Close your eyes, and I’ll kiss you… The Beatles broke into “All My Loving” on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. As all of America watched, who knows exactly how many bands were started over the next few days? One of them was comprised of four brothers in Newport, Rhode Island, with the last name of Cowsill. They had two guitars, borrowed a drum set, and then convinced their father to buy them a bass.
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Their father, Bud, was a taskmaster who pushed them and even secured a record deal. Things took off fast for the group, and they scored hit records, appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show themselves, and were offered a television show of their own—only to see it all come crashing down at the hand of the very man who got it started in the first place. Let’s take a look at five fascinating facts about The Cowsills.
1. The Band Was Signed to Make 10 Appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
On October 29, 1967, the band debuted on the same stage they had watched The Beatles play three years earlier. There was one major difference from the way they had envisioned it. Their father insisted on adding their mother, Barbara, and little sister, Susan.
Billy, Bob, Barry, and John wanted to be the next Beatles. They certainly didn’t expect to be in a rock band with their mother. Whenever they pushed back, their father would put his foot down. His military background, coupled with alcohol, would lead to a short fuse. Brother Paul joined the fray. They released a few singles with little success before they met producer Artie Kornfeld, who saw something in them. He recorded “The Rain, The Park, and Other Things.” The song was a smash hit. Just as they entered the recording studio for the next single, their father fired Kornfeld.
The producer shared his memories in 2011: “The problem in the studio was the dad… They were doing harmonies, and Bud slapped Barry in the face. I pushed him out of the studio and threw him up against the wall. I said, ‘Don’t ever come into the room when I’m producing. And, by the way, do you feel better that you just took a shot at someone who weighs one-eighth of what you weigh?’ So, at that point, Bud knew that he would have to somehow get me out.”
The family started to see a pattern. People wanted to work with the band… once. The Ed Sullivan Show had set up an agreement to have the band on for 10 appearances. After the first appearance, the number was reduced to two.
2. They Were Given Their Own Primetime Special
On November 11, 1968, A Family Thing aired on NBC. Buddy Ebsen introduced The Cowsills to America. The band did skits and performed songs. The family was offered a weekly sitcom as a summer replacement for The Carol Burnett Show. Things were taking off for The Cowsills. Their follow-up single, “We Can Fly,” peaked at no. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. When the family met with the network about the sitcom, it was revealed that actors were cast as the band members.
3. The Partridge Family Was Based on The Cowsills
Shirley Jones was cast as the mother, and her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, was the eldest son. Producer Wes Farrell was brought in after the success of The Cowsills’ latest single, “Indian Lake,” and session musicians and singers were used to create The Partridge Family music. At first, only Jones’ vocals were used until Cassidy convinced Farrell of his musical talent. It was then that his vocals were recorded as well.
4. Their Biggest Hit Almost Didn’t Happen
Carl Reiner produced a television special called The Wonderful World of Pizazz. He asked The Cowsills to appear and sing the theme from Hair. Billy Cowsill went into the studio and produced the song for the show. The band lip-synched in crazy wigs for the special. They pitched it to MGM as their next single. The label was adamant about not releasing the song as it differed from the sound The Cowsills had established.
Billy had a plan. He took an acetate to the radio station WLS in Chicago and asked them to play the song with a challenge to listeners to name the artist. The phones went crazy, but no one guessed The Cowsills. MGM had so many orders they had to start pressing the single the following day. The song sold two and a half million copies. In a funny twist of fate, the song was kept out of the top spot by The Fifth Dimension’s “Aquarius /Let the Sunshine In,” which was also from the soundtrack to Hair.
[RELATED: Behind The Song: “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension]
5. The Cowsills Provided the Theme Song to Love, American Style.
In 1969, the band performed the theme song for the first season of the ABC television show Love, American Style. They were replaced in the second season. In another sad twist of fate, The Ron Hicklin Singers were the ones who took over the theme song; they were the group who provided the voices for The Partridge Family.
Bud and Billy Cowsill got into a confrontation at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both had been drinking alcohol, and the elder started to attack the son. Two Arizona state police officers walked in and took Bud Cowsill to jail. The following day, Billy received a letter notifying him he was no longer a member of The Cowsills. The band continued for a bit, but they never recovered from it. The business was mismanaged, and the money was never passed on to the kids. The Cowsills had it all, and it was all taken away.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
