Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals

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The message has always been to stand for peace, love, and happiness. For legendary singer songwriter Felix Cavaliere, making people feel good is primary to his illustrious fifty-year career that includes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriter Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and GRAMMY Hall of Fame. Few artists can claim they helped define a generation; Felix Cavaliere continues to remind us to keep listening for the world’s beauty.

The classically trained pianist, born in Pelham, New York, idolized Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and Sam Cook. Cavaliere embraced the Hammond Organ and pioneered a fresh rock and roll sound. Early in 1965, he formed the Young Rascals with Dino Danelli, Eddie Brigati, and Gene Cornish. That October, they caught the attention of promoter and manager Sid Bernstein with their high-energy set at Long Island’s elite club, Barge. Signed to Atlantic Records, and now called The Rascals, the mega hit “Good Lovin” rose to No. 1 in February 1966. They followed suit with a string of hits like “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long,” “Groovin’ (No. 1 in 1967), “How Can I Be Sure,” “A Girl Like You,” “A Beautiful Morning,” and “People Got to Be Free” (No. 1 in 1968). The Rascals are considered the best ”blue-eyed soul” group to come out of the 1960s, and they were one of the top-selling groups of the decade.

By the early 1970s, The Rascals experimented with more jazz-influenced sounds and moved to Columbia Records. After the Rascals disbanded in 1972, Cavaliere’s career continued to thrive. He released his self-titled debut album with Todd Rundgren at the producer helm. His follow-up albums were Destiny (1974), Castles in the Air (1979), and Dreams in Motion (1994), and in 2008 he collaborated with Stax guitar legend, Steve Crooper, on the GRAMMY-nominated Nudge it Up a Notch and again in 2010 with Midnight Flyer.

It’s been fifty years since The Young Rascals scored a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with one of their biggest hits that helped define a generation, “Good Lovin.’” With Cavaliere’s signature blue-eyed soul voice, The Young Rascals leveraged the hit for stardom. Looking back on an extraordinary career, Cavaliere says, “We were young kids and we just wanted to play music.”