Gene Cornish (born May 14, 1944)
is a Canadian-American guitarist and harmonica player. He is an original member of the popular 1960s
blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly-black Motown and Stax ...
band
The Young Rascals
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. From 1965 to 1970, the band recorded eight albums and had thirteen singles that reached Billboard's Top 40 chart. In 1997, as a founding member of The Rascals, Cornish was inducted into the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...
.
Early life
Early in his life, Cornish and his mother moved from
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
to
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
. He became a talented guitar and harmonica player at a young age. In his later teen years (early 1960s) he made the rounds of the local clubs and bars in his area and worked with a number of bands (even performing as a single artist on occasion).
Career in music
![Gary US Bonds 77th bday-4102](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Gary_US_Bonds_77th_bday-4102.jpg)
In 1962, Gene Cornish with The Gene Cornish Nobles released "Winner Take All" backed with "Since I Lost You" on Vassar 319. As the composers of the latter, "R. Cornish – G. Cornish" is printed on B side label. It was well-made in the manner of white doo-wop (arranged by Lew Douglas).
Cornish became a member of
Joey Dee and the Starliters
Joey Dee and the Starliters (also credited as Joey Dee and the Starlighters) is an American popular music group. The group is best known for their million-selling recording "Peppermint Twist" (1961).
The group's most notable lineup is considere ...
in 1964. During that period, he met vocalist
Eddie Brigati
Edward Brigati Jr. (born October 22, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter. He was the co-lead vocalist, along with Felix Cavaliere, and percussionist in the rock group The Young Rascals from 1964 to 1970.
Prior to his stint with The Young Ra ...
and keyboardist
Felix Cavaliere
Felix Cavaliere (born November 29, 1942) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Young Rascals.
Although he was a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters, known for ...
(also members of the Starliters). Gene fronted his own group (The Unbeatables) during this period and they had a sound that was tied to the influence of early 1960s
pop/rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
. The group's name was a play on
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' and made a small bit of noise in 1964 with their release of the single "I Wanna Be a Beatle".
By late 1964, Brigati, Cavaliere, and Cornish had teamed with drummer
Dino Danelli
Dino Danelli (July 23, 1944 – December 15, 2022) was an American drummer. Danelli was best known as an original member and the drummer in the rock group The Young Rascals. He has been called "one of the great unappreciated rock drummers in hi ...
to form a group that became known as The Young Rascals. They officially began performing in February 1965 and before the year was out, released their first chart single. They rapidly became one of rock-n-roll's top groups. Brigati left the band in 1970 and Cornish followed in 1971. He went on to form the band Bulldog and when that group disbanded, he joined with Rascals' drummer Danelli to form the group
Fotomaker
Photo maker was a power pop group from Long Island, NY which released three albums between 1978 and 1979. They made three albums within the span of a little over a year.
Beginnings
The band was formed in 1977 by bassist Gene Cornish and drummer D ...
. After the group disbanded, Cornish joined the group G.C. Dangerous.
Cornish also delved into production when he (along with Danelli) produced the group
April Wine
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwin since its inception, April Wine's first success came with its second album, '' On Record'' (1972), which reac ...
's first
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
in 1974,
and "
Stand Back
"Stand Back" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks from her second solo studio album '' The Wild Heart'' (1983). The song was released as the lead single from the album in May 1983 and reached number five on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...
" album in 1975.
In 1988, he reunited with Danelli and Cavaliere on a reunion tour of The Rascals (Brigati did not participate). The tour was cancelled after a short, four-month run. Cornish then joined Danelli to form 'The New Rascals' featuring Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli and in 2005 with
Bill Pascali
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
of the
Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, such as their hit cover of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On".
The band's original line–up—vocalist a ...
and
Charlie Souza
Charlie Souza is a bass player, vocalist, musician, writer and producer. He is best known for playing bass in Mudcrutch. He is married to Barbara Benischek Souza.
Career
Souza toured with The New Rascals, featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...
formerly with Tom Petty's
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch was an American southern and country rock band from Gainesville, Florida. They are best known for being the band that began Tom Petty's rise to fame.
Mudcrutch formed in Gainesville in 1970 and soon became a popular act across Flori ...
.
In 1997, the members of the Rascals were inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. Later that year, Cornish released an album entitled "Live at Palisades Amusement Park". It presented his pre-Rascals recordings, including "I Wanna Be a Beatle," "Rockin' Robin," "Peanuts," "What'd I Say," "You're Gonna Cry Someday," and even
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film.
Born to ...
's "
I Love Paris
"I Love Paris" is a popular song written by Cole Porter and published in 1953. The song was introduced by Lilo in the musical '' Can-Can''. A line in the song's lyrics inspired the title of the 1964 movie ''Paris When It Sizzles''.
Notable recor ...
." Cornish (along with Danelli) continue to tour with "The New Rascals."
On April 24, 2010, all four members of The Rascals reunited for the Kristen Ann Carr benefit, which was held at New York's
Tribeca Grill
Tribeca Grill is a New American restaurant located at 375 Greenwich Street (at Franklin Street) in Tribeca, Manhattan, in New York City, co-owned by Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent. Celebrity investors include Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Christophe ...
. They played a set that ran over one hour and featured several of their top hits from the 1960s.
He reunited with his band-mates when The Rascals appeared at the Capital Theater in Port Chester, New York, for six shows in December 2012 and for fifteen dates at the Richard Rogers Theatre on Broadway (April 15 – May 5, 2013). Their production, entitled 'Once Upon A Dream', toured North America (Toronto, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, Detroit, Rochester, and New York City). It was produced by long-time Rascals' fans, Steven Van Zandt and his wife Maureen.
Currently Cornish is touring in a group called
Felix Cavaliere
Felix Cavaliere (born November 29, 1942) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Young Rascals.
Although he was a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters, known for ...
& Gene Cornish's Rascals, which also features drummer
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice ( , born December 15, 1946) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is also Vinny Appice's ...
.
On Friday, September 7, 2018, Cornish collapsed onstage at the Alberta Bair Theater in Billings, MT as the band began performing their first song of the evening.
Cornish has been a resident of
North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a ...
.
[Jordan, Chris]
"Gene Cornish of the Rascals is recovering, first show back scheduled for Toms River"
''Asbury Park Press
The ''Asbury Park Press'' is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state. It has been owned by Gannett since 1997.
Its reporting staff has been awarded numerous national hon ...
'', September 13, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2018. "Cornish is a native of Canada who grew up in Rochester, N.Y. He now lives in North Bergen."
References
External links
Gene Cornish Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornish, Gene
1944 births
Living people
American harmonica players
Musicians from Ottawa
The Rascals members
Guitarists from New Jersey
American male guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
People from North Bergen, New Jersey
20th-century American male musicians