Susan Cowsill
Encyclopedia
Susan Claire Cowsill is a musician, vocalist and songwriter. She is the youngest member of The Cowsills
and the only daughter of parents Bud and Barbara Cowsill.
album released in early 1968. Her debut solo vocal was a song called Ask The Children, featured in the Cowsills third MGM album, Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools. Her contribution to the Cowsills' backing vocals made her, upon her ninth birthday, the youngest person to be directly involved in a hit record when Indian Lake made the Top 10 in the early summer of 1968.
In 1969 she contributed to the vocals in what would become the Cowsills' biggest hit, Hair. She sang her line, "and spaghetti'd" with a squeakiness in her voice, which essentially became her calling card, which she still uses to this day when she performs the song live.
Susan was initially relegated to playing the tambourine, but by the time she left the group in 1971 (shortly after the release of their London Records
album On My Side) she had learned to play other instruments; in an episode of the short-lived Barbara McNair
Show she was seen playing bass guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s6Pq4xcwHo.
In 1978 Susan reunited with The Cowsills (without Bill
and Barbara) to work on an album of new songs. The album, tentatively titled Cocaine Drain, was produced by Chuck Plotkin
, but was not released until 2008. She again reunited with brothers Bob, Paul and John as The Cowsills in the 1990s, to work on another album of original songs. The album, Global, was released to critical praise in 1998.
in 1976, releasing two singles. Beginning in the early 80s she worked as a backing vocalist for varying artists including Dwight Twilley
, The Smithereens
, Carlene Carter
, Mike Zito, and Hootie & the Blowfish
. During this time her songwriting skills blossomed, and several of her songs have been covered by other artists.
By the early 1990s Susan had developed an affinity for Americana
-style music, which in 1991 led to her joining the Continental Drifters
, further honing her songwriting talents. Susan occasionally appeared in a duo with bandmate Vicki Peterson
, calling themselves The Psycho Sisters. (Peterson subsequently married John Cowsill
, currently with the touring version of the Beach Boys.) Susan permanently relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana
by 1993.
In 2004, on the heels of a rare Christmas snowfall in New Orleans, Susan wrote and recorded the poignant Crescent City Sneaux. The song subsequently became an anthem for survivors of Hurricane Katrina
.
Susan has also made guest appearances on many albums, including Hootie and the Blowfish's 2003 self titled release, Paul Sanchez
's 2008 album Exit to Mystery Street, Giant Sand
's 1992 release Glum, and A Fragile Tomorrow
's releases Beautiful Noise (2008) and Tripping Over Nothing (2010).
By 2005, Susan had released her first ever solo album, Just Believe It, on her own Blue Corn indie
label. Susan and her band are innovators in what they call their Covered In Vinyl series. This involves the band learning all the tracks from a selected album, usually of the classic rock genre, and then performing the album in its entirety before a live audience. The band released their first Covered In Vinyl compilation in 2007 featuring songs from their live performances, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charity. Members of the CIV band include New Orleans guitar virtuoso Jimmy Robinson (Woodenhead, Twangorama), Pete Winkler (Motorway) , special guests Bill Davis (Dash Rip Rock), Caleb Guillotte (Dead Eye Dick), Derek Huston, Paul Sanchez, and many others.
Susan's latest releases include a second Covered In Vinyl compilation, and her second solo work, Lighthouse, a concept album in which she reflects on her losses, mainly through Hurricane Katrina and the deaths of brothers Barry and Bill. The album features harmonies from her surviving brothers (Bob, Paul and John) as well as appearances by Jackson Browne
and Vicki Peterson
, and was released May 18, 2010.
, an original HBO drama about a New Orleans neighborhood.
. Her brother Barry
stayed behind and became one of the victims of the hurricane; his body was not found until shortly after Christmas 2005. The day before Barry's funeral, she learned her oldest brother Bill
had succumbed to illness in Calgary
. Susan payed tribute to Barry on her latest CD with her version of his song "River Of Love". Despite her losses, she remains a New Orleans resident and still performs regularly with her band at Carrollton Station.
Susan married fellow band member, drummer Russ Broussard in July 2003. She has one daughter, Miranda Holsapple, from her previous marriage to musician Peter Holsapple
.
The Cowsills
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
and the only daughter of parents Bud and Barbara Cowsill.
The Cowsills
Susan began her musical career with The Cowsills in 1967; she made her debut on We Can Fly, the Cowsills' second MGM RecordsMGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
album released in early 1968. Her debut solo vocal was a song called Ask The Children, featured in the Cowsills third MGM album, Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools. Her contribution to the Cowsills' backing vocals made her, upon her ninth birthday, the youngest person to be directly involved in a hit record when Indian Lake made the Top 10 in the early summer of 1968.
In 1969 she contributed to the vocals in what would become the Cowsills' biggest hit, Hair. She sang her line, "and spaghetti'd" with a squeakiness in her voice, which essentially became her calling card, which she still uses to this day when she performs the song live.
Susan was initially relegated to playing the tambourine, but by the time she left the group in 1971 (shortly after the release of their London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
album On My Side) she had learned to play other instruments; in an episode of the short-lived Barbara McNair
Barbara McNair
Barbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
Show she was seen playing bass guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s6Pq4xcwHo.
In 1978 Susan reunited with The Cowsills (without Bill
Bill Cowsill
William "Bill" Cowsill, Jr., also known as Billy, was an American singer best known as lead singer and guitarist of The Cowsills who had three top 10 singles in the late 1960s.-The Cowsills:...
and Barbara) to work on an album of new songs. The album, tentatively titled Cocaine Drain, was produced by Chuck Plotkin
Chuck Plotkin
Chuck Plotkin is a recording engineer and producer, best known for his work with Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.-Recording engineer:Plotkin has recorded, engineered, mastered and produced albums by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and many other artists, starting with The Floating House Band in 1972...
