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The past weekend was a big one - musically speaking - for Greater Springfield with the Cowsills doing their thing at the Fox Theater Saturday and Rosey Grier, former pro footballer turned soul singer, charming a large Riverside Park audience Sunday.
For the Cowsill Family, it was their initial appearance in the area and Barbara and her youngsters (John, Barry, Paul, Bob and Sue) went a full 90 minutes on stage and although the audience was small, the Cowsills music and singing came on really strong.
This very musically versatile family which just returned from a three-week tour of U.S. service bases in Europe, rapped a bit with the young people present but their forete is actually music.
"We did 25 shows in 13 days and we had to put on extra shows for the kids," said Bob who is more or less the family's emcee. "Most of the shows we did were in clubs on base and it turned out to be a happy time for us all."
If the Cowsills were tired, their performance never showed it. As earlier noted, the show went a solid 90 minutes opening with their big hit of a few years ago, "Indian Lake" and winding up their stay with a pretty solid, rock version of "Reach Out."
Somewhere inbetween, Mom Cowsill (a new grandmother) balladed a lovely lullaby "For Baby" and young Susan shook up the theater with "Look What They've Done to My Song" and a new one Barry wrote, "Down on the Farm."
John, a favorite with the crowd, left his drums to pick up a guitar and do a few Johnny Cash numbers, "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues." For a youngster, John owns a strong husky voice.
Are the Cowsills breaking up? We put that question to the family and here were their answers. Bob: "Heck no. We're heading for Los Angeles to do our second album for London Records and there's more in the works." Mom: "We've been together since 1963 and we're getting used to one another." Dad: "I think you can say we're addicted to one another."
Even Ken Capurso, the group's East Coast representative, pitched in about the future. "Plans are in the making to include night club acts." He admitted the plan will open other doors for the Cowsills heretofore closed.
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