The (Young) Rascals

Induction Year: 1997

Induction Category: Performer

Inductees: Eddie Brigati (vocals, percussion; born October 22, 1946), Felix Cavaliere (vocals, keyboards; born November 29, 1944), Gene Cornish (guitar; born May 14, 1946), Dino Danelli (drums; born July 23, 1945)

The Rascals (a.k.a. the Young Rascals) were paragons of “blue-eyed soul"—that is, soul and R&B music by white performers. Other well-known purveyors include the , Steve Winwood, and Joe Cocker. However, no one among them had more commercial clout in the Sixties than the Rascals. The group built its sound around Felix Cavaliere’s Hammond B-3 organ and the soulful lead vocals of Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. In Cavaliere’s words, “Marvin Gaye’s voice, Ray Charles’ piano, Jimmy Smith’s organ, Phil Spector’s production and the Beatles’ writing—put them all together and you’ve got what I wanted to do.” The Rascals were masters of the three-minute single: sustained bursts of energized pop-soul made to be blasted over transistor radios or danced to at parties and discotheques. Three of the four members had played in Joey Dee and the Starliters (of “Peppermint Twist” fame), and all could legitimately claim backgrounds in R&B.

The Rascals formed in early 1965 when Cavaliere, Brigati and guitarist Gene Cornish left the Starliters and recruited drummer Dino Danelli. Manager Sid Bernstein got them signed to Atlantic Records after the group turned heads at Manhattan’s Phone Booth nightclub. Their first single, “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore,” stalled at #52 but its followup, an infectious, uptempo version of the Olympics’ “Good Lovin’,” went to #1 in March 1966. Several strong pop-R&B singles followed, including “You Better Run” (#20) and “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long (#16). Then the Rascals underwent a radical shift in direction.

Inspired by sweeping changes in the youth culture of the Sixties, they took a mellower, more atmospheric approach to their music. Their intuitions proved sound when “Groovin’,” a soulful reverie about “groovin’ on a sunny afternoon,” shot to #1 in the spring of 1967. By the end of the year, the Rascals were venturing into psychedelia with effects-laden songs like “It’s Wonderful” (#20). This was their last single to be credited to the Young Rascals. They reverted to their original name, the Rascals, with the release of “A Beautiful Morning” in 1968. They also switched from juvenile Lord Fauntleroy onstage outfits to a more mature, individualistic style of dress.

The Rascals’ biggest hit, “People Got to Be Free,” was cowritten by Cavaliere and Brigati as an impassioned response to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. It topped the charts for five weeks and inspired a followup single, “A Ray of Hope,” written for Teddy Kennedy. At this juncture, the Rascals began focusing on albums instead of singles, as was typical of the time. A more experimental approach resulted in records like Freedom Suite, a double album from 1969. The group also took a principled stand for integration, insisting that any bill they perform on include black artists.

By the early Seventies, the Rascals—minus Brigati and Cornish, and with the addition of several new members—had moved from Atlantic to Columbia Records and from punchy pop-soul to mellow jazz-rock. This shift marked a continuing process of evolution for a band that had been pop-soul sharpshooters with an unerring eye on the Top Forty only a few years earlier. The Rascals last album, The Island of Real, appeared in 1972, and the group disbanded shortly thereafter.

TIMELINE

November 29, 1944: Felix Cavaliere was born.

July 23, 1945: Dino Danelli was born.

May 14, 1946: Gene Cornish was born.

October 22, 1946: Eddie Brigati was born.

February 27, 1965: Veterans of such bands as Joe Dee and the Starliters, the Unbeatables and Felix and the Escorts come together as the Rascals. They begin rehearsing in singer Eddie Brigati’s basement in Garfield, New Jersey.

October 28, 1965: The Rascals perform at the Phone Booth, a club in the “discotheque district” of Manhattan’s East Side. Their high-energy set attracts the attention of record labels, and the group signs with Atlantic Records.

November 21, 1965: The Rascals’ debut single, “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore,” is released. It is credited to the Young Rascals, as are all of their records through 1967.

April 30, 1966: “Good Lovin’,” a spirited remake of a song by the Olympics, becomes the Rascals’ first #1 hit.

May 20, 1967: “Groovin’” becomes the Rascals’ second chart-topping single. It holds down the top spot for four weeks, finally giving way to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect"—which was also on Atlantic Records.

August 17, 1968: The Rascals third #1 hit, “People Got to Be Free,” reaches the top of the charts, where it remains for five weeks.

September 28, 1968: ‘Time Peace/The Rascals’ Greatest Hits’, the Rascals’ best-selling album, hits #1 in the midst of a year-long run.

March 27, 1969: The Rascals release the ambitious ‘Freedom Suite’, comprising a disc of short songs and one of lengthy instrumentals. It joins the Who’s ‘Tommy’, Cream’s ‘Wheels of Fire’ and the Beatles’ White Album as one of a relative few double albums from the Sixties.

September 6, 1969: “Carry Me Back,” the Rascals’ last single to make the Top Forty, enters the chart.

February 5, 1970: Eddie Brigati leaves the Rascals.

March 26, 1971: Gene Cornish leaves the Rascals after the recording of their final Atlantic album, ‘Search and Nearness’. Having signed to Columbia Records, founding members Felix Cavaliere and Dino Danelli expand the Rascals’ lineup and adapt a jazzier approach.

1972: The Rascals disband after their final album, ‘The Island of Real’, peaks at #180.

May 27, 1988: The Rascals re-form, minus Eddie Brigati, for a “Good Lovin’ ‘88” tour and perform at Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.

July 28, 1992: ‘The Rascals: Anthology (1965-1972)’, a double-disc compilation, is released on Rhino Records.

May 6, 1997: The Rascals are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the twelfth annual induction dinner. Steve Van Zant is their presenter.

Essential Songs

Good Lovin’
Groovin’
People Got to Be Free
How Can I Be Sure
Come On Up
I’ve Been Lonely Too Long
A Beautiful Morning
I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore
You Better Run
A Girl Like You

Recommended Reading

“The Rascals: Groovin’”
Robyn Flans and Jeff Tamarkin. Goldmine (May 6, 1988), pp. 7-10, 16-20+.

The Rascals Anthology, 1965-72
The Rascals. Rhino Records, 1992. (Note: this booklet enclosed with this CD anthology contains biographical and discographical information.)