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Susan Claire Cowsill (born May 20, 1959) is a musician, vocalist and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the family band The Cowsills. After touring with Dwight Twilley for quite some time in the 1980s, she co-formed the band Continental Drifters. Since 1990, she has been with the Cowsills, along with brothers Bob and Paul.
In 1969, she contributed to the vocals in what would become the Cowsills' biggest hit, "Hair". She became known for her performance of the line "and spaghetti'd", which she sang with a squeakiness in her voice that she still uses when she performs the song live.
Cowsill was initially relegated to playing the tambourine, but by the time she left the group in 1971 (shortly after the release of their London Records album On My Side) she had learned to play other instruments; in an episode of the short-lived Barbara McNair Show she was seen playing bass guitar.[2]
In 1978, she reunited with the Cowsills (without Bill Cowsill and Barbara) to work on an album of new songs. The album, tentatively titled Cocaine Drain, was produced by Chuck Plotkin, but was not released until 2008. She again reunited with brothers Bob, Paul and John as the Cowsills in the 1990s, to work on another album of original songs. The album, Global, was released in 1998.
She and her brothers Bob and Paul appeared as the Cowsills as part of the 2016 Happy Together tour, playing 58 dates.
Beginning in the early 1980s, she worked as a backing vocalist for varying artists including Dwight Twilley, the Smithereens, Carlene Carter, Mike Zito, and Hootie & the Blowfish. During this time her songwriting skills blossomed, and several of her songs have been covered by other artists.
By the early 1990s, she had developed an affinity for Americana-style music, which in 1991 led to her joining the Continental Drifters, further honing her songwriting talents. She occasionally appeared in a duo with bandmate Vicki Peterson (formerly of the Bangles), calling themselves the Psycho Sisters.Dave Hoekstra, "Cowsill, Peterson Drift Into Tuneful Alliance", Chicago Sun-Times, November 10, 1995, via HighBeam Research. (Peterson subsequently married Susan Cowsill's brother John Cowsill.) Cowsill permanently relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana by 1993.
In 2005, on the heels of a rare Christmas snowfall in New Orleans, Cowsill wrote and recorded Crescent City Sneaux, contrasting the peace of that snowfall with the disaster of Hurricane KatrinaDave Hoekstra, "Jostled by Katrina, Cowsill tours on", Chicago Sun-Times, October 27, 2005, via HighBeam Research. and has been described as an "anthem" for survivors of the hurricane.
She has also made guest appearances on others' albums including Hootie and the Blowfish's 2003 self-titled release, Paul Sanchez's 2008 album Exit to Mystery Street, Giant Sand's 1992 release Glum, and A Fragile Tomorrow's Beautiful Noise (2008), Tripping Over Nothing (2010), and Be Nice Be Careful (2013).
By 2005, Cowsill had released her first solo album, Just Believe It, on her own Blue Corn indie label..
The Susan Cowsill Band's "Covered In Vinyl" performances have featured classic rock albums played live in their entirety. Two album releases have been compiled from these shows: Live at Carrollton Station: Covered In Vinyl Series Vol. 1, released in 2007, and Vol. 2 in 2009. A portion of proceeds from CD sales have benefited New Orleans charities. Two digital albums from subsequent performances, CIV: Duets and CIV: Neil Diamond (recorded in 2010) were made available in 2012. The CIV band has included New Orleans guitar virtuoso Jimmy Robinson (Woodenhead, Twangorama), Pete Winkler (Motorway), Caleb Guillotte (Deadeye Dick), Derek Huston, Paul Sanchez, and many others.
Cowsill's second solo album, Lighthouse, was released in 2010Nick Cristiano, Review of "Lighthouse", Philadelphia Inquirer as reprinted in Youngstown Vindicator, June 20, 2010 with support from the New Orleans musicians' organization Threadheads. It is a concept album in which she reflects on her losses, mainly through Hurricane Katrina and the deaths of brothers Barry and Bill. The album features harmonies from her surviving brothers (Bob, Paul and John) as well as appearances by Jackson Browne and Vicki Peterson, and was released May 18, 2010.
In 2012, Cowsill, Freedy Johnston, and Jon Dee Graham, working together as the Hobart Brothers and Lil' Sis Hobart, released a collaborative album entitled At Least We Have Each Other.Peter Gerstenzang, "The Hobart Brothers Featuring Lil' Sis Hobart Prep Dark Debut", Rolling Stone, February 22, 2012. In August 2014, after playing together for more than 20 years, Cowsill and Peterson released their first album as the Psycho Sisters, entitled Up on the Chair, Beatrice.Steve Hochman, album review at "Tuesday Reviewsday: The Psycho Sisters, Quetzal, Nightmare & the Cat and Chiquis", KPCC, July 29, 2014.Wesley Britton, "Music Review: The Psycho Sisters - 'Up on the Chair, Beatrice'", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 21, 2014.
She married fellow band member and drummer Russ Broussard in July 2003. She has one daughter, Miranda Holsapple, from her marriage to musician Peter Holsapple. Her sister-in-law via her brother John Cowsill is The Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson.
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