The Four Seasons (group)
Encyclopedia
The Four Seasons are an American
rock
and pop
band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame
has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles
. Since 1970, they have been known off and on as Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, or simply The Four Seasons.
In 1960, the group known as The Four Lovers
evolved into The Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli
as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio
(formerly of The Royal Teens
) on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito
on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi
on bass guitar and bass vocals.
The legal name of the organization is the Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Gaudio and Valli after a failed audition in 1960. While singers, producers, and musicians have come and gone, Gaudio and Valli remain the group's constant (with each owning fifty percent of the act and its assets, including virtually all of its recording catalog). Gaudio no longer plays live, leaving Valli the only member of the group from its inception that is currently touring.
The Four Seasons (group members 1960–1965) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1990, and it joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
in 1999. They are one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, having sold 175 million records worldwide.
", which appeared on the Billboard
Hot 100
singles chart, peaking at #62. Five additional Four Lovers singles (on RCA Victor
) were released over the next year, with virtually no sales, airplay, or jukebox play. In 1957, the group's seventh single (this time on Epic
) had a similar lack of success.
From 1956 until 1960, the group stayed together, performing in clubs and lounges as The Four Lovers and recording on various record labels with various names: Frankie Tyler, Frankie Valley, Frankie Valley and the Travelers, Frankie Valle and the Romans, The Village Voices, and The Topics are some of the 18 "stage names" used individually or collectively by the members of the group.
In 1958, the group started working with producer Bob Crewe
, primarily with session work
(Crewe wrote "I Go Ape", which Valli recorded with the intention of releasing it as a "solo" single). Later that year, the Four Lovers were performing in Baltimore
on the same stage as The Royal Teens
, who were riding the wave of success of "Short Shorts
", a song co-written by then-15-year-old Bob Gaudio
, who was also the Royal Teens' guitarist.
The next year, Gaudio replaced Nick DeVito in the lineup, with Gaudio doubling as both keyboardist and guitarist, and Charles Calello replaced Majewski on bass (Calello would soon return as the group's arranger). In 1960, Calello left and was replaced by Nick Massi
.
Despite the change of personnel, the fortunes of The Four Lovers did not change in the beginning of 1960, when they failed an audition for a lounge at a Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
bowling establishment. According to Gaudio, "We figured we'll come out of this with something. So we took the name of the bowling alley. It was called the Four Seasons." Despite the last few years of frustration of the Four Lovers, this proved to be the turning point of the group: on a handshake between keyboardist/composer Bob Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons Partnership was formed.
). The single did not chart. The group began working with producer Bob Crewe as background vocalists, and sometimes leads under different group names, for his productions on his own Topix label. Bob Gaudio eventually wrote a song that, after some discussion between Crewe and Gaudio, was titled "Sherry". The song was recorded and Crewe, along with members of the group, went about soliciting labels to release the record. It was Frankie Valli who spoke with Randy Wood, West coast sales manager for Vee Jay (not the founder of Dot Records) who, in turn, suggested the release of "Sherry" to the decision makers at Vee Jay. "Sherry" made enough of an impression that Crewe was able to sign a deal between his production company and Vee Jay for its release. At the time, The 4 Seasons were signed, as artists, to Crewe's production company. They were the first white artists to sign with Vee-Jay.
In 1962, the group released their first album, featuring the single "Sherry
", which was not only their first charted hit but also their first number-one song. Under the guidance of producer
/songwriter
Bob Crewe
, The Four Seasons followed up "Sherry" with several million-selling
hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry" (their second #1 hit), "Walk Like a Man" (their third #1), "Candy Girl", "Ain't That a Shame
", and several others. In addition, they released a Christmas album in December 1962 and charted with a unique rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
".
From 1962 to early 1964, only the Beach Boys
matched the Four Seasons in record sales in the United States, and their first three Vee-Jay non-holiday single releases marked the first time that a rock band hit #1 on the Billboard
singles charts with three consecutive entries (ignoring their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town").
singles in America. When The Beatles became wildly popular, Vee-Jay was swamped with orders (Vee-Jay shipped more than two million Beatles records in a single month). The huge demands of mass production, the cash flow problems involved, and, the loss of The Beatles when Trans-Global (a firm licensed by EMI to distribute its products) canceled Vee-Jay's contract on August 3, 1963, due to non-payment of royalties, found Vee-Jay hard pressed to stay afloat. Vee Jay continued to produce one Beatles album (in various forms) in defiance of the cancellation. After over a year of legal negotiations, Capitol Records was finally able to stop Vee-Jay effective October 15, 1964.
While the label went through internal turmoil with The Beatles and Capitol Records, a royalty dispute between Vee-Jay and The 4 Seasons headed to court. In January 1964, after several successful albums and lack of money from Vee-Jay, The 4 Seasons left Vee-Jay Records and moved to Philips Records
, then a division of Mercury Records
. In the 1965 settlement of the lawsuit, Vee-Jay retained release rights for all material the group recorded for the label. Vee-Jay exercised those rights liberally over the following year. The group was obligated to deliver one final album to Vee-Jay, which they did in the form of a "faux" live LP. When Vee-Jay was declared bankrupt in 1966, The 4 Seasons' Vee-Jay catalog reverted to the band and the tracks were reissued by Philips.
The change of label did not diminish the popularity of The Four Seasons in 1964, nor did the onslaught of the British Invasion
and Beatlemania
. In fact, The Four Seasons are the only act to have a Hot 100 #1 hit before, during, and after the years that the Beatles had their Hot 100 #1 hits. However, "Dawn (Go Away)
" (recorded for Atlantic Records
, but never released by them), was kept from the #1 spot on the Hot 100 by no fewer than three Beatles
singles in the March 21, 1964, edition (two weeks later, the top 5 slots were filled by Beatles singles).
In a two-record set dubbed The Beatles vs. the Four Seasons: The International Battle of the Century! Vee-Jay created an elaborate two disc package that the purchaser could use to write on and score individual recordings by their favorite artist. Each disc was a reissue of a previously released album by the artists, featuring each original album's label, title and catalog number. Today, this album package is a collector's item.
was permanently hired. Joe became the mainstay on bass and backing vocals until 1975. In the meantime, The 4 Seasons released recordings under a variety of names, including The Valli Boys, The Wonder Who?
, and Frankie Valli
(every Valli "solo" recording from 1965 to "My Eyes Adored You
" in 1975 had the same production team as The Four Seasons that were recorded at the same time - his first post-1950s single without The Four Seasons was 1975's "Swearin' to God").
