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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZRASCALS, YOUNG RASCALSWhite soul quartet formed '65 NYC by three refugees from Joey Dee and the Starlighters: Felix Cavaliere (b 29 Nov. '44, NYC) on keyboards, Eddie Brigati (b 22 Oct. '46, NYC), vocalist; Gene Cornish (b 14 May '45, Ottawa) on guitar; plus drummer Dino Danelli (b 23 July '45, NYC). Named after TV comedy; played in NJ clubs and were soon signed by Ahmet Ertegun to Atlantic (competing with Phil Spector, etc); had 13 US top 40 singles '66--9. First LP The Young Rascals '66 no. 15 incl. no. 1 single 'Good Lovin'' with Cavaliere lead vocal; Collections '67 reached one notch higher with no top ten hit; Groovin' was no. 5 LP with no. 1 title hit (top ten UK): with Lovin' Spoonful's 'Summer In The City' the era's premier summer-listening track; album also incl. top ten 'A Girl Like You' (their only other UK hit, in top 40), no. 4 'How Can I Be Sure', rivalling Association for lush harmony, covered by David Cassidy. Dropped 'Young' from their name '67; all had been experienced sessioneers, Danelli playing with Lionel Hampton as a teenager; Groovin' already showed move towards jazz: as they found room on LPs for sidemen Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrell, Joe Newman etc their beautiful 'blue- eyed soul' vocal blend was obscured; they adopted increasing anti-racist stance, refused to play without a black act on the bill, playing a Martin Luther King benefit, but the times had changed and the golden age of soul was over. Two-disc Freedom Suite '70 was top 20 with no. 1 hit 'People Got To Be Free' and an instrumental disc called 'Music Music', but Search And Nearness '71 barely made top 200. Brigati, Cornish left as they switched to Columbia, replaced by guitarist Buzzy Feiten (ex- Paul Butterfield), vocalist Ann Sutton, bassist Robert 'Pops' Popwell; Peaceful World and The Island Of Real '71--2 did not make top 100. Ahead of their time, in competition with Hall and Oates (as a white act topping black chart early '80s) they'd have been superstars. Cavaliere made eponymous solo album '74, Destiny '75 on Bearsville, Treasure '76 and Castle In The Air '80 on Epic to criticial praise, poor sales; Cornish and Danelli formed Bulldog; in '80s Cavaliere prod. and Danelli drummed for Steve Van Zandt's Disciples of Soul; Popwell played with the Crusaders. |