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Susan Cowsill appeared on Ed Sullivan at all of eight years old.

6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11. Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney, 713-400-7336

The Cowsills became a national bubblegum-rock sensation when MGM released "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things" in 1967. Seven-year-old Susan Cowsill began her career in 1968 when she joined the family band prior to recording the evergreen hit "Indian Lake."

So who would a seven-year-old pop star listen to in 1968?

"The Monkees! I was also ­listening to Jackson Five, Carpenters, First Edition, The Buckinghams, Hollies, stuff like that," Cowsill notes.

She was barely eight years old when the group appeared on the nationally televised Ed Sullivan Show.

"That was the first show I ever did, and it was a walk in the park. It was so awesome to be on the same stage as the Beatles, and I was so proud of my big brothers and so happy for them. They'd worked very hard to get there, and you can see the thrill on their faces when you look at the old footage."

"As far as stage fright," laughs Cowsill, "I was and still am more comfortable onstage than off. It's safe up there. And fun. I love connecting with my audience."

Cowsill acknowledges that being in a family band was both exhilarating and debilitating.

"I was just a little kid, and I thought it was a blast being in a band with my brothers. I worshipped them. But the closeness factor was wearing on the older guys for sure. It was less about the talent factor and more about ­being with your family 24/7, I think."

Even though she doesn't do Cowsills material in her solo shows, she's vocal about her respect for what the band achieved.

"I personally like Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools. It was an interesting and unusual record, and I like that all us little guys got our own solos. But absolutely nothing we did makes me cringe. I think we were awesome and very era-appropriate."

Cowsill's current project, the Susan Cowsill Band, is a rootsy mix of Americana, rock and blues. For her Discovery Green show, she will be performing a set of her own songs, mostly from her 2005 solo album Just Believe It, and a second set consisting of the Beatles' Revolver from start to finish.