The Young Rascals

The Rascals (previously The Young Rascals) were an American soul and rock group of the 1960s. They were the first all-white group signed to Atlantic Records and (along with The Righteous Brothers and The Box Tops) were practitioners of a genre of music coined 'blue-eyed soul'. Eddie Brigati (vocals), Felix Cavaliere (keyboard, vocals), Gene Cornish (guitar) and Dino Danelli (drums) started the band in Brigati and Danelli's native state New Jersey. Their first public performance took place at the Choo Choo Club in Garfield on Saturday, February 27th, 1965. Three-quarters of the group - Brigati, Cavaliere and Cornish - had previously been members of Joey Dee and the Starliters. Eddie's brother, David Brigati, an original Starliter, helped arrange the vocal harmonies and sang backgrounds on many of the group's recordings (informally earning the designation as the Fifth Rascal). When Atlantic Records signed them, they discovered that another group (Borrah Minevitch's and Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Rascals) objected to the release of records under the name 'Rascals'. To avoid conflict, manager Sid Bernstein decided to rename the group the Young Rascals. In early 1968, the group dropped the "Young" from their name. Time Peace: The Rascals' Greatest Hits, released in mid-1968, became the group's best-selling album. Arguably, their best-remembered song was "People Got to Be Free" (1968), a passionate plea for racial tolerance and their third U.S. number one single. Unusual for their time, the Rascals refused to tour on segregated bills. After "People Got to Be Free", the Rascals never regained their former fame or had as large a hit. In 1970, Brigati left the group, followed by Cornish in 197170, Brigati left the group, followed by Cornish in 1971. Cavaliere released several solo albums throughout the 1970s. Brigati, with his brother David, released Lost in the Wilderness in 1976. The (Young) Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on May 6, 1997, and they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. I was a big fan. My two favorite songs were "Groovin'" (US #1 in '67) and "A Beautiful Morning" (US #3 in '68), both classics from the 60s. Find out more about the Rascals and Felix Cavaliere at: http://www.felixcavalieresrascals.com/

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