More Top 20 singles credited to The Four Seasons followed in 1965, 1966, and 1967, including "Let's Hang On!
", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
" (as the Wonder Who?), "Working My Way Back to You
", "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)
", "I've Got You Under My Skin
", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You
" (released under Valli's name as a "solo" single), "Beggin'
", "Tell It to the Rain
", "C'mon Marianne
", and "I Make a Fool of Myself" (Frankie Valli "solo"). "Will You Love Me Tomorrow
" was the group's last top 40 hit for seven years (reaching #24), just after Valli's last "solo" hit of the 1960s, the #29 "To Give (The Reason I Live)".
pop
and towards rock with a harder edge, deeper soul music, and music with more socially conscious lyrics. The group's last single on Philips, "Patch of Blue," featured the group's name as "Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons," but the change in billing did not alter the act's lack of success in 1970.
After leaving Philips, The 4 Seasons recorded a one-off single for the Warner Brothers label in England. This single was never released in the USA. The two songs were "Sleeping Man", the A-Side, and "Whatever You Say", the B-Side. It was, for this single, that they began to note the group name as The Four Seasons, dropping the numeric '4' for the alpha characters 'Four'.
Following that single, the group signed to Motown with disastrous results. The first LP, Chameleon, failed to sell after it was released by Motown subsidiary label MoWest Records in 1971. A Frankie Valli "solo" single from 1971 ("Love Isn't Here" on Motown) and three Four Seasons singles ("Walk On, Don't Look Back" on MoWest in 1972, "How Come" and "Hickory" on Motown in 1973) sank without a trace. A recording that was destined to reach the upper parts of the UK Singles Chart
, "The Night", was not commercially released as a single by Motown in the United States after promotional copies (showing the artist as Frankie Valli) were distributed in 1971.
In late 1973 and early 1974, The Four Seasons recorded eight songs for a planned sophomore Motown album, which the company refused to release to the public. Later in 1974, the record label and The Four Seasons parted ways. On behalf of the Four Seasons Partnership, Valli initially tried to purchase the entire collection of master recordings the group made for Motown; upon hearing the amount needed to buy them all, he arranged to purchase one recording for $4000 (US): "My Eyes Adored You
".
Valli took the tape to Private Stock Records
owner and founder Larry Uttal, who, after repeated listenings of the Four Seasons recording, wanted to release it as a Frankie Valli "solo" single. While the group remained unsigned in the later part of 1974, Valli had a new label — and a new solo career.
) and Gerry Polci, who eased the singing load on an ailing Frankie Valli (who was gradually losing his hearing due to otosclerosis
; eventually, surgery restored most of his hearing).
As "My Eyes Adored You" climbed the Hot 100 singles chart in early 1975, Valli and Gaudio managed to get The Four Seasons signed with Warner Bros. Records
as the disco era dawned. At the same time, Uttal was persuaded to release The Four Seasons Story, a two-record compilation of the group's biggest hit singles from 1962 to 1970. It quickly became a gold record
, selling over one million copies before the RIAA
started awarding platinum records
for million-selling albums.
In 1975, record sales exploded for both Valli and the Four Seasons as both acts had million-selling singles in the United States ("My Eyes Adored You" hit #1 on the Hot 100 for Valli in March, "Who Loves You
" peaked at #3 in November for the group). In the United Kingdom, Tamla Motown
released "The Night" as a single and saw it reach the #7 position on the UK Singles Chart
. My Eyes Adored You was also a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in February of that year.
Valli had his first truly solo hit in the summer of 1975 (all of his prior "solo" hits were in fact Four Seasons productions) when the Bob Crewe-produced "Swearin' to God" followed "My Eyes Adored You" into the upper reaches of the Hot 100, peaking at the #6 position and capitalizing on the growing disco craze. The song was released in three forms: the eight-minute album version, the ten-minute extended 12-inch single
version, and the three-minute single version.
The album Who Loves You
became a surprise million-seller for the group, as it was the first Four Seasons album to prominently feature lead vocals by anyone other than Valli ('Sorry' on 'Half & Half' had featured Gaudio, DeVito and Long minus Valli, while 'Wall Street Village Day' on 'Genuine Imitation Life Gazette' featured Valli on just a couple of 'bridge' section lead vocal lines). Gerry Polci did about half of the lead vocals, sharing them with Valli and one lead by Ciccone ('Slip Away'). The title song had Valli doing the lead on the verses, but none of the trademark falsettos in the chorus. It was a Top 10 British hit in November 1975, relaunching their career there. "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
" had Polci singing lead on the verses, Ciccone featured on specific sections, and Valli doing lead vocals only on the two 'Bridge' sections and backup vocals on the chorus. "Silver Star
" had Polci doing all the lead vocals, with Valli absent from the recording.
The Four Seasons opened 1976 atop the Billboard chart with their fifth #1 single, "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", co-written by Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker. The single also hit number one in the United Kingdom. Although the group also scored minor chart placements with "Silver Star" (#38), "Down the Hall" (#65 in 1977) both sung by Polci, and "Spend the Night in Love" (#91 in 1980) which again featured Polci as main Lead vocalist and Valli singing the bridge section and contributing to backup group vocals, "December, 1963" marked the end of the Seasons' hit-making run. Both singles were hits in the United Kingdom, with Silver Star making the Top 10. (A dance remix version of "December 1963" returned them briefly to the upper reaches of the Billboard singles charts almost two decades later.)
Excluding Valli's 1978 "Grease
" single, which hit #1 while the motion picture of the same name
became the highest-grossing musical in cinematic history, the last Top 40 hit for the group was behind them. Both Valli and the group released singles and albums on an occasional basis, but after "Grease", only a remixed version of their biggest seller, "December 1963" would visit the upper half of the Hot 100 (in 1994).
In January 1981 Warners released; 'Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Reunited Live', Produced by Bob Gaudio, it was a double album of concert recordings which included the two studio recordings "Spend The Night in Love" and "Heaven Must Have Sent You (Here in The Night)" sung by Valli. The latter became a UK single but failed to chart, while the former was released as a single in America, inching its way into the Hot 100
.
In 1984, a long-awaited collaboration between the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys, "East Meets West" was released on FBI Records, owned by the Four Seasons Partnership. The record did not sell well. It only appeared to feature Valli from The Four Seasons group, but most of the surviving Beach Boys, including even Brian Wilson, took a solo vocal part.
