Susan Cowsill

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Susan Claire Cowsill (born May 20, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Canton, Ohio. She became famous as a member of The Cowsills, the family band that had hits in the late 1960s. She joined the group in 1967 and first appeared on their 1968 album We Can Fly. Her first solo vocal was “Ask the Children” on Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools. She also sang on the Top 10 hit “Indian Lake” in 1968 and on “Hair” in 1969. Initially she played tambourine, but by 1971 she had learned other instruments, including bass guitar.

Cowsill left The Cowsills in 1971 after their London Records album On My Side. She later released two singles with Warner Bros. in the mid-1970s, neither of which charted. In the 1980s she worked as a backing vocalist for artists such as Dwight Twilley and Hootie & the Blowfish, and she began writing songs that others would record.

In 1991 she joined the Continental Drifters, an Americana group, and later performed with the Psycho Sisters duo with Vicki Peterson (formerly of the Bangles). She moved to New Orleans by 1993. The Cowsills reformed in the 1990s with her and brothers Bob and Paul, releasing the album Global in 1998. Susan, Bob, and Paul also toured together as the Cowsills on the 2016 Happy Together tour.

Susan released her first solo album Just Believe It in 2005 on her Blue Corn label. She has produced and performed in the Covered In Vinyl live series, with proceeds supporting New Orleans charities. Her 2010 solo album Lighthouse is a concept work responding to losses from Hurricane Katrina and features appearances by Bob, Paul, John, Jackson Browne, and Vicki Peterson. In 2012 she joined Freedy Johnston and Jon Dee Graham to form Hobart Brothers and Lil’ Sis Hobart, releasing At Least We Have Each Other. In 2014, the Psycho Sisters—Cowsill and Peterson—released Up on the Chair, Beatrice.

Susan has appeared on several TV shows, including The Dean Martin Show, and her life in New Orleans has shaped much of her music. Her home and much of her belongings were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; her brother Barry died in the hurricane’s aftermath, and her oldest brother Bill died soon after. Despite these losses, she continues to perform in New Orleans and elsewhere. She married drummer Russ Broussard in 2003 and has a daughter, Miranda Holsapple, from her previous marriage to musician Peter Holsapple. Her sister-in-law is Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, who is married to Susan’s brother John Cowsill.