After the Bangles disbanded in 1989, Peterson joined two other bands, the Continental Drifters and the Psycho Sisters , in the ’90s, and played with the Go-Go’s during their 1994 reunion tour, filling in for their guitarist, Charlotte Caffey , while she was on maternity leave. She then returned to the Bangles when the band reunited in 1998, and has been with them since.
The Bangles (Left to right: Michael Steele, Debbi Peterson, Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson) in 1986 Paul Natkin/WireImage/Getty
Music is a family affair for Peterson. Her younger sister, Debbi Peterson , was the Bangles' drummer, and after being married for 20 years, Peterson and her husband, John Cowsill (who was in the popular '60s family band and inspiration for The Partridge Family the Cowsills as a child) have been playing as a couple for the first time. They previously played together in the band Action Skulls , and are now touring in support of their upcoming album as a duo.
Woman's World : This is the first time you and your husband have collaborated musically as a duo. What has that been like?
Vicki Peterson: It's funny, because we've known each other forever, but we just avoided that aspect of our relationship. It's still a bit of a mystery, but he was on the road for literally the first 20 years of our marriage. He just just left the road last year, so he wasn't around a ton anyway, and we were both very busy doing other things.
For whatever reason, we did everything but sit around and play music together, and I don't really know why. The funny thing is that we sing so naturally together, and it's a beautiful blend. We're really enjoying this process now, and I think it just had to happen in its own time.
We wanted to work on a recording project that was an idea we had years and years ago, and we finally started physically working on it almost haphazardly, then decided to dig in and try and finish the record. It's a love project, the record we made together, and then everything has grown from there.
Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill onstage in 2024 R. Diamond/Getty
WW : You've said that the first album you ever bought was by the Cowsills, so it's pretty special that you and John Cowsill ended up getting married.
Vicki Peterson: It's actually insane. I sort of knew when I was 9 that I was going to marry John Cowsill. Weirdly, life unfolded in a very convenient way for this. The path was meant to happen. But yeah, the very first record I bought with my own money was We Can Fly by the Cowsills.
That question of your first record is one of those things you ask as a default to find out kind of person you are. Well, that's what kind of person I am. I bought a Cowsills record. It's pretty cool.
WW : You're no stranger to musical family dynamics, given that you played with your sister [drummer Debbi Peterson] in the Bangles. What was it like being in the band with her?
Vicki Peterson: We always had a good partnership. In the early days, I admit that I took for granted that she was as talented as she is. It wasn't until later in life when I’d look at her and go, “Wow, she's really good!” You can discount your younger siblings sometimes. We don't always give them the credit and respect they deserve.
The family dynamic is funny. When I look at that in a holistic way, there's something about playing music with your family that's really special. It's a very unique relationship within the family, and it adds a different layer of connection.
Debbi and I were very casually connected musically as children. We sang along to the radio constantly in the back of the car. Our older sister would always sit shotgun. She took control of the radio and Debbi and I would sit with our little brother in the back, but he wasn't a big singer, so it was really Debbi and I who were singing the harmonies. We found our places naturally, and singing harmonies together was an intrinsic part of our DNA.
Vicki and Debbi Peterson in 2005 David Livingston/Getty
WW : What are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
Vicki Peterson: The giant touchstone, of course, was the Beatles — for me and most of the population on the planet, probably. Again, it was almost like it was familial, because when I was a little kid and I saw the movie Help ! , I really believed that they lived together. Like, of course they're a family. The kind of creativity that they had was just insane to my young brain and my older brain, too.
The Beatles never get old. I always really responded to vocal harmony — bands like the Mamas & Papas and the Beach Boys and the Cowsills. Bands that sang together in harmony were a huge part of what attracted me to music, and it's something I always wanted to keep front and center in any project I did.
If you’ve forgotten any of these classics by The Bangles, you might want to start listening again!
WW : Is there any new music you've been enjoying recently?
Vicki Peterson: I love Billie Eilish . I love how she and her brother create. It seems like they have a fountain of creativity, which is fantastic. There's a new band called Trousdale and it's three young women who have beautiful harmonies. They sing in harmony all the time, and I love them.
I went through a phase where I wasn't really listening to new music that much, but I've just recently been coming back around and listening to stuff that I love. There are so many incredibly talented women out there right now.
Vicki Peterson performing in 2019 Gary Miller/Getty
WW : What are some of the struggles you've faced as a musician?
Vicki Peterson: I think some of the challenges are ones that anybody faces in learning your instrument and learning how to express what you're trying to convey with your voice. I'm still trying to learn my instrument.
And then there’s the psychology of being in a band. I'm a serial band member. I've been in band after band and that's what I do. I've never really explored solo work much. So for me, it's all about working with other humans and figuring out ways to be creative and to collaborate and get your own musical ideas across without being offensive or being a dictator.
There's a lot of psychology involved in being in a band. There's also a lot of great community and great support and huge advantages to working together with a group of people. But it can be challenging.
Vicki Peterson performing in 1988 Lester Cohen/Getty
Then there’s — in all-caps — being a WOMAN in a male-dominated industry. I've always pushed it to the background of my consciousness, because it wasn't something I wanted to dwell on ever, and I avoided it. Back in the days when I was in a band with my best friend in high school and my sister, Debbi, there were promoters in L.A. and Hollywood who would try and put us on with the all-girl band night.
With the Bangles, we actually played with a wet t-shirt contest opening for us — it couldn't be any more cliche. My high school band backed up a stripper once. There's stuff that happens where you can’t quite believe it’s happening, but it did. And then there are a lot of people who want to dismiss you immediately without even hearing you play, because of your gender. I'm hoping that's not quite the case anymore.
WW : Coming up in the '80s, there were a lot of great women in music. What was it like being part of that scene?
Vicki Peterson: I found there was a lot of support and community. I can name-check Cyndi Lauper as an example. We toured with her early on. She couldn't have been more lovely and supportive, giving us tips and suggestions, like ways to steam your voice before a show and take care of yourself on the road.
She was a mother hen to us in certain ways. She gave us makeup tips — makeup tips from Cyndi Lauper, can you imagine? We ran into so many supportive women. I always took note of that and thought it was important that you have the other woman's back and take care of each other.
The Bangles onstage in the '80s L. Cohen/WireImage/Getty
WW : The Bangles were always so stylish. What was your take on fashion then?
Vicki Peterson: As crazy as a lot of it was, there are only a few things that I look at now and go, “Ooh, ouch!” Those ouches were usually when somebody else tried to dress us. That was pretty early on when the label wasn't sure what to do with us, and they put stylists in the room with us.
Our very first music video, “ Hero Takes a Fall ,” was the first and last time we were dressed, where we weren't either wearing our own stuff or picking out specifically what we were wearing.
There was a sense of fun that might've gotten lost in subsequent eras. Everything was very colorful. It was all about more, more, more. And again, my touchstone was always the ‘60s, s o if I was teasing my hair, I was thinking about Jane Fonda in Babarella . I was always inspired by ‘60s fashion. When I wore crop tops, it was because of Cher .
The Bangles in 1984 Randy Bachman/Getty
WW : What advice do you wish you could have given yourself when the Bangles were first starting out?
Vicki Peterson: I don't know that I would listen to me. I think a good bit of advice is to really listen to your gut instinct and be less fearful to act on that. Something else that was a piece of advice that John's brother, Bob Cowsill , gave me — he was a mentor to me in certain ways — was to be present and really be there. Enjoy the moment and make sure you stop and celebrate when you have successes.
The other piece of advice I would give myself is to make sure that you appreciate your bandmates and give compliments, and when somebody does something great, make sure that they know that you know they just did something great.
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