Education
University of Leicester.
University of Leicester.
He has also performed as an acoustic duo with Strawbs guitarist Brian Willoughby, and as Acoustic Strawbs with Willoughby (until August 2004), Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk (since September 2004). Cousins holds an academic degree in statistics and pure mathematics from the University of Leicester, and has also followed a career in radio. He was a producer for Denmark Radio 1969–1979, and has been Programme Controller for Radio Tees (1980–1982), and the Managing Director of Devon Air in Devon (1982–1990).
Since 1991 Cousins has been in charge of Saint David"s Research, and has been instrumental in many successful franchise applications business ventures involving local radio stations in the United Kingdom. Stations such as Thames Radio (Kingston-upon-Thames), Radio Victory (Portsmouth) and XFM in London.
He also runs Witchwood Records, an independent record label. Cousins is still active, and is touring North America and Europe with Acoustic Strawbs, several months every year.
In February 2012 a new venture with producer Chris Tsangarides was announced, the Dark Lord Records label. The first release was by band Spit Like This on 21 May.
In 2014 Cousins published his autobiography "Exorcising ghosts Strawbs & other lives" (331 + 18 pages) on Witchwood Media Limited.
In 1980, Cousins made a guest appearance on a heavy metal album for British soon-to-be supergroup Def Leppard. On the band"s debut album, On Through The Night, Cousins" voice can be heard at the beginning of the album"s sixth track titled "When the Walls Came Tumblin" Down". Cousins does not lend any vocal harmonies, but simply reads a melancholy tale that serves as the track"s introduction
His voice lends itself well to the mood of the verse.
Reportedly, Def Leppard later admitted that they were not happy with this album, as it was their first real studio album from their teenage years. The band has never alluded to any unhappiness with Cousins" performance.
Cousins was a founding member of the band originally known as the Strawberry Hill Boys, which started out as a bluegrass band, but eventually moved onto to other styles (folk, folk rock, progressive rock).