Still, Valli's full-time solo career was given an enormous boost when he was chosen to sing the newly written Barry Gibb title song for the movie version of the Broadway musical Grease; the single rose to number one in August 1978. And performing with the 'new' Four Seasons as of 2/26/11. The group also recorded, releasing Streetfighter in 1985 and Hope + Glory in 1992, both of which contemporized the group's sounds. Many also found their material -- romantic tunes with tightly arranged group harmonies that updated the doo wop ethos into the '60s -- a little too clean-cut. It couldn't last, though; they couldn't turn back the clock to December 1963 when they reigned as the most successful white rock group in the world, unaware of the oncoming invasion of the Beatles. The Four Seasons in the early 1960s - from left: Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Frankie Valli Tommy DeVito, a founding member of US pop … The Four Seasons did attempt to address social concerns of the day on the late-'60s album Genuine Imitation Life Gazette, but it was not generally well received. They briefly returned to the top of the charts in the mid-'70s with "Who Loves You" and the nostalgic "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)"; at the same time, Valli had a resurgence as a soloist, reaching number one with "My Eyes Adored You" and making the Top Ten with "Swearin' to God." Jersey Boys became the hit of the 2005-2006 season, winning the Tony Award for best musical. He's asking her to think about who really loves her and who is going to get her through these tough times, hoping she'll finally realize it's him. In practice, the two billings can be interchangeable; many compilations containing the group's '60s hits as well as Valli solo recordings are credited to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons as well. Left to right: Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, Charlie Calello and Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons pose for a photo in 1966. The Four Seasons' influence, oddly, was also felt on a couple of tracks by the biggest British Invasion bands: the Beatles' "Tell Me Why" and the Rolling Stones' "The Singer Not the Song" both launched into ear-straining falsettos at points, whether as a satire, tribute, or both. The Wonder Who? 0 0 1 Indeed, Valli did leave the group in 1977, and it split up in 1979. The Four Seasons … In the early '60s, the group, now known as the Four Seasons, were doing backup vocals for other artists. A big factor is their most distinguishing trademark, the high falsetto vocals of their lead singer Frankie Valli. 'Casino' actor Alfredo Nittoli confirmed the news Tuesday in … The continuation of Frankie Valli's vocal pop group in the '70s and beyond. Tommy DeVito, a founding member of the Four Seasons whose bad boy image was immortalized in the hit “Jersey Boys,” died in Las Vegas on Monday, Sept. 21. The Four Seasons Clockwise from the top: Frankie Valli, Nick Massi, Bob Gaudio, Tom DeVito. On the back covers of their albums and the labels of their singles, the Four Seasons emphasized the presence of their distinctive lead singer, known for his piercing falsetto by printing the slogan, "Featuring the 'Sound' of Frankie Valli." It wasn't until "Working My Way Back to You" in early 1966 that you had songs and sounds with a kind of FM radio flow. Read Full Biography. The Four Seasons had been around for a long time before they had their first hit in 1962. In fact, 1964 ranks as the Four Seasons' biggest year of all, despite the insurgency from abroad, which attests to their durability and appeal among America's teenagers. May 3, 1937, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.), Tommy DeVito (b. Their uptown production values were contemporary and, in certain respects, innovative. Although they were one of the very biggest rock & roll groups of the 1960s, the Four Seasons -- unlike, say, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, or the Byrds -- don't excite automatic respect from listeners and critics. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were recognized in 1990 for their impact on popular music with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside other classic acts such as The Who and the Four Tops. Before The Four Seasons were The Four ... even appeared on stage at the 2006 Tony Awards with the group’s surviving members to remind audiences of ... the original Four Seasons. 1992 found Valli working on a new solo album as well as promoting the Four Seasons disc Hope and Glory. The four members were Valli (born Francis Castelluccio in Newark, NJ, on May 3, 1934) and singer/guitarist Tommy DeVito (born in Montclair, NJ, on June 19, 1928), both of whom had also been in the Four Lovers, the precursor to the Four Seasons, plus singer/bassist Nick Massi (born Nicholas Macioci, September 19, 1926; died December 24, 2000), and singer/keyboardist Bob Gaudio (born Robert Gaudio, in the Bronx, New York, on November 17, 1942). "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," and "Candy Girl" all followed within the next year -- big smashes all, the first two (like "Sherry") featuring stomping, almost martial handclaps. The Four Seasons struggled into the '70s; by the time they signed with a Motown subsidiary in 1971, Valli and Gaudio were the only original members left. DeVito left the group in 1971 and in 2007 released a solo instrumental album. The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys were virtually the only American groups whose successful careers were not derailed when The Beatles and the British Invasion bands hit the States in 1964. