The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry Cowsill; with their brother John joining shortly thereafter. Originally Bill and Bob played guitar and Barry played the drums. When John learned to play drums and joined the band, Barry began playing bass. After their initial success, the brothers were joined by their siblings Susan and Paul along with their mother, Barbara. A seventh sibling, Bob\'s twin brother Richard, was never part of the band during its heyday, although he occasionally appeared with them in later years. \n', '

The band\'s road manager for most of their career was Richard \'Biggie\' Korn. When the group expanded to its full family membership by 1967, the six siblings ranged in age from 8 to 19. Joined by their mother, Barbara Cowsill (née Russell), the group inspired the 1970s television show The Partridge Family.\n', '

The Cowsills\' musical interest started while their father Bud Cowsill was stationed in Canton, Ohio in the late 1950s, as a US Navy recruiter. Bill and Bob taught themselves how to play the guitar. As the boys\' musical and vocal abilities developed they began performing at church school dances in Stark County, Ohio. These, and other performances, led to the boys\' first television appearance on the Gene Carroll Show on WEWS in Cleveland.\n', "

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