“Groovin'” (The Young Rascals/Booker T. and the M.G.’s)

Your classic song for a summer Sunday afternoon is “Groovin’,” by the Young Rascals, later covered by Booker T. and the M.G.’s. It was a big hit for both groups.

The first version released was by the group then known as the Young Rascals. They released it in April of 1967, just in time for summer Top 40 radio, and it went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four (non-consecutive) weeks.

“Groovin'” is about getting a little something something on a lazy summer afternoon. It’s about life being ecstasy, you and me endlessly… well, you get the idea. A perfect soundtrack to what later became known as the Summer of Love.

Musically, the song is just a two-bar groove repeated over and over, at least until the chorus. It’s driven by a loping Cuban-influenced bass line, provided by session ace Chuck Rainey, accompanied by Dino Danelli’s congas and Felix Cavaliere’s organ. Felix also sang lead and another session musician, Michael Weinstein, provided the signature harmonica line.

“Groovin'” was written by Rascals Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, apparently inspired by Felix’s then-girlfriend, a (very) young lady named Adrienne Buccheri. It differed considerably from the group’s established blue-eyed soul sound, influenced by Felix’s newfound interest in Afro-Cuban music.

However it all came together, it worked really, really well. I have my own Sunday afternoon memories of listening to the tune on my AM transistor radio while I mowed the lawn at my parents house on my dad’s riding lawn mower. Just going round and round on a sunny summer Sunday afternoon, smelling the newly cut grass and grooving along to Felix and Dino and the boys. For a nine year-old kid, it was pretty perfect.

The Young Rascals, who grew up and shortened their name to just the Rascals in 1968, consisted of Felix Cavaliere on vocals and organ, Eddie Brigati on vocals and tambourine, Gene Cornish on guitar, and Dino Danelli on drums. That’s right, they didn’t have a bass player; live, Felix played bass on his organ pedals, while they frequently employed studio cats (like Chuck Rainey) to play real bass on their records.

You can’t tell it from this tune, where he only plays congas, but Dino Danelli was a superb drummer. He came from a jazz background and, live, you couldn’t beat the cat. He had technique to the max and was a bit of a showman, as well. He was definitely one of the top drummers of the ’60s, very influential. If you have the opportunity to watch the Rascals playing live on YouTube, do so; you’ll be amazed by Dino’s chops.

The Rascals had an incredible string of chart successes. You know them all, including “Good Lovin'” (#1 in 1966), “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long” (#16 in 1967), “A Girl Like You” (#10 in 1967), “How Can I Be Sure” (#4 in 1967), “A Beautiful Morning” (#3 in 1968), and “People Got to Be Free” (#1 in 1968). Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately, and Eddie Brigati left the group in 1970, followed by Gene Cornish in 1971. That pretty much ended things, although Felix and Dino carried on for awhile with replacement musicians and there have been a few reunions over the years.

“Groovin'” is one of those tunes that got covered almost immediately, in this instance in an R&B-flavored instrumental version by Booker T. and the M.G.’s. The Memphis group released their version on Stax Records just a few months after the original and it peaked at #21 on the Hot 100 and #10 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It’s damned good, too; you just can’t beat the infectious groove that Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson, Jr. cook up. I like it almost as much as the Rascals’ original, but in a slightly different way.

As to the Rascals, they were rightfully inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. After the group broke up, Felix Cavaliere recorded and toured for a bit with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, as well as on his own; he’s 80 years old now. Eddie Brigati performed with Donald Fagen’s New York Rock and Soul Revue in the 1990s and on his own since; he’s 77. Gene Cornish has toured with lots of musicians and recently played with Felix and Eddie in a Rascals reunion band; he’s 79. Dino Danelli did some playing, some producing, and some album design; he passed away in 2022 after a period of declining health, 78 years of age.

As to Booker T. and the M.G.’s, some version of that group has played almost continuously from the ’60s to today. (My wife Sherry and I caught them twice at our local Dakota jazz club, and they blew the roof off the joint both times.) In addition to playing with the band, Booker T. Jones has released a series of solo albums and tours under his own name; he’s 78 years old. Guitarist Steve Cropper played with the Blues Brothers and lots of other artists and is still out there playing and recording today; he’s 81. Bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn held down the fort for a number of bands, including the Blues Brothers, and passed away in 2012, aged 70. Drummer Al Jackson Jr. played for a number of other acts and produced some of Al Green’s finest recordings; he was shot and killed by burglars in 1975, just 39 years of age.