Biography
Felix Cavaliere served as organist and a primary vocalist for the Young Rascals, later known simply as the Rascals, a prominent pop and rock ensemble that rose during the mid-1960s. After the ensemble dissolved, he embarked on an independent recording path. As a youngster he trained in classical piano, then performed locally with the Stereos in Pelham, New York, before enrolling at Syracuse University and assembling the Escorts. Relocating to New York City, he began earning a living as a sideman behind Sandy Scott and subsequently Joey Dee & the Starliters; several musicians who would later form the Young Rascals also passed through that lineup. The new group first appeared before audiences across the New York metropolitan region in 1965, secured a contract with Atlantic Records, and issued its initial singles before the year closed. Between that point and 1969 the Rascals ranked among the nation’s leading acts, scoring major successes with Cavaliere’s vocals on “Good Lovin’,” “Groovin’,” “A Girl Like You,” “A Beautiful Morning,” and “People Got to Be Free.” During those years the band shifted stylistically from the blue-eyed soul sound for which the phrase was originally coined toward psychedelic pop and eventually jazz fusion. Commercial momentum waned afterward, leading to the group’s breakup in 1972. Cavaliere launched a solo career that produced multiple albums yet never replicated the earlier level of sales; he also appeared on oldies packages, took part in occasional Rascals reunions, and worked behind the board for other performers. Momentum returned when he teamed with Stax guitar veteran Steve Cropper to record the uplifting Nudge It Up a Notch at Jon Tiven’s Hormone Studio in Nashville for the reactivated Stax label in 2008. Their follow-up joint effort, Midnight Flyer, surfaced two years later.
Albums