Even after the rise and fall of the group's sales in the disco era, The Four Seasons, in one version or another (the group became a sextet as Jerry Corbetta, formerly of Sugarloaf
, joined the lineup), continued to be a popular touring act, with Valli being the only constant in the midst of a fluctuating lineup. Although Gaudio is still officially part of the group (he and Valli are still equal partners in the Four Seasons Partnership), he now restricts his activities to writing, producing, and the occasional studio work.
In August 1985, MCA Records released the group album, Streetfighter which yielded two singles in the title track and "Book Of Love," the latter a post-disco
style revamp of The Monotones' 1958 era recording.
In September 1992, a group album was released entitled Hope + Glory on the MCA/Curb label.
The latest edition of The Four Seasons, including Valli, conducted a North American tour in the latter half of 2007. Incidental to this tour, the massive 3CD + 1DVD box set "...Jersey Beat... The Music Of Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons" was released in mid-2007, marketed as the most comprehensive collection of Four Seasons music yet. The album title "Jersey Beat" is a play on Jersey Boys
, a wildly successful Broadway musical about The Four Seasons.
In 2008, The Four Seasons' "Beggin'" was revived not by one but by two acts. Pilooski made an electro remix of that song, while rap act Madcon
used it as the basis of their song "Beggin'". The latter went to number 5 in the UK charts and was a hit across Europe. The song was featured in a TV commercial for adidas
shoes entitled "Celebrate Originality". The Adidas commercial is a popular hit on YouTube
and features a house party with famous celebrities such as David Beckham
, Russel Simmons
, Kevin Garnett
, Missy Elliott
, Katy Perry
, and Mark Gonzales
.
Variatones
Frankie Nolan
Frankie Tyler
Frankie Vally
Frankie Valley
Frankie Valley and the Travelers
Frankie Valle and the Romans
The Village Voices
Billy Dixon and the Tropics
The Topics
The Topix
The Four Lovers
Frankie Love and the Four Lovers
Eric Anthony
Hal Miller and the Rays
Sheriff Ramb
Johnny Halo featuring The Four Seasons
The 4 Seasons
The Wonder Who?
Frankie Valli
The Valli Boys
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
Frankie Valli and The New Seasons
on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart follows the name. Frankie Valli "solo" singles are also omitted but can be found here. Only singles that reached a position of #30 or higher on the Hot 100 are listed here.
based on the lives of The Four Seasons and directed by Des McAnuff
(The Who's Tommy, 700 Sundays
), premiered at his La Jolla Playhouse
and opened on November 6, 2005, to generally positive reviews and subsequently won multiple Tony Award
s after its move to Broadway.
The original cast included John Lloyd Young
as Frankie Valli, Daniel Reichard as Bob Gaudio, Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito, and J. Robert Spencer as Nick Massi. The play portrays the history of The Four Seasons in four parts, with each part narrated by a different member of the band and supposedly reflecting that band member's perspective on the band's history. The author of the book of the play, Rick Elice, interviewed Valli, Gaudio, and DeVito in writing the play, and pieced together Nick Massi's point of view based on those interviews (Massi died before the play was written). The Broadway production won four 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor (for John Lloyd Young
as Frankie Valli), Best Featured Actor (for Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito), and Best Lighting Design.
There are currently three U.S. productions of Jersey Boys running outside New York. The first opened at the Curran Theatre
in San Francisco on December 10, 2006, leaving that venue for the Ahmanson Theatre
in Los Angeles on May 3, 2007. (This company is currently touring the United States.) The second opened in San Francisco on May 4, 2007, closed on September 30 of that year, and opened on October 6 at the LaSalle Bank Theatre (recently renamed the Bank of America Theatre) in Chicago
, Illinois
for an open-ended run, but will be ending on January 10, 2010. Currently showing is the Las Vegas-bound company at the new Palazzo Hotel
. It previewed at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco and then debuted at Palazzo in April 2008.
Another completely new production opened at the Prince Edward Theatre
, London
in February 2008. A production in Melbourne, Australia
was launched in June 2009, which moved to Sydney, Australia
in September 2010.
Jersey Boys is also running at the Toronto Centre for the Arts
in Toronto
. and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Jersey Boys started a limited run at The National Theatre in Washington, DC on November 10, 2011. Opening night cast included Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie, Preston Truman Boyd as Bobby, John Gardner as Tommy, and Michael Lomenda as Nick.
The Four Seasons also appear as younger versions of themselves as supporting characters in Beef and Blake: The Movie.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Since 1970, they have been known off and on as Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, or simply The Four Seasons.
In 1960, the group known as The Four Lovers
Four Lovers
The Four Lovers was a 1956 musical group that was the result of vocalist Frankie Valli joining The Variatones in 1954. The Four Lovers achieved minor success before a name change to The Four Seasons in 1960...
evolved into The Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice...
as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio
Bob Gaudio
Robert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
(formerly of The Royal Teens
Royal Teens
The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The...
) on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito
Tommy DeVito (musician)
Tommy DeVito is an American musician and singer, best known as a founding member and the lead guitarist of the rock band The Four Seasons....
on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi
Nick Massi
Nick Massi was the bass singer and bass guitarist for the Four Seasons. He was born in Newark, New Jersey...
on bass guitar and bass vocals.
The legal name of the organization is the Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Gaudio and Valli after a failed audition in 1960. While singers, producers, and musicians have come and gone, Gaudio and Valli remain the group's constant (with each owning fifty percent of the act and its assets, including virtually all of its recording catalog). Gaudio no longer plays live, leaving Valli the only member of the group from its inception that is currently touring.
The Four Seasons (group members 1960–1965) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1990, and it joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in 1999. They are one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, having sold 175 million records worldwide.
Before the Four Seasons
Frankie Valli's first commercial release was "My Mother's Eyes" (as Frankie Valley) in 1953. The following year, he, along with Tommy DeVito, formed the Variatones (with Hank Majewski, rhythm guitar, Frank Cattone, accordion, and Billy Thompson, drums), which between 1954 and 1956, performed and recorded under a variety of names before settling on the name The Four Lovers. The same year, the quartet released their first record, "You're the Apple of My EyeYou're the Apple of My Eye
"You're the Apple of My Eye" is a song written by Otis Blackwell and initially recorded and released as a single in 1956 by The Four Lovers, the precursor to The Four Seasons. Recorded after they were denied the opportunity to record another Blackwell song, "Don't Be Cruel", "You're the Apple of My...
