Blue-eyed soul was a term coined in the '60s for white singers who could sing in an African-American style. Felix Cavaliere was among the first, and best, of the type (although his eyes are brown).

In the latter half of the '60s, as lead singer for NYC-based The Rascals (initially the Young Rascals), Cavaliere set the standard for blue-eyed soul singing; his pleading tenor had a natural infinity for blues and gospel inflections. When he covered R&B standards like "Mustang Sally" and "In the Midnight Hour," his vocals were authentic and commanding.

During the Rascals too-brief period of chart dominance — bookended by No. 1 singles "Good Lovin'" (early '66) and "People Got to be Free" (summer of '68) — the quartet evolved from a good-timey garage/R&B band to a maker of sophisticated pop hits like "Groovin'," "A Girl Like You," "How Can I Be Sure" and "A Beautiful Morning."

Like so many acts of the period, the Rascals were overshadowed by the Beatles and other British Invasion acts. They are one of the most underrated bands in the history of rock, and their music has sturdily withstood the test of time.

This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2009.

Eric Snider is the dean of Bay area music critics. He started in the early 1980s as one of the founding members of Music magazine, a free bi-monthly. He was the pop music critic for the then-St. Petersburg...