Barry Steven Cowsill (September 14, 1954 – September 2, 2005) was an American musician and member of the musical group
the Cowsills
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother.
The band was formed in early 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and ...
.
Career
left, Cowsill in 1967
Cowsill was born in
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
, the fifth of seven children. As a teenager, he became the drummer (and later the bass guitar player) of the band initially formed by his brothers
Bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
and
Bob Cowsill, playing popular tunes at local dance clubs. By the late 1960s, the band expanded to include younger brother John (on drums), his mother Barbara, older brother Paul, and younger sister Susan. The Cowsills went on to churn out a string of hits (including the #2's "The Rain the Park and Other Things" and "
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
") before officially disbanding by 1972.
After the group broke up, Cowsill moved frequently and worked various jobs including construction and waiting tables.
For a time, Cowsill owned a bar in
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
which he admitted he lost because he "drank it dry. I was drinking my face off in those days."
Throughout his life, he continued to play music and participated in various post-heyday incarnations of the Cowsills. In 1998, he released his first solo CD, ''As Is''.
In 2002, he relocated to his hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. In 2005, Cowsill relocated again to
. Shortly before his death, he had made plans to enter a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
rehab facility to seek help for his alcoholism. His flight to Los Angeles had been scheduled for August 28, but those plans were stymied when
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
hit the city on August 29.
Personal life
In 1987, Cowsill married Deborah Scott with whom he had two children (he also had an older daughter). Cowsill and his wife were divorced in 2003.
Death
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans. Cowsill, who chose not to evacuate, weathered the storm in an abandoned warehouse. Cowsill survived the storm but was in need of help. He called his sister Susan from a pay phone (Susan also lived in New Orleans with her family but chose to evacuate) and left four voice mail messages saying he was surrounded by looters and people shooting. Susan Cowsill did not receive the messages until September 2.
Cowsill was never heard from again.
After an extensive search, Cowsill's body was found under a
wharf
A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...
on the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
on December 28, 2005.
His body was subsequently identified by comparison to dental records.
Cowsill's death was attributed to drowning as a result of the flooding following Hurricane Katrina.
The Cowsill family held two memorials for Barry in Newport and New Orleans.
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ''in absentia''. Some of these people were possibly subjected to enfo ...
References
External links
Barry Cowsillat Cowsill.com
- Newspaper articles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowsill, Barry
1954 births
2000s missing person cases
2005 deaths
20th-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American drummers
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
American child musicians
American child singers
American keyboardists
American male bass guitarists
American male drummers
American pop rock musicians
American pop rock singers
Deaths by drowning in the United States
Deaths in floods
Deaths in tropical cyclones
Guitarists from Louisiana
Guitarists from Rhode Island
Missing person cases in Louisiana
Musicians from New Orleans
Natural disaster deaths in Louisiana
Singers from Louisiana
Singers from Rhode Island
The Cowsills members
Formerly missing people
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