The Cowsills music group enjoyed great success during the late 1960s and into the very early 70s not only with their music but appearing as guests on television shows and hosting their own TV special. Their story even inspired the popular series, The Partridge Family. Surviving members Bob, Susan and Paul joined host Ian Punnett (Twitter) to tell their stories and the many twists and turns along the way.
"The challenge in the family was to survive so the business could survive," Bob said, referencing the siblings' abusive alcoholic father. According to Bob, the band had a ten show contract with Ed Sullivan but their father got into a fight with someone associated with show and they only ever had two appearances. Susan revealed The Cowsills were shunned by other bands of the time because they were so young and knocking older more established bands off the charts.
"There was a ring around us, no one could get in and we couldn't get out," Bob continued. "Our dad would make sure we never met any of these groups we were playing with," Paul added. Currently on the Happy Together Tour, The Cowsills are only now finally interacting with other bands from the time. "Now we get to meet all of these great artists that we were contemporaries with at the time but we never met them," Paul explained.
Susan recalled her performance of "Shine On, Harvest Moon" with Dean Martin on his variety show, and described Martin as "the coolest cat ever, the sweetest man." Paul also mentioned former Cowsills member and brother Bill, who was not a fan of their song, "Indian Lake," until Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys told him he loved that song.
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Open Lines followed in the latter half of the program. Elijah, a member of the band Paint Fumes from Charlotte, North Carolina, phoned in to chat about haunted objects. Apparently, whenever he buys a previously owned item it turns out to be haunted. Elijah described his most recent find, a mirrored music box, which he hasn't touched in some time but which often plays by itself. Elijah also revealed he had recently moved into a new home and all was well until he brought in some of his haunted objects. "Once I started moving certain things in, I started hearing things," he admitted.
Chris in Columbus, Ohio, told Ian about his uncanny habit of running into famous people that at the time he did not recognize as famous. On one occasion he met an actor/singer from The Partridge Family in a hotel bar in Canton, Ohio. "I'm sitting next to this guy and he tells me he's David Cassidy," Chris recalled. Another time, Chris was perusing items in a pawn shop when he saw someone resembling Alice Cooper. It turned out to be the real Alice Cooper who told Chris he often visits pawn shops to find old guitars.