Bill Cowsill & The Blue Shadows: “Deliver Me”

Bill Cowsill’s career in music began at a young age as a member of the family band The Cowsills and took him on a crooked journey that included some great alt-country music in the short-lived 1990’s band The Blue Shadows.

One of the wonderful alt-country bands from the 1990s that never achieved the success they deserved is The Blue Shadows. Unlike many bands starting out, though, The Blue Shadows was not just a group of young musicians. The Canadian band featured lead harmonies by Jeffrey Hatcher and Bill Cowsill, a former member of the 1960s family group The Cowsills.

Bill Cowsill, born in Rhode Island on January 9, 1948, made a lot of people happy with the music he created throughout his life, but his own life and career involved a lot of bouncing around and difficult roads. As lead singer and guitarist for The Cowsills, he recorded a number of popular songs. The band became the foundation for the TV series The Partridge Family, with Bill and his brother Bob being the inspiration for the character Keith Partridge, played by David Cassidy. But during his youth with the band, Bill and other family members struggled under the abuse of their father, who was also the band’s manager.

After leaving The Cowsills after a fight with his father, Cowsill moved around between a solo career, playing bars, reunions with The Cowsills, and various short-lived bands in Canada. One of those bands was The Blue Shadows, formed in 1992 before ending in 1996, largely due to Cowsill’s struggles with his long-term addiction to drugs and alcohol.

The Blue Shadows featured Cowsill, Jeffrey Hatcher, J.B. “Jay” Johnson, Barry Muir, and band co-founder Elmer Spanier (who left while the band was making its first album). Their first album On the Floor of Heaven, released in 1993, was certified gold in Canada but failed to make a big splash in the U.S. due to Sony’s decision not to release it there at the time. The band followed that album with Lucky to Me in 1995. And that was it for the band.

One of my favorite tracks by The Blue Shadows is “Deliver Me” from On the Floor of Heaven. In the song, written by Hatcher, the singer pleads with a lost love. On the road, the singer faces loneliness and regret. He recalls leaving his love and asks her to deliver the singer “from this night.”

The song features Everly Brothers type harmonies and jangling guitars that makes it sound like a lost song from The Jayhawks, another 90’s era alt-country band (albeit one that found more success and longevity). Check it out.

The Blue Shadows were both ahead of its time and behind the times. It preceded the success of alt-country bands like Whiskeytown (whose major label debut would be in 1997) while also featuring Byrds-like harmonies (and Hatcher’s Rickenbacker guitar) that echoed sounds from the 1960s. On the Floor of Heaven was eventually released in a Deluxe version in the U.S. in 2010.

Following the demise of The Blue Shadows, Cowsill continued to work in the music industry and make music, including forming another band, The Co-Dependents. Cowsill also kicked his addictions not long after The Blue Shadows had ended.

Despite failing health starting in 2004, Cowsill continued making music as he did all his life. He passed away on February 18, 2006 at the age of 58 at his home in Calgary. On that date, his former family band members of The Cowsills were attending a memorial for Cowsill’s brother Barry, who had died in New Orleans from drowning after Hurricane Katrina.

But back in the 1990s, before failing to get the international record deal with The Blue Shadows, Cowsill could have believed in the possibility of impeding success. Maybe he would get struck by lightening a second time since recording with his family.

Below, The Blue Shadows perform “Deliver Me” on a truck bed on the streets of Vancouver outside A&B Sound on August 7, 1993. As Cowsill and Hatcher sing the lines “How much longer / Could it be ’til it comes tumbling down,” you can still hear the hope in their beautiful voices, and Cowsill’s dedication to his art that remained until he died.

What is your favorite song feature Bill Cowsill? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    I Think I Love You David Cassidy

    Partridge Family I was a bit surprised at how I was affected by the recent news of David Cassidy’s failing health and then the news of his death.  Like many people, it had been decades since I had really followed his career.  But his voice and music were a big part of the reason I came to love music.

    As a kid, one of my favorite television shows was The Partridge Family, which ran from September 1970 to March 1974.  Each episode featured pop music, that even if not actually featuring the whole “family,” did feature David Cassidy and Shirley Jones.

    Their hit “I Think I Love You” became one of my favorite songs after I bought the 45 rpm single.  Yeah, it was pop music and even David Cassidy would for a time try to distance himself from the music of The Partridge Family.  But it was a wonderful introduction to popular music for this kid.

    I remember him on the teen magazines and the girls who liked him for his looks as well as his voice.  But at that time, I had yet to discover the younger version of Elvis or to delve into Dylan or discover Springsteen.  David Cassidy was my first rock star.

    Whenever I hear music from Cassidy it always makes me smile to this day.  And what’s not to love about that?  Rest in peace.

    What is your favorite memory of David Cassidy? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Bill Cowsill & The Blue Shadows: “Deliver Me”
  • The Groundbreaking Rock and Roll Movie, “The T.A.M.I. Show”
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    The Groundbreaking Rock and Roll Movie, “The T.A.M.I. Show”

    TAMI Show

    On December 31, 1964, American International Pictures released The T.A.M.I. Show in theaters as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” This early rock concert film gave rock and roll fans a snapshot of some of the biggest bands of the time and was groundbreaking.

    “T.A.M.I.” stands for “Teenage Awards Music International,” although some promotional materials also used “Teen Age Music International.” But the important part of The T.A.M.I. Show is the music, filmed from the standpoint of the audience.  The technique made viewers feel like they were at the show recorded at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28 and 29, 1964.

    Below is the trailer for the film.

    The general consensus is that James Brown gives his greatest filmed performance here, an outstanding display of passion and performing experience that made the Rolling Stones regret they had to follow him. But there are other highlights throughout the concert, including the 18-year-old Lesley Gore and a surprisingly loose performance by The Beach Boys.

    Although producer Bill Sargent lost the rights to the film and it disappeared for decades, it is now available for your viewing on DVD (with extras) and with various performances on YouTube.  Below, James Brown performs “Please, Please, Please.”

    Performers include Jan and Dean (over the credits), Chuck Berry, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, The Supremes, The Barbarians, James Brown and The Famous Flames, and The Rolling Stones.

    Artists are still making great music today, but it is hard to imagine people agreeing on so many great performers in one film now. So, travel back to another time, and check out the Rolling Stones closing the show, joined by others on the stage.

    Some trivia tidbits: The opening credits list The Blossoms with the performers, but they are not introduced when they appear as the backing singers for Marvin Gaye (or when later they appear to encourage James Brown to return to the stage). The Blossoms were used to not getting credit, having recorded the 1962 hit “He’s a Rebel” without credit.

    Also, future actress Teri Garr and future recording star Toni Basil appear as background dancers in the film, and singer Glen Campbell and musician Leon Russell played in the show’s backing band, The Wrecking Crew. Reportedly, filmmaker John Landis and future Partridge Family star David Cassidy, who were seventh grade classmates at the time, were in the audience for the show.

    What are your favorite parts of The T.A.M.I. Show? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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