Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills

The Cowsills answer a number of pop culture trivia questions,
starting with "What real life family pop band inspired the 1970
television show, The Partridge Family?" They had hits with "The
Rain, The Park, and Other Things"--best known for the refrain, "I
love the flower girl"--and "Hair," but the experience took a toll
on family members, particularly Susan Cowsill's older brothers.
She was a kid along for the ride and still under 10 when it hit,
but as she talks about during our conversation, her teenaged
brothers with rock 'n' roll dreams had a hard time dealing with
what they became. 


The Cowsills are a starting point for today's conversation
because while Susan and her brothers worked for a few decades to
establish themselves as solo artists, she regularly performs now
as The Cowsills with Bob and Paul, and the three of them have a
podcast now, The Cowsills Podcast. This summer, they performed on
the Happy Together Again tour, and from November 1-December 10,
they'll be guests on the Andy Williams Christmas Show at the Moon
River Theatre in Branson, Missouri.


There are musicians who might have a hard time adjusting to a
Branson residency, but Susan compartmentalizes her creative
endeavors. She was part of the Americana/indie pop supergroup The
Continental Drifters and she still plays solo gigs in New Orleans
in support of solo efforts, but after all these years, singing
with her brothers remains a powerful, important of her musical
life.


Today we talk about the Christmas music she made and the
Christmas music she loves.