Hall of Famer Felix Cavaliere and his Rascals Bring Their Soulful Sixities Sound to the Punta Gorda Block Party

The man's voice is just incredible..... Felix Cavaliere still has it.

It was Felix Cavaliere who formed the original "Young Rascals" over 40 some years ago, a classically trained pianist whose soulful voice molded the sound that drove their music to the top of the charts.      The songs will be familiar.  The tunes outlasted their brief five or so years at the top of the charts, played again and again as  oldies.  Felix's voice (he was the lead singer on most of the songs) and the unique sound of the Rascals in such hits as "Groovin" "Lonely too  Long" "Good Lovin, " earned the original members of the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

And this  week you will be able to see and hear Felix Cavaliere and his Rascals  in Punta Gorda at  Annual block party.   

The group originally known as the "Young Rascals" began to hit the top of the music charts in the mid-1960s just as  early Baby Boomers were entering their peak years of record-buying power. Their first  #1 hit was  "Good Lovin," which  appealed to the hordes of young people at the time with its high energy sound. The songwriting  team of Eddie Brigati and Cavaliere, then went on to write  most of the songs that followed including "You Better Run" (1966) and "Come On Up," only modest hits,  "(I've Been) Lonely Too Long" (1967) which did better, and "Groovin'" (#1 US/Canada, 1967) that returned them to the top of the charts.  They produced a succession of top 20 U.S. hits, including "A Girl Like You" (1967), "How Can I Be Sure?" (1967), "It's Wonderful" (1968), and "A Beautiful Morning" (1968). "People Got to Be Free", a plea for racial tolerance that was their third and final U.S. #1 single.   The band members went their own way in the 70s.  Currently Felix writes and performs with his "Rascals," while other band members are also performing under another name (see below).

Felix Cavaliere and his Rascals will be performing at the Retta Esplanade Stage at the Block Party at 6:30 p.m.

Note: Dino Danelli & Gene Cornish (other members of the original Young Rascals) now perform  with Vanilla Fudges lead singer Bill Pascali and former Tom Petty bass guitarist Charlie Souza under the name "The New Rascals."