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~ New York, New York February 29, 2009 This year, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) celebrates 40 years of recognizing the work and lives of enduring composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world. Hal David, SHOF Chairman/CEO, announced today that among the 2009 Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards inductees will be Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati.
In 1965, Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati met while on tour in Europe with Joey Dee & The Starliters and decided to form the “Young Rascals.” From 1965 through 1969, with the Young Rascals, released some of the most defining songs of that era, penned by Cavalieri and Brigati. They were the paragons of “blue-eyed soul,” building their sound around Felix Cavaliere’s Hammond B-3 organ and the soulful lead vocals of Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. Their song “Groovin’,” a soulful reverie about “groovin’ on a sunny afternoon,” shot to #1 in the spring of 1967. By the end of the year, the Rascals were venturing into psychedelia with effects-laden songs like “It’s Wonderful” (#20). They reverted to their original name, the Rascals, with the release of “A Beautiful Morning” in 1968. While their hits included “Good Lovin’,” “Groovin’,” “A Girl Like You,” and “A Beautiful Morning,” their biggest hit, “People Got to Be Free,” written in reaction to the assassinations that year of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., rose to #1 on the charts.
The induction and awards dinner is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2009 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
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