", which appeared on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart, peaking at #62. Five additional Four Lovers singles (on RCA Victor
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) were released over the next year, with virtually no sales, airplay, or jukebox play. In 1957, the group's seventh single (this time on Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) had a similar lack of success.
From 1956 until 1960, the group stayed together, performing in clubs and lounges as The Four Lovers and recording on various record labels with various names: Frankie Tyler, Frankie Valley, Frankie Valley and the Travelers, Frankie Valle and the Romans, The Village Voices, and The Topics are some of the 18 "stage names" used individually or collectively by the members of the group.
In 1958, the group started working with producer Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
, primarily with session work
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
(Crewe wrote "I Go Ape", which Valli recorded with the intention of releasing it as a "solo" single). Later that year, the Four Lovers were performing in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
on the same stage as The Royal Teens
Royal Teens
The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The...
, who were riding the wave of success of "Short Shorts
Royal Teens
The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The...
", a song co-written by then-15-year-old Bob Gaudio
Bob Gaudio
Robert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
, who was also the Royal Teens' guitarist.
The next year, Gaudio replaced Nick DeVito in the lineup, with Gaudio doubling as both keyboardist and guitarist, and Charles Calello replaced Majewski on bass (Calello would soon return as the group's arranger). In 1960, Calello left and was replaced by Nick Massi
Nick Massi
Nick Massi was the bass singer and bass guitarist for the Four Seasons. He was born in Newark, New Jersey...
.
Despite the change of personnel, the fortunes of The Four Lovers did not change in the beginning of 1960, when they failed an audition for a lounge at a Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...
bowling establishment. According to Gaudio, "We figured we'll come out of this with something. So we took the name of the bowling alley. It was called the Four Seasons." Despite the last few years of frustration of the Four Lovers, this proved to be the turning point of the group: on a handshake between keyboardist/composer Bob Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons Partnership was formed.
The rise of the Four Seasons
The Four Seasons released their first single in 1961 ("Bermuda"/"Spanish Lace" on Gone RecordsGone Records
Gone Records was a record label founded by George Goldner that was active in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was founded in 1957. Among the artists that recorded for the label were Bill Haley & His Comets, Ral Donner, Jo-Ann Campbell, and Johnny Rivers. It was acquired by Morris Levy and...
). The single did not chart. The group began working with producer Bob Crewe as background vocalists, and sometimes leads under different group names, for his productions on his own Topix label. Bob Gaudio eventually wrote a song that, after some discussion between Crewe and Gaudio, was titled "Sherry". The song was recorded and Crewe, along with members of the group, went about soliciting labels to release the record. It was Frankie Valli who spoke with Randy Wood, West coast sales manager for Vee Jay (not the founder of Dot Records) who, in turn, suggested the release of "Sherry" to the decision makers at Vee Jay. "Sherry" made enough of an impression that Crewe was able to sign a deal between his production company and Vee Jay for its release. At the time, The 4 Seasons were signed, as artists, to Crewe's production company. They were the first white artists to sign with Vee-Jay.
In 1962, the group released their first album, featuring the single "Sherry
Sherry (song)
"Sherry" is a song written by Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by The Four Seasons. It was their first nationally-released single and also their first number one hit, initially reaching the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on September 15, 1962...
", which was not only their first charted hit but also their first number-one song. Under the guidance of producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
, The Four Seasons followed up "Sherry" with several million-selling
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry" (their second #1 hit), "Walk Like a Man" (their third #1), "Candy Girl", "Ain't That a Shame
Ain't That a Shame
"Ain't That a Shame" is a song recorded by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Imperial Records and released in 1955. It was previously recorded in 1901 by Silas Leachman. The recording was a hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached #1 on the...
", and several others. In addition, they released a Christmas album in December 1962 and charted with a unique rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
".
From 1962 to early 1964, only the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
matched the Four Seasons in record sales in the United States, and their first three Vee-Jay non-holiday single releases marked the first time that a rock band hit #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
singles charts with three consecutive entries (ignoring their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town").
From Vee-Jay to Philips
Despite the group's success, Vee-Jay Records was in financial distress. Vee-Jay had released several early BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
singles in America. When The Beatles became wildly popular, Vee-Jay was swamped with orders (Vee-Jay shipped more than two million Beatles records in a single month). The huge demands of mass production, the cash flow problems involved, and, the loss of The Beatles when Trans-Global (a firm licensed by EMI to distribute its products) canceled Vee-Jay's contract on August 3, 1963, due to non-payment of royalties, found Vee-Jay hard pressed to stay afloat. Vee Jay continued to produce one Beatles album (in various forms) in defiance of the cancellation. After over a year of legal negotiations, Capitol Records was finally able to stop Vee-Jay effective October 15, 1964.
While the label went through internal turmoil with The Beatles and Capitol Records, a royalty dispute between Vee-Jay and The 4 Seasons headed to court. In January 1964, after several successful albums and lack of money from Vee-Jay, The 4 Seasons left Vee-Jay Records and moved to Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
, then a division of Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. In the 1965 settlement of the lawsuit, Vee-Jay retained release rights for all material the group recorded for the label. Vee-Jay exercised those rights liberally over the following year. The group was obligated to deliver one final album to Vee-Jay, which they did in the form of a "faux" live LP. When Vee-Jay was declared bankrupt in 1966, The 4 Seasons' Vee-Jay catalog reverted to the band and the tracks were reissued by Philips.
The change of label did not diminish the popularity of The Four Seasons in 1964, nor did the onslaught of the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
and Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
. In fact, The Four Seasons are the only act to have a Hot 100 #1 hit before, during, and after the years that the Beatles had their Hot 100 #1 hits. However, "Dawn (Go Away)
Dawn (Go Away)
"Dawn " is a song written by Bob Gaudio and Sandy Linzer and recorded by The Four Seasons in January 1964 as the Four Seasons were involved in a royalty dispute with Vee-Jay Records...
" (recorded for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, but never released by them), was kept from the #1 spot on the Hot 100 by no fewer than three Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
singles in the March 21, 1964, edition (two weeks later, the top 5 slots were filled by Beatles singles).
In a two-record set dubbed The Beatles vs. the Four Seasons: The International Battle of the Century! Vee-Jay created an elaborate two disc package that the purchaser could use to write on and score individual recordings by their favorite artist. Each disc was a reissue of a previously released album by the artists, featuring each original album's label, title and catalog number. Today, this album package is a collector's item.
