Did the Cowsills sing for The Partridge Family?

Q: Did The Partridge Family really sing those songs?

The Partridge Family centered on a musical family, lead by actress Shirley Jones, playing infectious, hook-laden pop. Jones and Cassidy were the only ones who really sang. The other actors lip-synched and pretended to play their instruments.

Q: What songs did the Cowsills make famous?

With the theme song Cmon Get Happy, the show was a positive reflection of The Cowsills, who in the late 1960s produced upbeat hit songs such as The Rain, The Park and Other Things, Indian Lake and their version of the title song from the musical Hair.

Without Bob Cowsill, there may never have been a Keith Partridge.

Table of Contents Show

Who actually sang in The Partridge Family?
Did the Cowsills inspire The Partridge Family?
Did The Partridge Family really sing those songs?
What songs did the Cowsills make famous?

"Me and my brother, Bill, I think were a composite for the Keith Partridge character," said Bob Cowsill about the role that singer David Cassidy played on the television sitcom "The Partridge Family."

The singing Cowsill family, which eventually included five brothers, a sister and their mom, Barbara, in the group, was the basis for the TV show, which ran on ABC-TV from 1970 to 1974, and featured Shirley Jones as the mother of the family.

"In early 1970 a team came to us from Screen Gems, the film production company," Bob Cowsill said. "They wanted to do a concept of our band for TV. My dad wanted us to be in it, but they turned us down to be the kids in the show. It was always a Shirley Jones vehicle, so Mom would never play mom in the show. And we were not interested in TV at the time anyway. We wanted to have a band and be rock stars."

The Cowsills will perform on Aug. 21 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora as part of the Happy Together Tour.

Other performers on the tour include The Turtles, featuring Flo & Eddie; The Grass Roots; Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & The Raiders; The Buckinghams; and The Association. The show starts at 8 p.m.

The Cowsills did not start out wanting to be a family band. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 and the original Cowsills consisted of Bill on guitar, Bob on guitar and organ, Barry on bass and John on drums.

"In '63 and '64 The Beatles came along, so we wanted to pattern ourselves after them," Bob Cowsill said.

After limited success with some early recordings and albums, the group scored a hit with "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" in 1967.

"Artie Kornfeld wrote 'The Rain, The Park and Other Things' and that was our first million seller," Cowsill said. "Mom was the one who could really sing and they put her on the song. Then she just stayed. That meant that now we were a family band, not The Beatles any more. We were a family pop group.

"Dad came up with the idea," said Cowsill about his mother, Barbara, joining the group. "It was something that would differentiate us from everyone else. From a marketing standpoint it was a sound decision, but we didn't like it. Still, it all worked out. Sometimes you roll with things."

After the group's initial success, the brothers were joined by their siblings, Susan and Paul. The group went on to have other successful songs such as "Indian Lake" in 1968 and "Hair" in 1969, which became their biggest hit.

Several members of the Cowsills have passed away, and others are involved musically with other groups. For the Happy Together Tour, The Cowsills consist of Bob (guitar and vocals), Paul (vocals) and Susan (guitar and vocals).

Bob Cowsill is not really surprised that the Happy Together Tour is so popular.

"The tour celebrates what all of us have done," he said. "These songs were great. It's ALL about the songs.

"I think all of us on the tour have tried to let it go," Cowsill continued. "It won't let US go. The staying power of the songs is carrying us."

Randall G. Mielke is a freelance writer.

Tour offers stars of the '60s and '70s

In addition to The Cowsills, The Happy Together Tour includes The Turtles, featuring Flo and Eddie; The Grass Roots; Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & The Raiders; The Buckinghams; and The Association.

The Turtles had a number one hit on the charts in 1967 with "Happy Together." Other Turtles hits include: "She'd Rather Be With Me," "Elenore," "You Showed Me" and "It Ain't Me Babe."

The Grass Roots burst on to the rock 'n' roll scene in 1967. Between 1967 and 1972 the group's hits included "Midnight Confessions," "Let's Live for Today," "Sooner or Later," "I'd Wait a Million Years" and "Temptation Eyes."

Mark Lindsay, with Paul Revere & the Raiders, hit number one on the charts in 1971 with "Indian Reservation." The record sold more than four million copies. Other Raiders hits include "Kicks," "Hungry," "Just Like Me" and "Good Thing."

The Buckinghams, from Chicago, had such hits as "Kind of a Drag," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Don't You Care," "Susan" and "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)."

The Association first hit the limelight in 1966 with the release of "Along Comes Mary," followed by the hit, "Cherish." Other Association hits include "Windy" and "Never My Love."

Before experiencing the pop and rock music acts of the 1960s and 1970s, concert-goers can participate in Paramount's Season Kick-Off Party from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 21 in the Meyer Ballroom, 8 E. Galena Blvd., across the street from the Paramount Theatre.

Guests can enjoy samples of cuisine from several area restaurants and participate in a silent auction. Tickets to the Season Kick-Off Party are $15. A cash bar will be available.

Happy Together Tour

When: Aug. 21

Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora

Tickets: $59.50

Information: 630-896-6666 or paramountaurora.com

Who actually sang in The Partridge Family?

ABC decided to cast Shirley Jones and her stepson, David Cassidy, as stars of the sitcom instead. Cassidy was 19 years old at the time. Jones and Cassidy were the only cast members who actually sang. Every episode of the show would feature a song.

Did the Cowsills inspire The Partridge Family?

Did you know. The Partridge Family was loosely based on the true life story of the Cowsills, who were a family rock group in the late 1960s. The father and manager of the group, Bob Cowsill, forced the young brothers and sisters to let the mother, Barbara, into the group, much to the kids' consternation.

Did The Partridge Family really sing those songs?

"The Partridge Family" centered on a musical family, lead by actress Shirley Jones, playing infectious, hook-laden pop. Jones and Cassidy were the only ones who really sang. The other actors lip-synched and pretended to play their instruments.

What songs did the Cowsills make famous?

With the theme song "C'mon Get Happy," the show was a positive reflection of The Cowsills, who in the late 1960s produced upbeat hit songs such as "The Rain, The Park and Other Things," "Indian Lake" and their version of the title song from the musical "Hair."