Died On This Date (January 31, 1985) Barbara Cowsill / The Cowsills
themusicsover Barbara Cowsill
July 12, 1928 – January 31, 1985
Barbara Cowsill was the performing mother of the Cowsills, the real life inspiration of The Partridge Family. The family began playing together in the late ’50s and began making records in 1965. In 1967, the group was signed to MGM Records and Barbara joined her children in time to record their first album. The album included the single, “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” which climbed to #2 on the pop charts and sold in the neighborhood of three million copies. Over the next few years, the group scored million-selling hits with “Indian Lake” and “Hair.” In 1969, the family were offered their own sitcom playing themselves, but that the part of Barbara would be played by actress, Shirley Jones. They declined the offer without Barbara, so the show was re-cast and re-christened The Partride Family. Since the ’70s, the group has continued to peform and record in various forms. Barbara Cowsill passed away from emphysema on January 31, 1985. She had been a heavy smoker since the age of 15.
What You Should Own
Patti McCabe was a singer who released a handful of hits during the late ’50s as part of the all-girl trio, the Poni-Tails. Formed in a Cleveland-area high school, the group, made up of McCabe, Toni Cistone and Karen Topinka (who was replaced by LaVerne Novack), were soon signed by ABC/Dunhill Records who began releasing their singles in 1958. Their biggest was “Born Too Late” which reached #7 in the U.S. and #5 in the U.K. By 1960, the girls had released six singles, four of which charted in the U.S. or U.K., but they decided to call it quits and each left the music business. Patti McCabe died of cancer on January 17, 1989.
Ross Bagdasarian was perhaps better known by his alter ego, David Seville of Alvin & the Chipmunks fame. Bagdasarian was an accomplished actor, songwriter, singer, musician and producer who appeared in such films as Rear Window and Stalag 17. During the mid-’50s, he began releasing novelty records like “The Trouble With Harry,” and the #1 hit, “Witch Doctor,” under the name of David Seville. In 1958, he/Seville released “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” which became a smash hit and earned him two Grammys. The success of the record spawned several more Chipmunk releases, an animated television show and movies. On January 16, 1972, Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 52 years old. A decade later, his son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., picked up where his father left off, re-introducing the Chipmunks to new generations.
Paul Beaver was one of electronic music’s early pioneers. Armed with a Moog synthesizer, he partnered with Bernie Krause to form Beaver & Krause in 1966. Besides being one of the first groups to release an electronic pop album, Beaver & Krause helped spread the use of synthesizers to the rock community. The Byrds, the Doors and Simon & Garfunkel are all said to have been inspired by Beaver & Krause to experiment with the instrument. Beaver & Krause albums are also considered by some to have sparked the New Age movement. Over the course of his career, Beaver contributed to recordings by the Monkees and the Mamas and the Papas. Paul Beaver suffered a brain aneurysm in 1975 and passed away at 50 later that year.