One group, several acts
Nick Massi left The 4 Seasons in September 1965. The group's arranger, Charles Calello (a former member of The Four Lovers), stepped in as a temporary replacement. A few months later, Joe LongJoe Long
Joe Long is best known as the bass guitarist for The Four Seasons....
was permanently hired. Joe became the mainstay on bass and backing vocals until 1975. In the meantime, The 4 Seasons released recordings under a variety of names, including The Valli Boys, The Wonder Who?
The Wonder Who?
The Wonder Who? was a nom de disque of The Four Seasons for four single records released from 1965 to 1967. It was one of a handful of "names" used by the group at that time, including Frankie Valli and The Valli Boys...
, and Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice...
(every Valli "solo" recording from 1965 to "My Eyes Adored You
My Eyes Adored You
"My Eyes Adored You" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the MoWest label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000...
" in 1975 had the same production team as The Four Seasons that were recorded at the same time - his first post-1950s single without The Four Seasons was 1975's "Swearin' to God").
More Top 20 singles credited to The Four Seasons followed in 1965, 1966, and 1967, including "Let's Hang On!
Let's Hang On!
"Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by Bob Crewe, Sandy Linzer, and Denny Randell that was popularized by The Four Seasons in 1965. The single reached the number three position in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the group's highest placement since "Rag Doll" hit the top spot in July 1964.This...
", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, and released on the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.-Context:...
" (as the Wonder Who?), "Working My Way Back to You
Working My Way Back To You
"Working My Way Back to You" is the debut single from Irish Boyband Boyzone. It was released in May 1994. The song reached #3 on the Irish Singles Chart. It is one of the few songs to feature Mikey Graham on lead vocals. The band recorded two versions the song, one of which was a collaboration with...
", "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)
Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)
"Opus 17 " is a song composed by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and recorded by The Four Seasons in 1966 for their album Working My Way Back to You...
", "I've Got You Under My Skin
I've Got You Under My Skin
"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song by Cole Porter.I've Got You Under My Skin may also refer to:* "I've Got You Under My Skin" , a 1998 episode of the television series Charmed...
", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Can't Take My Eyes off You
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You"...
" (released under Valli's name as a "solo" single), "Beggin'
Beggin'
"Beggin" is the title of a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1967. In 2007, the song received new popularity when it was remixed by the French DJ Pilooski and then covered by the Norwegian hip-hop band Madcon...
", "Tell It to the Rain
Tell It to the Rain
"Tell It to the Rain" is a song composed by Mike Petrillo and Chubby Cifelli and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1966 and early 1967. The single reached the #10 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart....
", "C'mon Marianne
C'mon Marianne
"C'mon Marianne" is the name of a song composed by L. Russell Brown and Raymond Bloodworth and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1967. Produced by Bob Crewe, the single was the last Four Seasons single to reach the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s, and their last Top Ten hit...
", and "I Make a Fool of Myself" (Frankie Valli "solo"). "Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Will You Love Me Tomorrow
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow", also known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally recorded by The Shirelles. It has been recorded by many artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125...
" was the group's last top 40 hit for seven years (reaching #24), just after Valli's last "solo" hit of the 1960s, the #29 "To Give (The Reason I Live)".
The end of the '60s and a change to Motown
By 1969 the group's popularity had deteriorated as public interest moved away from street cornerDoo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and towards rock with a harder edge, deeper soul music, and music with more socially conscious lyrics. The group's last single on Philips, "Patch of Blue," featured the group's name as "Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons," but the change in billing did not alter the act's lack of success in 1970.
After leaving Philips, The 4 Seasons recorded a one-off single for the Warner Brothers label in England. This single was never released in the USA. The two songs were "Sleeping Man", the A-Side, and "Whatever You Say", the B-Side. It was, for this single, that they began to note the group name as The Four Seasons, dropping the numeric '4' for the alpha characters 'Four'.
Following that single, the group signed to Motown with disastrous results. The first LP, Chameleon, failed to sell after it was released by Motown subsidiary label MoWest Records in 1971. A Frankie Valli "solo" single from 1971 ("Love Isn't Here" on Motown) and three Four Seasons singles ("Walk On, Don't Look Back" on MoWest in 1972, "How Come" and "Hickory" on Motown in 1973) sank without a trace. A recording that was destined to reach the upper parts of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, "The Night", was not commercially released as a single by Motown in the United States after promotional copies (showing the artist as Frankie Valli) were distributed in 1971.
In late 1973 and early 1974, The Four Seasons recorded eight songs for a planned sophomore Motown album, which the company refused to release to the public. Later in 1974, the record label and The Four Seasons parted ways. On behalf of the Four Seasons Partnership, Valli initially tried to purchase the entire collection of master recordings the group made for Motown; upon hearing the amount needed to buy them all, he arranged to purchase one recording for $4000 (US): "My Eyes Adored You
My Eyes Adored You
"My Eyes Adored You" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the MoWest label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000...
".
Valli took the tape to Private Stock Records
Private Stock Records
Private Stock Records was a record label which was started in 1974 by Larry Uttal after he was ousted from Bell Records. The label had hit records with singles by David Soul of Starsky and Hutch fame , Starbuck , Austin Roberts , Samantha Sang , Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band , and Frankie...
owner and founder Larry Uttal, who, after repeated listenings of the Four Seasons recording, wanted to release it as a Frankie Valli "solo" single. While the group remained unsigned in the later part of 1974, Valli had a new label — and a new solo career.
Renaissance
While the hits for the Four Seasons had dried up in the first half of the 1970s, the group never lost its popularity as a performing act. Longtime member Joe Long stayed in the group until 1975. The new lineup boasted two new lead singers in Don Ciccone (formerly of The CrittersThe Critters
The Critters were a successful American pop group with several hits in the 1960s.The group formed in New Jersey in 1964 when singer-guitarist Don Ciccone and saxophonist Bob Podstawski joined local group the Vibratones, comprising Jim Ryan , Ken Gorka , Jack Decker , and Chris Darway...
) and Gerry Polci, who eased the singing load on an ailing Frankie Valli (who was gradually losing his hearing due to otosclerosis
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is an abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear. It can result in hearing loss.-Clinical description:Otosclerosis can result in conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss...
; eventually, surgery restored most of his hearing).
