Gene Cornish Talks ‘My Life as a Rascal,’ Reuniting with Felix Cavaliere & More
Gene Cornish was at a crossroads in 1964. Cornish, born in Ontario, moved to Rochester, NY early in life and formed a band called the Unbeatables. The group made an early splash in New York City but soon found themselves out of work and dispirited. All its members except Cornish returned to Rochester.
Determined to succeed in the Big Apple, the guitarist landed a gig with Joey Dee & the Starliters, the “Peppermint Twist” pop group that included keyboardist Felix Cavaliere and singer Eddie Brigati. By 1965, the three musicians quit and, with drummer Dino Danelli, formed the Young Rascals.
The Young Rascals were wildly successful in the 1960s with hits like “Good Lovin’,” “Groovin’,” “A Girl Like You,” “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long” and “How Can I Be Sure.” The group’s original look was knickers, ruffled shirts, and caps but, as Cornish tells Rock Cellar, they abandoned it when the costumes received a cool reaction from African American audiences. Their name was soon shortened to “The Rascals.”
Cornish published his memoir, Good Lovin’: My Life as a Rascal, in 2020. It’s an unflinching account of the guitarist’s life in and out of music, including his 2018 collapse on stage in Billings, MT when he went into cardiac arrest.
