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NEW YORK – A $200,000 program for a new family act, the Cowsills, has been launched by MGM Records.
The group, four sons, a daughter and their mother, has come to the label as a result of a 3-year, four artist production deal between MGM and Lenny Stogel, the manager, through a new production company, Gregg Yale Productions. The Cowsills are the first attraction under the arrangement. A second act, the Darling Sisters, will debut on MGM with a single in mid-Sept.
The Cowsills a vocal-instrumental act, are being introduced via a single release, “The Rain, the park & Other Things,” set for this week. A month-long coast-to-coast promo tour, which will encompass 56-cities, will begin next Monday (11) and continue through Oct. 11. As part of the trek, MGM is making available to its local distribs a series of promo tools, including photo displays of various sizes, bios, pens and buttons. Regarded as a particularly effective visual attraction; the company is also setting-up a number of video appearances.
According to Mont Nasatir, President of MGM, the label’s plans for the future call for “everything from albums to a TV series to marketing Cowsill products.”
The Cowsills, who live in Newport, R.I., consists of Bill (20), Bob (18), Barry (12), John (11) and their mini-skirted mother. Bud Cowsill, father and husband, is not a part of the team, but two other sons, Dick and Paul, are road managers.
They’ve been tuning up their act for the past three years. Artie Kornfeld, the indie producer, brought them to the attention of Stogel. Stogel’s PR firm, Heroic Age, has signed them for promo and publicity.
Cowsills: Caught In The Act
A Cash Box Appraisal
If the Cowsills get an opportunity to expose their wares on TV, the group could become one of the hottest properties on the entertainment scene.
The first thought is that the group must have been created by some Hollywood script writer since they comprise a mother, father and their seven children. The Dad and two of the boys are behind-the-scenes men. On stage, the hard core of the rockin’ combo is an 18 year old guitarist (and lead vocalist), a 19 year old organist, a 12 year old bass player and the wildest 11 year old drummer we’ve seen in years. They all sing like veterans, have a repertoire of a hundred songs or more and add color to their act by featuring little 8 year old sister Suzie on some novelties or Mom on a softer number. Mom, incidentally is a very attractive, youthful looking, mini-skirted performer who is charmingly un-hip. Her harmony contributes a great deal to the group on certain numbers. But it’s the novelty of seeing and hearing a mother in the front line of a rock group that gives the audience a boot.
Watching them at rehearsal one has got to be convinced that they’re a natural for one of the big family-type TVer’s, the Ed Sullivan or Andy Williams type.
Their first record debuts this week and MGM gives the Cowsills a sendoff with a cross-country tour designed to present the tremendous visual-audio excitement of the group. Should they click with their first single, a flower type rocker, there be no stopping ‘em.
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