Fourth Fan Club - Cowsill Connection
Volume 1 Issue 2 Fall 1990

THE COWSILLS ON TOUR
(Photos courtesy of Judy Aronson, West Orange, NJ; Stephanie Kallok, Levittown, PA; and Carol Lane, Lynn, MA)

Page 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT...
It is a real pleasure for me to be in contact with all of you fellow Cowsills fans and to get to know so many of you via the mail. Fan participation in this fan club has been overwhelming! I can't thank all of you enough!!! Your comments, suggestions, articles, and photos have been very much appreciated and will always be desired and most welcomed.

THE COWSILLS' attorney, Malcolm Wiseman, who represents a top national entertainment law firm, is submitting their material to all of the major record labels in L.A. THE COWSILLS deeply appreciate the letters of support that you have been writing to Mr. Wiseman in care of the fan club. If you haven't sent us your letter for Mr. Wiseman expressing your interest in THE COWSILLS, please do so today!

Special love and thanks go to Jo Malone of Philadelphia, PA, for her valuable expertise in the typesetting and printing of our fan dub newsletters and materials.Thanks also go to Debbie and Jennifer Hook of the Monkees Madness Fan Qub in Ontario, Canada, for including THE COWSILLS in their special edition newsletter covering the 1990 Monkees Convention.

Let's all continue working together to give THE COWSILLS what they so richly deserve - the VERY BEST!!!

Sincerely,
Marsha Jordan

THE DIRECT LINE

Here are THE COWSILLS' personal answers to your Direct Line questions:

Bob, Paul, Barry, or John,
Why did you try a comeback under the name "Bridey Murphy"?
Sandy Peoples, Oak Grove, MO (Kansas City area)




Barry,
What have you been up to these past 20 years?
Debby Walter, Pocatello, ID

Sandy,
"Bridey Murphy" was Paul and Bill's attempt to stay in the music business. Good try. I'll need to ask Paul about the name. (More details in next newsletter.)
Bob


Debby,
Singing, marriage, children, writing, and traveling.
Barry

Anyone,
Who are the people featured on the inside of the "IIXII" album cover other than THE COWSILLS? Is one of them Travis Cowsill?
Jo Malone, Philadelphia, PA


Bob,
Have you thought about writing a book about your . family's experiences? I think your insights to both the 60's - 90's changing music scene and your personal scene (rags to riches to rags to? riches?) could be fascinating. What do you say?
Karen Mormando Klein, Amityville, NY

Jo,
They were various friends of friends. Travis is not one of them.
Bob




Karen,
There is a book in the future. We're just waiting to live the final chapters.
Bob

If your question wasn't answered this time, don't be dismayed. Just stay tuned for the next issue of The Cowsill Connection! If you haven't sent us your Direct Line entry, you may use the enclosed card to do so!

WE HEAR FROM YOU
All letters and articles used in The Cowsill Connection are subject to editing and/or condensation.

A NIGHT WITH THE COWSILLS - AFTER 20 YEARS
by Karen Mormando Klein, Amityville, NY

Reacting in much the same manner as the rest of you, I was both amazed and elated to hear from the Cowsills Fan Club in late June. I viewed their appearance on "Good Morning America", however, with a healthy dose of skepticism. As a thirty-something professional and mommy, I have little time for fan clubs and pre-teen nostalgia. Of course, all that changed several weeks ago when I had the great fortune to see the Cowsills perform again live. At the late night show at a hole-in-the-wall called Jiggs' s Corner in Butler, NJ, I let my emotions get the better of me.

Accompanied by a few other ancient Cowsill lovers (Our husbands would not attend. I think we were secretly relieved!), I remained cool and detached through Bob and Susan's opening "coffeehouse set" (which contained some nice folksy-bluesy things). However, by the time the entire clan assembled on stage and began "The Rain , the Park and Other Things", I was reeling with nostalgia. As cornball as it sounds, after twenty years, this really was heavy stuff. Fortunately though, the focus of the evening was not on the old classics. For those of you who have not heard them yet, I must tell you that the Cowsills in 1990 sound better than ever. Musically tight with those familiar harmonies, their new music is truly inspiring. I sure hope it gets released soon. I think it will be favorably received (and will surprise quite a few people). A particular treat of the evening was John's haunting rendition of the Roy Orbison classic, "Crying". Bob summed it up with one word, "marvelous!" Susan had some strong solos as well, including the Bangles' "Liverpool". There was a poorly disguised (??) Barry Cowsill on bass. Several lines into "Honky Tonk Woman", though, clinched his true identity. Own up, Barry (and lose the hat and dark glasses, please).

In closing, I must say that I was delighted to hear the Cowsills sound so wonderful. For me, it justified all the years of enjoying their music for the wrong reasons. Yes, in 1968 they might have been adorable, but what I missed then was the true talent there. In 1990, I'm a lot smarter. Thank you, Cowsills, for "some good years" with the hope of a few more to come!

THE ONE, THE ONLY COWSILL FAN IN IOWA
by Lew Claussen, Des Moines, IA

This past summer I was fortunate enough to see some of my favorite groups in concert (Paul McCartney, The Grass Roots, Davy Jones, etc.). The real highlight for me was actually meeting the Cowsills! They were at the Chicago Bismarck Hotel for a Monkees Convention!