, but was not released until 2008. She again reunited with brothers Bob, Paul and John as The Cowsills in the 1990s, to work on another album of original songs. The album, Global, was released to critical praise in 1998.
Music
Susan signed briefly with Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 1976, releasing two singles. Beginning in the early 80s she worked as a backing vocalist for varying artists including Dwight Twilley
Dwight Twilley
Dwight Twilley is an American pop/rock singer and songwriter, best known for the Top 20 hit singles "I'm on Fire" and "Girls"...
, The Smithereens
The Smithereens
The Smithereens are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio , Jim Babjak , Mike Mesaros , and Dennis Diken...
, Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
, Mike Zito, and Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
. During this time her songwriting skills blossomed, and several of her songs have been covered by other artists.
By the early 1990s Susan had developed an affinity for Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
-style music, which in 1991 led to her joining the Continental Drifters
Continental Drifters
The Continental Drifters was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 and dissolved in New Orleans, Louisiana about a decade later...
, further honing her songwriting talents. Susan occasionally appeared in a duo with bandmate Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson is an American rock musician ....
, calling themselves The Psycho Sisters. (Peterson subsequently married John Cowsill
John Cowsill
John Cowsill is an American musician, best known for his work as a singer and drummer with his siblings' band, The Cowsills. He is currently a drummer and vocalist for the current The Beach Boys touring band, which features original Beach Boys Mike Love and Bruce Johnston...
, currently with the touring version of the Beach Boys.) Susan permanently relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
by 1993.
In 2004, on the heels of a rare Christmas snowfall in New Orleans, Susan wrote and recorded the poignant Crescent City Sneaux. The song subsequently became an anthem for survivors of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Susan has also made guest appearances on many albums, including Hootie and the Blowfish's 2003 self titled release, Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez
Paul Sanchez is a New Orleans-born and based American guitarist and a singer-songwriter. Sanchez is best known as one of New Orleans' finest song writers and was also founding member of the New Orleans band Cowboy Mouth. Sanchez was a guitarist and one of the primary singers and songwriters for the...
's 2008 album Exit to Mystery Street, Giant Sand
Giant Sand
Giant Sand is an American rock band, based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The name is shortened from the original Giant Sandworms, a reference to the creatures in the Dune books. Overseen by singer-songwriter Howe Gelb, its membership has shifted over the years—at times with each album...
's 1992 release Glum, and A Fragile Tomorrow
A Fragile Tomorrow
A Fragile Tomorrow is an indie rock/jangle pop band from Charleston, South Carolina, formerly from Montgomery, New York The group formed in 2003 and included brothers Sean Kelly, Dominic Kelly, and Brendan Kelly. In 2006, bassist Shaun Rhoades joined the group. The band has put out three albums...
's releases Beautiful Noise (2008) and Tripping Over Nothing (2010).
By 2005, Susan had released her first ever solo album, Just Believe It, on her own Blue Corn indie
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
label. Susan and her band are innovators in what they call their Covered In Vinyl series. This involves the band learning all the tracks from a selected album, usually of the classic rock genre, and then performing the album in its entirety before a live audience. The band released their first Covered In Vinyl compilation in 2007 featuring songs from their live performances, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charity. Members of the CIV band include New Orleans guitar virtuoso Jimmy Robinson (Woodenhead, Twangorama), Pete Winkler (Motorway) , special guests Bill Davis (Dash Rip Rock), Caleb Guillotte (Dead Eye Dick), Derek Huston, Paul Sanchez, and many others.
Susan's latest releases include a second Covered In Vinyl compilation, and her second solo work, Lighthouse, a concept album in which she reflects on her losses, mainly through Hurricane Katrina and the deaths of brothers Barry and Bill. The album features harmonies from her surviving brothers (Bob, Paul and John) as well as appearances by Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
and Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson is an American rock musician ....
, and was released May 18, 2010.
Television
Susan made numerous appearances with her family on many variety shows in the 60s and early 70s including a solo appearance on the Dean Martin Show . In June 2011, she and her band guest starred in the "After Mardi Gras" episode of TremeTreme (TV series)
Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans...
, an original HBO drama about a New Orleans neighborhood.
Personal life
Susan's home and belongings (including a sizeable amount of Cowsills memorabilia) were destroyed by Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Her brother Barry
Barry Cowsill
Barry Cowsill was an American musician and member of the musical group The Cowsills. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island. The fifth of seven children, Barry soon became the drummer of his brothers' band, playing popular tunes at local dance clubs...
stayed behind and became one of the victims of the hurricane; his body was not found until shortly after Christmas 2005. The day before Barry's funeral, she learned her oldest brother Bill
Bill Cowsill
William "Bill" Cowsill, Jr., also known as Billy, was an American singer best known as lead singer and guitarist of The Cowsills who had three top 10 singles in the late 1960s.-The Cowsills:...
had succumbed to illness in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. Susan payed tribute to Barry on her latest CD with her version of his song "River Of Love". Despite her losses, she remains a New Orleans resident and still performs regularly with her band at Carrollton Station.
Susan married fellow band member, drummer Russ Broussard in July 2003. She has one daughter, Miranda Holsapple, from her previous marriage to musician Peter Holsapple
Peter Holsapple
Peter Holsapple formed, along with Chris Stamey, the singing, songwriting, and guitar-playing core of the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He became the band's principal songwriter and singer after Stamey's departure. The dB's were at the forefront of the guitar bands...
.