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Geometrically the shortest distance between two points may be a straight line; but for the Cowsills to cross the street from the Meuchinger-King Hotel, where they started, to the Viking, where they are now playing, took five years and 2 ½ million miles.
During a break between their 8:30 dinner show and the 11:30 cocktail show, Bill Cowsill Sr., know to his friend as “Bud,” reflected on the last five years.
“We are still raising our family. We are not running out of kids. We have a grandson now,” the genial Cowsill replies to a question where are the Cowsills now.
The Cowsills are still on stage “doing their thing” but with differences, more strength, more showmanship and more variety.
Five years has brought a seasoning to the group without taking away from the youthful enthusiasm the group had before it went into music on a full-time basis.
During the five years the two oldest boys, Bill, 23, and Bob, 21, have married and the voices of the two youngest boys Barry, 17, and John, 15, have changed.
Bill no longer plays with the group but keeps the musical association going by helping with song-writing. He is also presently appearing in the Viking Skoal Room.
Bobby leads the group on guitar but has also taken to the piano and has hopes of being a concert pianist. Barry and John play guitar and drums.
The biggest change in the group’s makeup is Susan, age 12. Susan brings a new energy to the act whereas five years ago, she would make one or two appearances a performance, she now commands center stage and has developed a strong musical personality of her own.
Mrs. Cowsill still sings with the group and like Bill Cowsill Sr., does not look a day older than she did five years ago.
The group begins its show with nostalgic top of the chart oldies it made famous in the late sixties such as “We Can Fly” and “Rain the Park.” The performance is spiced with imitations of current artists which are as good as the originals and new songs by the writers Bob and Barry.
Following the Viking stint which ends Saturday, the group does the fair circuit to be followed by the college circuit. In October, there is a new album on the London label, “You and My Mind” written by Bill.
Another European tour is scheduled for the Christmas holidays, as are more Johnny Carson appearances and a television special to be done in Miami next month. The special is titled “The All American Family.”
“Essentially, we are a family and we appeal to families,” father Cowsill said looking at a room filled with mothers and fathers who had brought their children to the evening performance.
Asked how long the group with a five-year record (long for show business) can stay together, the senior Cowsill noted that no member of the group has a contract for more than a year.
“No one is locked in. Each one is free to do his thing. We never did, nor ever will, take this business so seriously that it affects our personal lives.”
Despite their round-the-world travels, the Cowsills still call Newport home and visit whenever they are in the area.
“What about the future? Everyone used to ask us what we would do about the draft, the voice change, what would happen when the kids married. All I can say is we are still on stage and enjoying every minute of it.”
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