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is a pop band who found fame in the mid 1960's. Past and present members of the band The Four Seasons, sometimes known as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons . Frankie Valli's first commercial release was "My Mother's Eyes" (as Frankie Valley) in 1953. Meanwhile, in concert and on most compilations, the credit "Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons" prevailed. In the late '60s, Valli, while maintaining his position in the Seasons, had kicked off a solo career that went straight for the heart of showbiz pop with his biggest single, the number two hit "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." New Jersey vocal group who were perennial pop chart residents during the '60s, thanks to the screaming falsetto of Frankie Valli. In this song, Four Seasons frontman Frankie Valli is addressing a girl who is clearly in a funk. Whatever your feelings about the group, though, there's no denying their considerable importance. In 1964, as the group was enjoying tremendous success in the US, The Beatles caught on in America, which cut into their action. Nick Massi, an original member of the popular '60s group Four Seasons, died Sunday of cancer-related causes at his home in West Orange, New Jersey, according to … That left Valli as the sole original member. The same year, the quartet released their first record, Otis Blackwell's "You're the Apple of My Eye", which appeared on the Billboard The following year, he and guitarist Tommy DeVito formed the Variatones (with Hank Majewski, rhythm guitar, Frank Cottone, 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. After 16 US Top 40 Hits in 28 months, the incredible happened in the spring of 1965: for the first time since "Sherry," an original Four Seasons single ("Toy Soldier") failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at #64. The continuation of Frankie Valli's vocal pop group in the '70s and beyond. ... Valli eventually came to be with the group that, in 1961, would be known as The Four Seasons. The Seasons' winning streak continued through 1967, although they would never again be as huge. In 1975 and 1976, two new members of the Four Seasons were taking a lot of the lead vocals: bassist Don Ciccone, formerly of fellow New Jersey band the Critters, and drummer Greg Polci. A New Jersey-based vocal quartet that was also nearly a self-contained band (they carried a drummer who was not at first listed as a full-fledged member), the Four Seasons were billed numerically as "the 4 Seasons" when they emerged in 1962 with their first hit, the chart-topping "Sherry." Tommy DeVito died on September 21, 2020 due to complications from the COVID-19 virus. Frankie Valli had made his first record way back in 1953, and in 1956 made a little noise with the Four Lovers' "Apple of My Eye." Philadelphia producer Bob Crewe started working with the Seasons in 1962, and his contributions would be inestimable in the following years. Tommy DeVito, Original Member of the Four Seasons, Dies at 92 He sang behind Frankie Valli in a hit-making harmony group that gained a new audience when “Jersey Boys” stormed Broadway. The Newark, New Jersey group also included future Four Season Tommy DeVito on guitar and Nick Massi on bass, and in subsequent years Valli would record flops for RCA, Decca, Cindy, and Gone, sometimes as a soloist, sometimes with groups. The principal members were Frankie Valli (original name Francis Castelluccio; b. The September 1971 single "Whatever You Say," released only in the U.K., was billed to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, as were the group recordings released on Motown Records and its MoWest subsidiary in the early '70s. The only album from this period, 1972's Chameleon, contained two Valli solo tracks with the rest performed with the group; it was credited to Frankie Valli/The Four Seasons. Massi left the group in 1965, and Joe Long (born Joseph LaBracio on September 5, 1941) joined. No other white American group of the time save the Beach Boys boasted such intricate harmonies, though the Four Seasons were much more firmly in the Italian-American doo wop tradition. And still sounding great. Their production became more sophisticated and dramatic while remaining unabashedly pop, and in 1964 they had several of their biggest hits: "Dawn," "Ronnie," "Rag Doll," "Save It for Me," and "Big Man in Town" (as well as a B-side gem, "Silence Is Golden," which would be a hit in 1967 for the Tremeloes). The 1985 studio album Streetfighter used that billing, but the 1992 release Hope + Glory went back to "Four Seasons" alone, even though Valli sang lead on every track. This seems to have been because Valli had also made a comeback as a solo singer with his hits "My Eyes Adored You" and "Swearin' to God," and intended to reduce his role in the group, preparatory to leaving it entirely (although he and Gaudio continued to own the name, and Gaudio continued as the group's writer/producer). The baritone vocalist and lead guitarist was 92. One of the most long-lived and successful white vocal groups of the '60s, The Four Seasons scored a series of smash hit singles between 1962 and 1967 featuring the shrill piercing falsetto (three octave) voice of … In April 1970, the single "Patch of Blue" was billed to Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons, the first time that credit had appeared; the group's personnel, however, remained the same. 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