarnation, it was too late.

The band was not just bankrupt creatively. Despite having earned millions of dollars at the height of their popularity, The Cowsills could not even slip into a comfortable life away from the spotlight. Bud had grossly mismanaged his family’s fortune and left everybody in debt.

Barbara passed away in 1985, and Bud died in 1992. Their children were left struggling and trying to pick up the pieces after briefly holding the music world in the palm of their hands. Many of the siblings have stated their resentment toward their parents. Paul Cowsill was especially vocal in his criticisms of his father’s abuse and mismanagement of the band and his mother’s immaturity and inability to protect her children.

Return

During their time away from the band, the Cowsill siblings would pursue their own goals. Billy, Barry, Susan, and John Cowsill remained in music. Bob Cowsill, who worked to pay off his debts, played music as a hobby while Paul pursued a career in Real Estate.

The siblings enjoyed a slight resurgence in popularity in 1994 following the movie Dumb and Dumber, which featured the Cowsills’ most iconic tune, The Rain, The Park, and Other Things in it. Now older and more comfortable in life, the siblings decided to continue performing together once more.

To date, they enjoy making appearances live and on television and attract respectable crowds to their many live shows. After all their years away from each other and their struggles, they never lost their innate chemistry.

Where are The Cowsills now?

Eldest brother Billy Cowsill passed away in 2006 following years of struggling with the after-effects of heavy drug use. Following his expulsion from the Cowsills, Billy had become heavily addicted to heroin. Despite getting clean, his piling health problems eventually took a toll on him. Nevertheless, he continued to play and make music up to his death.

Bob Cowsill has remained with the band since its reformation and has functioned as their frontman in Billy’s absence. He has gotten accustomed to his role as the band’s leader and was a natural fit for the job as he was the second oldest sibling. He also helped create a documentary about the life of his family.

Richard Cowsill, who was Bob’s twin and the only Cowsill to never perform in the group, had enlisted in the Navy. Although he spent years resenting his family for leaving him out, he began to reconnect with his siblings later in life. He joined The Cowsills on stage from time to time before his death in 2013 of cancer.

Paul Cowsill, who spent many years away from music, returned to the Cowsills as its keyboard player. He, Bob, and Susan are the only core members from the group’s heyday to remain with the Cowsills to this day.

Barry Cowsill had attempted many unsuccessful jobs following the Cowsills' first break-up. Following this, he returned permanently to music and was renowned as an impressive bassist. Struggling with alcoholism all his life, Barry attempted to treat his issues by going to rehab in 2005. However, Hurricane Katrina delayed his flight to rehab and eventually claimed his life. Barry drowned as a result of the hurricane in September 2005.

John Cowsill, arguably the most successful of his siblings, never left music after the Cowsills first broke up. A talented drummer, singer, and keyboardist, he found steady work as a session musician and performed live with various iconic groups. Since 2000, John has been with The Beach Boys. His connection to music did not end with his work, as he is also married to Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson.

Youngest sibling Susan also remained a musician. Most notably, she became a member of the Continental Drifters. She would also perform alongside her sister-in-law Vicki Peterson as the Psycho Sisters. Today, she is most active with her brothers Bob and Paul in the revamped Cowsills. Susan is also noted as the youngest person to ever take part in a Top 10 hit.

Well, that does it for this story! If you made it this far, let me thank you for taking the time to read this. Personally, I greatly enjoyed researching and listening to the music of this criminally underrated group and am glad that they have managed to put the past behind them and reform.

If I have missed out on any notable stories concerning The Cowsills, or if you know of any similarly underrated groups, do let me know in the comments. I really enjoy hearing back from all of you! Until then, take care!