As "My Eyes Adored You" climbed the Hot 100 singles chart in early 1975, Valli and Gaudio managed to get The Four Seasons signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
as the disco era dawned. At the same time, Uttal was persuaded to release The Four Seasons Story, a two-record compilation of the group's biggest hit singles from 1962 to 1970. It quickly became a gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
, selling over one million copies before the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
started awarding platinum records
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for million-selling albums.
In 1975, record sales exploded for both Valli and the Four Seasons as both acts had million-selling singles in the United States ("My Eyes Adored You" hit #1 on the Hot 100 for Valli in March, "Who Loves You
Who Loves You
Who Loves You is a 1975 album by The Four Seasons which introduced the new Four Seasons: John Paiva , Don Ciccone , Lee Shapiro and Gerry Polci...
" peaked at #3 in November for the group). In the United Kingdom, Tamla Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
released "The Night" as a single and saw it reach the #7 position on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. My Eyes Adored You was also a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in February of that year.
Valli had his first truly solo hit in the summer of 1975 (all of his prior "solo" hits were in fact Four Seasons productions) when the Bob Crewe-produced "Swearin' to God" followed "My Eyes Adored You" into the upper reaches of the Hot 100, peaking at the #6 position and capitalizing on the growing disco craze. The song was released in three forms: the eight-minute album version, the ten-minute extended 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
version, and the three-minute single version.
The album Who Loves You
Who Loves You
Who Loves You is a 1975 album by The Four Seasons which introduced the new Four Seasons: John Paiva , Don Ciccone , Lee Shapiro and Gerry Polci...
became a surprise million-seller for the group, as it was the first Four Seasons album to prominently feature lead vocals by anyone other than Valli ('Sorry' on 'Half & Half' had featured Gaudio, DeVito and Long minus Valli, while 'Wall Street Village Day' on 'Genuine Imitation Life Gazette' featured Valli on just a couple of 'bridge' section lead vocal lines). Gerry Polci did about half of the lead vocals, sharing them with Valli and one lead by Ciccone ('Slip Away'). The title song had Valli doing the lead on the verses, but none of the trademark falsettos in the chorus. It was a Top 10 British hit in November 1975, relaunching their career there. "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
"December, 1963 " is a hit single by The Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's 1975 album, Who Loves You....
" had Polci singing lead on the verses, Ciccone featured on specific sections, and Valli doing lead vocals only on the two 'Bridge' sections and backup vocals on the chorus. "Silver Star
Silver Star (song)
"Silver Star" is a song on the The Four Seasons album Who Loves You. As was the case of all the songs on the LP, it was written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker, and produced by Gaudio...
" had Polci doing all the lead vocals, with Valli absent from the recording.
The Four Seasons opened 1976 atop the Billboard chart with their fifth #1 single, "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", co-written by Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker. The single also hit number one in the United Kingdom. Although the group also scored minor chart placements with "Silver Star" (#38), "Down the Hall" (#65 in 1977) both sung by Polci, and "Spend the Night in Love" (#91 in 1980) which again featured Polci as main Lead vocalist and Valli singing the bridge section and contributing to backup group vocals, "December, 1963" marked the end of the Seasons' hit-making run. Both singles were hits in the United Kingdom, with Silver Star making the Top 10. (A dance remix version of "December 1963" returned them briefly to the upper reaches of the Billboard singles charts almost two decades later.)
After disco
The success of Who Loves You increased the popularity of the Four Seasons as a touring group and reignited recording unit, but when 1977's Helicon album was released by Warner Bros., the climate was changing again, both for the group and for Valli. The new record yielded only one USA single, "Down the Hall", which limped onto the Hot 100. In the UK they had chart hits with both 'Down The Hall' & 'Rhapsody' (with verses sung by Don Ciccone & Valli appearing to notable effect only as lead voice over group harmonies on the chorus). At the same time, Valli's string of solo hits had come to an end as he parted ways with Private Stock Records. 'Helicon' saw Polci and Ciccone heavily featured as lead vocalists, Valli, besides his co-lead chorus vocal on 'Rhapsody' and some backing vocals, only taking a brief 'bridge lead vocal' on two songs that were largely sung by Polci, though on 'New York Street Song (No Easy Way)', Valli also clearly stands out over the group harmonies on two notable a cappella sections. Plus Valli took one solo lead vocal role on the album's concluding song, the brief Gaudio-Parker penned 'I Believe in You'.Excluding Valli's 1978 "Grease
Grease (song)
"Grease" is the title song for the musical motion picture Grease, which was based on the stage play of the same name. The song was sung by Frankie Valli and was featured twice on the film's soundtrack, as the first track and reprised as the final track. It became a No. 1 single in the United States...
" single, which hit #1 while the motion picture of the same name
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
became the highest-grossing musical in cinematic history, the last Top 40 hit for the group was behind them. Both Valli and the group released singles and albums on an occasional basis, but after "Grease", only a remixed version of their biggest seller, "December 1963" would visit the upper half of the Hot 100 (in 1994).
In January 1981 Warners released; 'Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Reunited Live', Produced by Bob Gaudio, it was a double album of concert recordings which included the two studio recordings "Spend The Night in Love" and "Heaven Must Have Sent You (Here in The Night)" sung by Valli. The latter became a UK single but failed to chart, while the former was released as a single in America, inching its way into the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
In 1984, a long-awaited collaboration between the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys, "East Meets West" was released on FBI Records, owned by the Four Seasons Partnership. The record did not sell well. It only appeared to feature Valli from The Four Seasons group, but most of the surviving Beach Boys, including even Brian Wilson, took a solo vocal part.
Even after the rise and fall of the group's sales in the disco era, The Four Seasons, in one version or another (the group became a sextet as Jerry Corbetta, formerly of Sugarloaf
Sugarloaf (band)
Sugarloaf was an American, Denver, Colorado based, rock and roll band in the 1970s, featuring Jerry Corbetta.Jerry Corbetta founded the band with guitarist Bob Webber of the Moonrakers; the other initial bandmembers were drummer Bob MacVittie on drums and rhythm guitarist Veeder Van Dorn III, also...
, joined the lineup), continued to be a popular touring act, with Valli being the only constant in the midst of a fluctuating lineup. Although Gaudio is still officially part of the group (he and Valli are still equal partners in the Four Seasons Partnership), he now restricts his activities to writing, producing, and the occasional studio work.
In August 1985, MCA Records released the group album, Streetfighter which yielded two singles in the title track and "Book Of Love," the latter a post-disco
Post-disco
Post-disco refers to a historically significant period in popular music history beginning with the commercial death of disco music in the late 1970s and ending with the mainstream appearance of house music in late 1980s.The stripped-down musical trends followed from the DJ- and producer-driven,...
style revamp of The Monotones' 1958 era recording.