I met Susan on Saturday, August 18, and had a photo taken with her. I also met John that day. They are the nicest people you'd ever want to meet! They autographed several of my Cowsills 45's and LP's that I had with me at the time. In fact, I have two promo 45's that Susan recorded for Warner Brothers in 1976/77, "It Might As Well Rain Until September" and "The Next Time That I See You". I had an extra copy of "The Next Time That I See You", and I gave it to Susan for her personal collection. On my copy she wrote, 'To Lew Claussen - the only Cowsill fan in the world - thanks for buying all those records. Love, Susan Cowsill." She wrote in reference to what my friend Rick had said as a running joke. Susan sang "I'm a Believer" with Davy Jones at his concert the night of August 18!

I met Paul and Bob the next day, Sunday, August 19. I asked Paul and Susan if they would possibly dedicate a song to me during the concert that night. Sure enough, they did! They dedicated the song "Hair" to me. Susan said, "I need to dedicate this next song to the one, the only (by his claim) Cowsill fan in Iowa (or in the world, for that matter)... to Lew... this is for you, my friend." The concert was great! They sang their hits plus "Liverpool" (a song made famous by the Bangles). Bob sang lead on the Beatles' "Nowhere Man" (good job, Bob!). John and Susan sang their rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" (best cover version I ever heard). And Susan sang lead on the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" (I liked her version even better than the original!). Butch Patrick (TV's "Eddie Munster") played percussion and did "war hoots" during the Cowsills' performance of "Indian Lake". (Editor's note: Butch was in school with Paul.) They also sang some of their new songs. (Can't wait for the new album - if David Cassidy can get a recording contract, why can't the Cowsills? I mean, if it wasn't for the Cowsills, David Cassidy would've never been "Keith Partridge", right?)

Overall, I had a really good time at the Chicago convention, and I'm very glad I had a chance to meet one of my favorite groups! Although this was the first time I had met them, they gave me the feeling that I've known them ever since they became famous! They're very nice, warm (and funny) individuals whom you'd want to call your friends, and they haven't let "stardom" go to their heads. Some of the famous people I've met over the years have had ego trips like, "Oh, isn't it a pleasure for you to meet me!" Well, the Cowsills aren't that way.

I want to wish them good luck in the future, and I look forward to the next time I see them. Thanks a lot again for the music and the memories!

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM...

Deanna Hagen, Iowa City, IA, who attended the Beloit and Chicago shows: "It was so good to hear them again, and they sounded as good as ever... They are the sweetest people and can be so funny... It was nice seeing them together and having so much fun... They really made everyone feel "at home"... They enjoy what they're doing and they do it so well... And they appreciate their fans - that means a lot... Their (song) writing ability is outstanding... They are truly the best... I don't think anyone went away not feeling just terrific and so fulfilled... I think we'll be hearing these "special friends" for a long time to come!"

Debbie Joliat, Waltham, MA, who saw the Cowsills in Newport, RI: "The show was awesome... Susan's songs were well polished ... John sang his heart out on "Crying" - all the girls screamed... They are so down-to-earth... I have some wonderful memories of this summer."

Sammy Boyt, Minneapolis, MN, who saw the Cowsills at the Monkees Convention: "This was the very first time I had seen the Cowsills in concert... Of course, I remember all of their songs and reading about them in Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine ... I love the Cowsills... I'm really glad they're back... How friendly they all were... I wish them all the luck in the world!"

Helen Pantuso of New York, NY, who has seen the Cowsills perform 6 times this year: "I've been very impressed with the music the Cowsills are performing... "Is It Any Wonder?" is my favorite... I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they land a record deal and are on the charts!"

We'll hear from more of YOU in our next edition!!!

Did you catch Arsenio Hall presenting Michael J. Fox with THE COWSILLS' first MGM LP on "The Arsenio Hall Show"? Michael's birthday was approaching, and Arsenio had read in Michael's bio that he and his sister were once "into THE COWSILLS". Part of "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" was played as the show went into a commercial break. This particular show has been aired twice!

Bob, Paul, John, and Susan Cowsill, along with Cecil Duke, were guests on Howard Stern's New York based syndicated TV show on August 25. THE COWSILLS "turned the tables" on the controversial Stern and "stole the show" by refusing to sing his song parody about Iraq to the tune of "Hair". Instead, they sang part of "Hair" (with Bob altering the words to include "Howard's hair is a fright"), and then they went directly into a great new uplifting Cowsills song entitled "Shine"!

THE COWSILLS were shown on the Entertainment Channel's "True Gossip" and "E Sharp" segments as they were setting up in L.A. to make videos to be used as visual presentations of the band for submission to record companies.

While in Chicago for the Monkees Convention, THE COWSILLS gave a TV interview to the Fox Network.

Numerous radio stations across the country are giving publicity to THE COWSILLS and their comeback. Some of the radio stations that have interviewed THE COWSILLS are KODJ, Los Angeles, CA; WCBS and WNEW, New York, NY; Magic 104, Chicago, IL; WKMQ, Rockford, IL; KTDY, Lafayette, LA; and KBSG, Seattle, WA. WOGL in Philadelphia, PA, spotlighted THE COWSILLS in their scrapbook feature recently.

If your favorite radio station would like to interview THE COWSILLS, please let us know.