Susan Cowsill is a multi-talented singer, guitarist, and songwriter who has been in the music business nearly all her life, first as a member of the iconic 1960s family band The Cowsills, as a backup vocalist for acts like Dwight Twilley, the Smithereens, Carlene Carter, Mike Zito, and Hootie & the Blowfish, a member of the indie-rock supergroup The Continental Drifters, and as leader of The Susan Cowsill Band. She also tours with family members as The Cowsills as part of the Happy Together showcase.
Cowsill’s engaging voice and practiced musicianship, as well as her songwriting skills, have earned her an enthusiastic following over the years. As the youngest member of The Cowsills, she sang on their hits like “Indian Lake,” “The Rain, The Park, and Other Things,” and “Hair,” where Susan’s squeaky “and spaghetti’d” stole the show. In 1991, after years backing other bands, she joined The Continental Drifters in their nascent years in Los Angeles, along with Vicki Peterson (of The Bangles) and Peter Holsapple (of the dBs). Two founding members, Carlo Nuccio and Ray Ganucheau, eventually moved back to their native New Orleans, followed by Cowsill and other members of the band, including Holsapple, who Cowsill married in 1993. A lineup including Nuccio, Holsapple, Cowsill, Peterson, guitarist Robert Mache, and bassist Mark Walton recorded what became the band’s first release, the 1994 eponymous Continental Drifters. Cowsill made New Orleans her permanent home while she continued with the Drifters and in various solo projects, which included forming the Susan Cowsill Band as the Drifters broke up. She eventually married now-husband Russ Broussard, who replaced Nuccio behind the kit for the Drifters (and now drums with his wife’s band, John “Papa” Gros, and several other groups).
Cowsill is a popular club staple in New Orleans, especially her long-running “Covered in Vinyl” series, which covers a selected classic rock album in its entirety, live. She has released several albums, including the elegant Lighthouse, a 2010 reflection on Hurricane Katrina (she lost brother Barry and her house; another brother died of cancer shortly after), an album that showcases her quality songwriting and features guest appearances by Peterson and Jackson Browne. She and Peterson, who perform as The Psycho Sisters, also have an album out, Up on the Chair, Beatrice.
Cowsill moves effortlessly between her own Americana-inflected creative output and the robust market for nostalgia bands, as evidenced by the recurring popularity of the Happy Together tour. She’s no stranger to television, either, with appearances ranging from 1960s variety shows as part of the family band (including a solo spot on The Dean Martin Show) to a role on HBO’s Treme. The Cowsills were also the subject of a 2013 Showtime biopic.