In September 1992, a group album was released entitled Hope + Glory on the MCA/Curb label.
The latest edition of The Four Seasons, including Valli, conducted a North American tour in the latter half of 2007. Incidental to this tour, the massive 3CD + 1DVD box set "...Jersey Beat... The Music Of Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons" was released in mid-2007, marketed as the most comprehensive collection of Four Seasons music yet. The album title "Jersey Beat" is a play on Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
, a wildly successful Broadway musical about The Four Seasons.
In 2008, The Four Seasons' "Beggin'" was revived not by one but by two acts. Pilooski made an electro remix of that song, while rap act Madcon
Madcon
Madcon is a Norwegian Hip Hop duo formed in 1992 by Yosef Wolde-Mariam and Tshawe Baqwa.They are well known from the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 Interval Act, in which they performed their hit song "Glow"...
used it as the basis of their song "Beggin'". The latter went to number 5 in the UK charts and was a hit across Europe. The song was featured in a TV commercial for adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
shoes entitled "Celebrate Originality". The Adidas commercial is a popular hit on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and features a house party with famous celebrities such as David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Russel Simmons
Russel Simmons
Russel Simmons is a co-founder of Yelp, Inc..He was previously an early employee of PayPal.- References :...
, Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, and Mark Gonzales
Mark Gonzales
Mark Gonzales , also known as "Gonz" and "The Gonz," is an American professional skateboarder and artist. He is known in the skateboarding world as a pioneer of modern street skateboarding, currently skateboarding's most popular form....
.
Also known as ...
From 1956 until "My Eyes Adored You" in 1975, records which the Four Seasons recorded had the following artist credit (a sampling):Pre-1960
Frank ValleyVariatones
Frankie Nolan
Frankie Tyler
Frankie Vally
Frankie Valley
Frankie Valley and the Travelers
Frankie Valle and the Romans
The Village Voices
Billy Dixon and the Tropics
The Topics
The Topix
The Four Lovers
Frankie Love and the Four Lovers
Eric Anthony
1960 and after
The Four SeasonsHal Miller and the Rays
Sheriff Ramb
Johnny Halo featuring The Four Seasons
The 4 Seasons
The Wonder Who?
Frankie Valli
The Valli Boys
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
Frankie Valli and The New Seasons
U.S. studio albums
This is not a complete list of album releases. These recordings have been reissued on a variety of labels, some of which are noted here. This does not include Frankie Valli solo albums, except for his first solo release.| Date of release | Title | Billboard Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... peak |
Label | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1962 | Sherry & 11 Others Sherry & 11 Others Sherry and 11 Others is an LP album by The Four Seasons, released by Vee-Jay Records under catalog number LP-1053 as a monophonic recording in 1962 and later in stereo under catalog number SR-1053 the same year.-Track listing:... |
6 | Vee-Jay Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:... |
LP-1053 (Mono) / SR-1053 (Stereo) |
| December 1962 | The 4 Seasons Greetings The 4 Seasons Greetings The Four Seasons Greetings was the second LP album by The Four Seasons, released by Vee-Jay Records under catalog number LP-1055 as a monophonic recording in 1962 and later in stereo under catalog number SR-1055 the same year... |
13 | LP/SR-1055 | |
| February 1963 | Big Girls Don't Cry and Twelve others... | 8 | LP/SR-1056 | |
| June 1963 | The 4 Seasons sing Ain't That A Shame and 11 others The 4 Seasons sing Ain't That A Shame and 11 others Ain't That a Shame and 11 others is an LP album by The Four Seasons, released by Vee-Jay Records under catalog number LP-1059 as a monophonic recording in 1963, and later in stereo under catalog number SR-1059 the same year. The album features seven tracks that charted on the Pop Charts, five of... |
47 | LP/SR-1059 | |
| February 1964 | Born To Wander--Tender and soulful ballads (folk-flavored) | 84 | Philips Philips Records Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also... |
200-129 (Mono) / 600-129 (Stereo) |
| March 1964 | Dawn (Go Away) And 11 Other Great Songs | 6 | 200-124 / 600-124 | |
| July 1964 | Rag Doll Featuring Rag Doll and Ronnie and 10 Other Brand New Hit Songs | 7 | 200-146 / 600-146 | |
| March 1965 | The 4 Seasons entertain you | 77 | 200-164 / 600-164 | |
| November 1965 | The 4 Seasons sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach... Hal David... Bob Dylan... | 106 | 200-193 / 600-193 | |
| November 1965 | All New Recorded Live • On Stage With The Four Seasons (Studio album with audience overdubs) |
- | Vee-Jay Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:... |
VJS-1154 |
| January 1966 | Working My Way Back To You And More Great New Hits | 50 | Philips Philips Records Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also... |
200-201 / 600-201 |
| May 1967 | New Gold Hits | 37 | 200-243 / 600-243 | |
| June 1967 | The 4 Seasons Present frankie valli solo | 34 | 200-247 / 600-247 | |
| February 1969 | The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette | 85 | 600-290 | |
| April 1970 | Half & Half (alternating recordings by a solo Frankie Valli, and then, The 4 Seasons; first up Frankie Valli) |
190 | 600-341 | |
| May 1972 | Chameleon Chameleon (The Four Seasons album) Chameleon is a 1972 album by The Four Seasons notable for being their only album recorded for Motown. The album met with limited success in the US; no single was even issued from the album in America. "The Night", however, met with success in the UK and peaked at No... |
- | MoWest | MW108L |
| November 1975 | Who Loves You Who Loves You Who Loves You is a 1975 album by The Four Seasons which introduced the new Four Seasons: John Paiva , Don Ciccone , Lee Shapiro and Gerry Polci... |
38 | Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
BS 2900 |
| April 1977 | Helicon | 168 | BS 3016 | |
| August 1985 | Streetfighter | - | Curb Curb Records Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963... |
5632 |
| September 1992 | Hope + Glory | - | D2-77546 |
Compilation and live albums
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Selected U.S. singles
US peak chart positionBillboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart follows the name. Frankie Valli "solo" singles are also omitted but can be found here. Only singles that reached a position of #30 or higher on the Hot 100 are listed here.
