May 22, 2025

Exploring Family Band Dynamics & Testing 'Cowsills' Knowledge with Vicki Peterson, John Cowsill & Bob Cowsill

1 hour 11 minutes

It's a return trip down the Media Path for Vicki and John and this time Bob is along for fun, games and Cowsill family lore!

We welcome back Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, who recently joined us to talk about their collaboration on a new album of songs written by John's late brothers, Billy and Barry Cowsill, 'Long After the Fire', plus fellow founding Cowsills member, Bob Cowsill joins the conversation.

We start at the dawn of Vicki’s Cowsills journey, as a fan who became a friend who became a spouse. A seven-year-old, Vicki’s big sister Debbi said, “You know, there’s a girl your age in this band.” Vicki was instantly sold and she spent her allowance savings on the We Can Fly album.

In 1977, when Vicki learned that a friend of a friend knew Bob’s Cowsill, Vicki gave him a call to talk vocal harmonies. Vicki and Debbi were still bubbling under as The Bangs and they went to see The Cowsills perform at a local club. Just a few years later, Bob found himself invited to The Bangles Platinum party and John recounts his meet-cute with Vicki, right before his marriage to someone else!

We test the Cowsill/Peterson crew on self-knowledge with a game we like to call 'Are You Better Informed Than Google?', Vicki and John share what took them two married decades to work together and Bob gives his perspective on John and Vicki's new album of Billy and Barry Cowsill covers.

Bob and John share how their generational split affected their musical influences and experiences within the band and we hear about the earliest days of the Cowsills, their father Bud's early clash with brother Richard, performing at Brown frat parties as young kids and their first demo song recordings. And the games continue as everyone takes on some Cowsills Trivia Roulette from Becky Presley's
Cowsills site!

In recommendations--

Fritz: Book, Miss May Does Not Exist by Carrie Courogen

Weezy: Hulu Series, Devil in the Family

Path Points of Interest:

The Cowsills

Becky Presley’s Cowsills Page

Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill

Vicki and John on Instagram

Vicki and John on Facebook

John Cowsill

John Cowsill on Facebook

John Cowsill on Instagram