ascals co-founder Felix Cavaliere and his backup band will celebrate 60 years of the rock/blue-eyed soul band’s “positive, freedom-loving music” Sept. 19 at Sherman Theater, Main Street, Stroudsburg.

The keyboardist formed The Rascals in 1965 in Garfield, New Jersey, with singer Eddie Brigati, guitarist Gene Cornish and drummer Dino Danelli. The latter passed away in late 2022; Brigati, meanwhile, no longer actively tours and Cornish retired from touring earlier this year.

Born in Pelham, New York, and living in Nashville, Tennessee, Cavaliere as a child studied classical piano and composition. He attended Syracuse University, with a major in premed and a minor in music.

Cavaliere left Syracuse and soon landed a gig as a backup musician in Joey Dee’s Starliters band. At a 1963 gig in Frankfurt, Germany, The Beatles — not yet known in the U.S. — opened for the act.

“I heard the screaming people,” Cavaliere said. “I heard their music and said, ‘I think I can do this.’ ”

Cavaliere eventually met Brigati, fellow Starliter David’s brother. Cavaliere and Brigati split lead vocals and eventually co-wrote much of The Rascals’ material.

The quartet — billed, to members’ chagrin, as The Young Rascals for its first few years — released its debut album in 1966, with “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” as the first single.

From the start, Cavaliere insisted the group produce its own records, with Atlantic Records “the only label that would allow that to happen. It was the best choice I ever made.”

In all, The Rascals scored three million-selling Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles: “Good Lovin’,” “Groovin’” and “People Got to Be Free.” The foursome also scored a No. 1 album with the 1968 hits compilation “Time Peace.”

Other hit singles include top 10s “A Girl Like You,” “How Can I Be Sure” and “A Beautiful Morning.” Three additional singles cracked the top 20: “You Better Run” — Cavaliere cited Pat Benatar’s 1980 version as his favorite Rascals cover — “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long” and “It’s Wonderful.”

The Rascals’ seventh studio set, 1971’s “Search and Nearness,” was the group’s last for Atlantic and the last to feature Brigati and Cornish. Cavaliere was shocked when Brigati decided to depart.

“It happened at an extremely inopportune moment. We struggled to maintain our balance. We were a tight group. We did everything, playing on our records, no sidemen except a bass player. It was tough.”

Cavaliere and Dinelli recorded two more Rascals albums before the group disbanded in 1972, with members reuniting to perform at various times over the years.

“If you look at the biographies of just about every male group, the divorce rate, it’s terrible,” Cavaliere said. “It all has to do with ego, stupidity, jealousy. We never had any real serious embezzlements, somebody stealing somebody’s wife. Stupidity is the reason we broke up.”

Cavaliere, who has a number of solo albums to his credit, scored a top 40 hit with the 1980 single “Only a Lonely Heart Sees.” The songwriter released his most recent solo set “Then and Now” in 2023.

Aside from commercial success, Cavaliere’s career highlights include induction into the Rock & Roll, Vocal Group and Hammond Organ halls of fame, TV appearances such as “The Ed Sullivan Show” and the 1968 “Soul Together” concert at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

“Soul Together,” honoring Martin Luther King Jr., featured The Rascals and fellow Atlantic artists Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Sonny & Cher, Joe Tex, and King Curtis & The Kingpins. The occasion marked the last time Cavaliere saw Jimi Hendrix, who attended the event.

Another memorable moment, albeit embarrassing, came when The Rascals was set to perform at an event in France. A Hammond B-3 organ, plugged into the wrong outlet, blew up, leaving Cavaliere “to go on with a Farfisa, which is a tiny little toy compared to an organ.”

Cavaliere, who published a memoir in 2022, released a new version of The Rascals’ 1968 track “My Hawaii” in 2024, following the 2023 fires on Maui. The artist felt compelled to give back to the community, as “we were like The Beatles to Hawaii. They adopted us. We still have a presence there.”

Proceeds from the new “My Hawaii” go to the Maui United Way’s Maui Fire Disaster Relief Fund. Cavaliere’s guitar player Mike Severs, who worked with the late Dolly Parton for many years, asked the legendary entertainer if she would sing on the track.

“She was kind enough to consent to do it, said yes immediately,” Cavaliere said. “She did a phenomenal job. I don’t think I could name an artist who was more loved than that woman.”

Cavaliere, who moved to collaboration-rich Nashville to work on new music, wants to “keep going as long as I can. It’s the part of the business that keeps me sane. If that goes, I’m gonna be in trouble.”