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Let's Hang On! "Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by Bob Crewe, Sandy Linzer, and Denny Randell that was popularized by The Four Seasons in 1965. The single reached the number three position in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the group's highest placement since "Rag Doll" hit the top spot in July 1964.This... ", #3 Don't Think Twice, It's All Right "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, and released on the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.-Context:... ", #12 Working My Way Back To You "Working My Way Back to You" is the debut single from Irish Boyband Boyzone. It was released in May 1994. The song reached #3 on the Irish Singles Chart. It is one of the few songs to feature Mikey Graham on lead vocals. The band recorded two versions the song, one of which was a collaboration with... ", #9 Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me) "Opus 17 " is a song composed by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and recorded by The Four Seasons in 1966 for their album Working My Way Back to You... ", #13 I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song by Cole Porter.I've Got You Under My Skin may also refer to:* "I've Got You Under My Skin" , a 1998 episode of the television series Charmed... ", #9 Tell It to the Rain "Tell It to the Rain" is a song composed by Mike Petrillo and Chubby Cifelli and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1966 and early 1967. The single reached the #10 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.... ", #10 Beggin' "Beggin" is the title of a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1967. In 2007, the song received new popularity when it was remixed by the French DJ Pilooski and then covered by the Norwegian hip-hop band Madcon... ", #16 C'mon Marianne "C'mon Marianne" is the name of a song composed by L. Russell Brown and Raymond Bloodworth and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1967. Produced by Bob Crewe, the single was the last Four Seasons single to reach the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1960s, and their last Top Ten hit... ", #9 Watch the Flowers Grow "Watch the Flowers Grow" is the name of a song composed by L. Russell Brown and Raymond Bloodworth and popularized by The Four Seasons in 1967. The single was released in the wake of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and The Beatles' Sgt... ", #30 Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", also known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally recorded by The Shirelles. It has been recorded by many artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125... ", #24 Who Loves You (song) "Who Loves You" is the title song of a 1975 album by The Four Seasons. It was composed by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker and produced by Gaudio. Reaching #3 on the Billboard Top 100 in November 1975, it re-established The Four Seasons as a viable recording group after a five year absence from the Hot... ", #3 December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) "December, 1963 " is a hit single by The Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's 1975 album, Who Loves You.... ", #1 |
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys, a musical playMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
based on the lives of The Four Seasons and directed by Des McAnuff
Des McAnuff
Desmond McAnuff is the Canadian-American artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and director of musical theatre of such Broadway productions as Big River, The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys.-Biography:...
(The Who's Tommy, 700 Sundays
700 Sundays
700 Sundays is an autobiography written by Billy Crystal. It is all about the people who made Billy the man he is. The book also serves as a memoir to his father, Jack Crystal, who died of a heart attack when Billy was only 15 years old. The title refers to the number of Sundays that Billy and his...
), premiered at his La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
and opened on November 6, 2005, to generally positive reviews and subsequently won multiple Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s after its move to Broadway.
The original cast included John Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Mills Young is an American actor and singer. In 2006, he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Frankie Valli in Broadway's Jersey Boys. He is the only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics...
as Frankie Valli, Daniel Reichard as Bob Gaudio, Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito, and J. Robert Spencer as Nick Massi. The play portrays the history of The Four Seasons in four parts, with each part narrated by a different member of the band and supposedly reflecting that band member's perspective on the band's history. The author of the book of the play, Rick Elice, interviewed Valli, Gaudio, and DeVito in writing the play, and pieced together Nick Massi's point of view based on those interviews (Massi died before the play was written). The Broadway production won four 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor (for John Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Mills Young is an American actor and singer. In 2006, he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Frankie Valli in Broadway's Jersey Boys. He is the only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics...
as Frankie Valli), Best Featured Actor (for Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito), and Best Lighting Design.
There are currently three U.S. productions of Jersey Boys running outside New York. The first opened at the Curran Theatre
Curran Theatre
The Curran Theatre is located in San Francisco and was named by its first owner, Homer Curran. The theatre is currently owned by Carole Shorenstein Hays and is operated by SHN - Overview :...
in San Francisco on December 10, 2006, leaving that venue for the Ahmanson Theatre
Ahmanson Theatre
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
in Los Angeles on May 3, 2007. (This company is currently touring the United States.) The second opened in San Francisco on May 4, 2007, closed on September 30 of that year, and opened on October 6 at the LaSalle Bank Theatre (recently renamed the Bank of America Theatre) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
for an open-ended run, but will be ending on January 10, 2010. Currently showing is the Las Vegas-bound company at the new Palazzo Hotel
The Palazzo
The Palazzo is a luxury hotel and casino resort situated between Wynn and The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. It is the tallest completed building in Nevada...
. It previewed at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco and then debuted at Palazzo in April 2008.
Another completely new production opened at the Prince Edward Theatre
Prince Edward Theatre
The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster.The theatre was designed in 1930 by Edward A. Stone, with an interior designed by Marc-Henri Levy and Gaston Laverdet...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in February 2008. A production in Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
was launched in June 2009, which moved to Sydney, Australia
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in September 2010.
Jersey Boys is also running at the Toronto Centre for the Arts
Toronto Centre for the Arts
The Toronto Centre for the Arts, previously known as the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts, opened in 1993 as the North York Performing Arts Centre and was designed by Canadian architect Eberhard Zeidler for musicals, theatre productions and other performing arts...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Jersey Boys started a limited run at The National Theatre in Washington, DC on November 10, 2011. Opening night cast included Joseph Leo Bwarie as Frankie, Preston Truman Boyd as Bobby, John Gardner as Tommy, and Michael Lomenda as Nick.
The Four Seasons also appear as younger versions of themselves as supporting characters in Beef and Blake: The Movie.
Four Seasons 2008
Frankie Valli continues to tour the United States with a group of new, young men as The Four Seasons. They consist of Todd Fournier, Brian Brigham, Brandon Brigham, and Landon Beard (Altar Boyz). The group provides Frankie backup with their vocal harmonies.External links
- Genuine Imitation Life Gazette Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons fan site.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page on The Four Seasons
- 'The Four Seasons' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page.
- The Four Seasons.com fan site
- "Jersey Boys", the Broadway Musical based on the life of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
- The Jersey Boys Blog Dedicated to Jersey Boys
- The Four Seasons In The UK Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons UK Enthusiasts and Historical Society site.
- 'chameleon' Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons UK Enthusiasts and Historical Society research blog.http://www.library.unt.edu/music/special-collections/john-gilliland/gallery
- The Four Seasons on The Ed Sullivan Show