The Villages Amphitheater is serving up a double dose of music this Saturday with Felix Cavalier’s Rascals and the Lovin’ Spoonful. Tickets are still available and reserved seats are $30 in advance and lawn seats are $25.

The Rascals, who were originally promoted and known as The Young Rascals, formed in the 1960’s as an American blue-eyed soul and rock music group. Felix Cavaliere (keyboard, vocals), Gene Cornish (guitar), Dino Danelli (drums) and Eddie Brigati (vocals) formed the band in New York City. Three-quarters of the group - Felix, Gene, and Eddie - had previously been members of Joey Dee and The Starliters. Eddie's brother, David Brigati, another former Starliter, arranged the vocal harmonies and sang backgrounds on many of the group's recordings, informally earning the designation as the fifth Rascal.

Their first minor hit was "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (1965), followed by the #1 single "Good Lovin'" (1966, originally by the Olympics). Soon, the band began to mature as songwriters and released other hit songs written themselves, including "Groovin'" (1967), "It's Wonderful," "How Can I Be Sure" and "A Beautiful Morning" (1968).

Perhaps their best-remembered song is "People Got to Be Free" from 1968, a passionate plea for racial tolerance; unusually for their time, the Rascals refused to tour on unintegrated bills.

In 1970 Eddie Brigati left the group, followed by Cornish in 1971.

Cavaliere released two subsequent albums as "The Rascals," "Peaceful World" and "The Island Of Real" using other musicians and singers.

In 1982, Cavaliere and Danelli joined Steve Van Zandt in "Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul," Van Zandt's project between his stints with the E Street Band.

The Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Founded as a bohemian folk rock group and led by John Sebastian, the Lovin’ Spoonful was originally called Mugwumps. In early 1965, the band, which got their start playing in coffee houses and small clubs, split to form the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Mamas and Papas. Sebastian, who grew up in contact with music and musicians, was the son of a much-recorded and highly technically accomplished harmonica player. He had reached maturity toward the end of the American folk-music revival that spanned the 1950’s to early 60’s. Sebastian was joined by guitarist Zal Yanovsky in the Spoonful. The band also featured popular drummer-vocalist Joseph Campbell Butler and bassist Steve Boone.

The Lovin' Spoonful became part of the American response to the British Invasion and was noted for such folk-flavoured hits as "Jug Band Music," "Do You Believe in Magic," "You Didn't Have to be So Nice" and "Daydream." Putting an "anti-drug" spin on the traditional folksong "Blues in the Bottle," the Lovin' Spoonful endeared themselves to radio stations across the United States. Soon they were a cross-over hit, topping both rock 'n' roll and country charts with "Nashville Cats." Other hits included "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind," "Six O'Clock," and "Younger Girl." Another hit was the harder-edged "Summer in the City."

Early in their recording and airwave career, Lovin' Spoonful members termed their approach "good-time music." Soon-to-be-members of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead were part of the West Coast acoustic folk-music scene when the Lovin' Spoonful came to town while on tour. They credited the Lovin' Spoonful concert as a fateful experience, after which they decided to leave the folk scene and 'go electric.'
The chart-topping band was originally selected to perform on the television show that became “The Monkees,” and also gained an added bit of publicity when Butler replaced Jim Rado in the role of Claude for a sold-out four-month run with the Broadway production of the rock musical “Hair.” The Lovin' Spoonful's music was also featured in Woody Allen's first feature film, "What's Up, Tiger Lily." Zal Yanovsky quit the band after the "You're a Big Boy Now" album was released in May of 1967, and was replaced by Jerry Yester, formerly of the Modern Folk Quartet. The Lovin' Spoonful received a resurgence of interest upon their acceptance into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and the 1995 film, “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” which used their song, "Summer In The City" as a theme song.

Tickets for The Villages’ 2006 concert series are on sale at www.villagesamphitheater.com or may be purchased at the Historic Train Depot & Welcome Center on 250 Lanier Ave. East or by calling Main Street at (770) 719-4173. Gates for the performance will open at 7 p.m. The opening act will begin at 8 p.m. with the headliner taking the stage at 9 p.m.

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