Anyone living through the 1960s knows hits like “Groovin,” “A Beautiful Morning,” “Good Lovin,” “I’ve been Lonely Too Long,” and “People Got to be Free.”
Those hits were common on the radio at the time, and are still played today on radio stations across the country.
They are the sensations of Felix Cavaliere, best known for his role with The Rascals, who will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at Ho-Chunk Gaming – Black River Falls. The band is known as Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals. Tickets are $30 each or $50 for a combination ticket to also see Micky Dolenz at 9 p.m.
Cavaliere had the foundation for his music career laid at an early age, although he didn’t know it at the time.
“My mother decided, when I was 5 years old, that I should take classical music training,” he said. “It was very serious classical music training, really setup to make me a concert pianist rather than just trying to learn how to play piano. Evidently she felt that I had some talent. So I did eight years in training and that’s how I basically started.”
Cavaliere actually came from a medical family and he attended college as a pre-medical major. He had no idea that he would end up making music his career.
“I’m not sure that I actually made a conscience decision to leave and go and be a musician. It just started to happen. And when it started to happen, I would get offers for different projects,” he said.
“One of them happened to take me to Europe with a group called Joey Dee and the Starliters, which is best known for the hit Peppermint Twist. And that came so much out of the blue,” he said, ‘Well, being the believer in destiny and fate, I went over there and I was working in Germany and Sweden with the Beatles before they came to the United States. I said ‘Wow, this looks like a lot of fun,’” Cavaliere said.
“But I said, ‘You know what, I think I can do this.’ I really felt like it was not above what was going on, with everybody screaming and hollering. So, why don’t I give it a try? I had my father’s permission – my mom had passed – so the real onus of my quest was gone. It just kind of evolved.”
He was a junior in college at the time and all at once he was a musician, he said.
“I was very fortunate and I know that because it is a really difficult business, no question about that,” Cavaliere said.
His achievements have been great through the years. He’s written many number-one hits and he has been a singer, a music producer and musician. In honor of his successes, he has been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Hammond Organ Hall of Fame.
Through his many successes, the notoriety has not changed his humility.
“In the music business, it’s day-by-day. Thank goodness I’ve achieved a certain longevity that I can say okay, maybe I can breathe a sigh of relief,” he said.
“I just came back from Japan on Sunday. They’re an amazing audience out there. And I realize that my music has reached that far and they are so kind and so responsive. As part of the show, they honored me with a 50-year Rascal anniversary cake. So when you look back, you say 50? Oh my goodness. Are you kidding me? I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed, to still be able to make music and have people want to hear that music. So the whole thing – that’s great,” he said. “To me, it’s an honor for people to come to my shows, especially to a foreign country, and for them to know the words. I was flabbergasted. It was really very cool. That, to me, means a lot.”
Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals makes about 60-65 performances per year throughout the world.
“It’s so relative how many performances you do. It is really not something we have control over. It’s a very subjective business. For instance, if I get a call from someone who want to do a private party, and they call my agent or my manager, I’ll perform at a private party. And, on the other hand, if I don’t get that call, I’ll be home,” he said.
“It’s a very abnormal way of making a living. We don’t know where were going to be. We do know in advance, but a regular person knows they will be at this place from 9 to 5 – we don’t have anything like that,” Cavaliere said. “I was able to raise a family that way, but it’s still tough because you’re away for birthdays, you’re away for – whatever. It’s an interesting way of life.”
He has five children, including twins. They live in Nashville, Tenn.
Although 50 years have passed since his start in music as a professional, he still attracts people to his performances, which makes his career fulfilling.
“It’s my fiftieth anniversary and we still have audiences. Most of the people who come from my period in time like the 60s, so called Summer of Love, they love it,” he said. “People like Ringo – he’s still out there. The Who – what is left of them – they’re still out there. The (Rolling) Stones – they’re still out there. You either like it or you don’t like it. If you like it, you’re addicted being out there and rocking and rolling. It’s a lot of fun. The travel is not fun. It gets worse and worse. But that’s our world. That’s where we’re at.”
He’s still writing songs at his home in Nashville, which is a passion for him. Nashville is booming music town, he said. He keeps looking for new projects that he’d like to get involved in. The problem is that the music is changed so much and the music business has changed so much, that he often scratches his head and says ‘what the heck is going on.’ He thought he knew the music business, but it’s very different now. Adapting to it is not easy.
“I think the whole world, of course music being part of that, has devolved into an economic art form. It’s economics. And if you have the money behind you, you have the backing to push a product, then you have a product. If you don’t, then you have to have a really outstanding product to find its way through that maze of publicity and marketing,” Cavaliere said.
“The artists that make it today have a lot of money behind them. There are exceptions and that’s why I have a good feeling about the Internet. Some of these kids turn great stuff on the Internet, which is pretty cool. But that is becoming more and more difficult and more and more rare.”
If he were given the chance to perform with anyone, he said he would choose either Prince or Michael Jackson,” he said.
“They are my favorites because I’ve never seen anybody better than those guys in my life. My third choice would be Jimmy Hendrix, who was a dear friend. But these guys are in a different class – the upper echelon,” he said. 
Having written and performed many songs during his career, it is difficult to choose which song is his favorite.
“Your favorite kind of changes with the times. The one I’m most proud of right now is ‘People Got to be Free’ because of what is going on with our planet. I see that every day. Wake up everybody – look around and see what is going on,” he said.
“I was very involved in social consciousness – civil rights - trying to get our world in one piece,” Cavaliere said. “You know, the peace, love and happiness thing is still very much a major part of my psyche. There’s no question about that. I still feel that way even though I look around and say Well, I guess we didn’t do that great of a job. But we tried.”