Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Four Seasons amassed 46 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts between 1962 and 1995. The boys from Jersey have sold over 100 million records throughout their career. Their extensive list of songs include 71 chart hits (40 in the Top 40, 19 in the Top 10 and 8 that topped the charts at Number 1).
The Four Seasons are an Italian-American pop and rock group, with a sound somewhat reminiscent of
doo-wop, although they were not thought of as actually being a doo-wop group
[according to whom?]. By the mid 1960s, they had become an internationally famous rock-and-roll act (the
Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that it was the most popular rock band before
The Beatles).
[1] Since 1967, they have been known off and on as
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, though not identified as such on any of their records.
The legal name of the organization is the
Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Gaudio and Valli after a failed audition in 1961. 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).
[2][3] Gaudio no longer plays live, leaving Valli the only member of the group from its inception that is currently
touring.
[4]History
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),
[7] which between 1954 and 1956, performed and recorded under a variety of names before settling on the name
The Four Lovers.
[8][9] The same year, the quartet released their first record, "
You're the Apple of My Eye", which appeared on the
Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, peaking at #62.
[10]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.
[11]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 that was 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 (Callello 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 1961, 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 guitarist/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 Records). While the single did not chart, the songs gave the group enough of a following to be signed with
Vee-Jay Records late that year. 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 vocal group hit #1 on the
Billboard 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
Beatles 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.
The label went through internal turmoil, and the royalty dispute between Vee-Jay and The 4 Seasons headed to the courtrooms. In January 1964, after several successful albums and lack of money from Vee-Jay, The 4 Seasons left Vee-Jay Records and moved over to
Philips Records, then a division of
Mercury Records.
[12] 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.
[13]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.
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 Long 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)".
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 corner 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 latter 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 Critters) 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 had it reach the #7 position on the
UK Singles Chart.
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 long album version, the ten-minute-long extended
12-inch single version, and the three-minute-long 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 & 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. "
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". 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. (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 & 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 acapella 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" 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.
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 didn't 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 the single, "Book Of Love", a 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.
[14]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 Valley
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
1960 and after
The Four Seasons
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
U.S. discography
US 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.
- 09/1962: Sherry & 11 Others (Vee Jay LP-1053 (Mono) / SR-1053 (Stereo))
- 12/1962: The 4 Seasons Greetings (Vee Jay LP/SR-1055)
- 02/1963: Big Girls Don't Cry and Twelve others... (Vee Jay LP/SR-1056)
- 06/1963: The 4 Seasons sing Ain't That A Shame and 11 others (Vee Jay LP/SR-1059)
- 08/1963: Golden Hits of the 4 Seasons (Vee Jay LP/SR-1065 (compilation package plus two new recordings "Silver Wings" and "Star Maker")
- 09/1963 Folk Nanny (Vee Jay VJS-1082 reissue of previously released Vee Jay recordings; later repressed as 'Stay and Other Great Hits')
- 02/1964: Born To Wander--Tender and soulful ballads (folk-flavored) (Philips 200-129 (Mono) / 600-129 (Stereo)
- 03/1964: Dawn (Go Away) And 11 Other Great Songs (Philips 200-124 / 600-124)
- 07/1964: Rag Doll Featuing Rag Doll and Ronnie and 10 Other Brand New Hit Songs(Philips 200-146 / 600-146)
- 08/1964: More Golden Hits By The Four Seasons (Vee Jay VJS-1088)
- 10/1964: The International Battle Of The Century The Beatles vs The Four Seasons (Vee Jay DXS 30 2LPs repackage of previously released Vee Jay albums)
- ??/1965: Girls Girls Girls - We Love Girls (Vee Jay VJS-1121)
- 03/1965: The 4 Seasons entertain you (Philips 200-164 / 600-164)
- 11/1965: the 4 Seasons sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach... Hal David... Bob Dylan...(Philips 200-193 / 600-193)
- 11/1965: All New Recorded Live • On Stage With The Four Seasons (Vee Jay VJS-1154)
- 11/1965: The 4 Seasons' Gold Vault of Hits (Philips 200-196 / 600-196)
- 01/1966: Working My Way Back To You And More Great New Hits (Philips 200-201 / 600-201)
- 11/1966: The 4 Seasons' 2nd Vault Of Gold Hits (Philips 200-221 / 600-221)
- 11/1966: Lookin' Back (Philips 200-222 / 600-222 reissue of previously released Vee Jay recordings)
- 11/1966: The 4 Seasons' Christmas Album (Philips 200-223 / 600-223 reissue of previously released 'The 4 Seasons Greetings')
- 05/1967: New Gold Hits (Philips 200-243 / 600-243 last group album to be released in mono and stereo)
- 06/1967: The 4 Seasons Present frankie valli solo (Philips 200-247 / 600-247)
- 12/1968: Edizione D'Oro The 4 Seasons Gold Edition - 29 Gold Hits]] (Philips 2-6501 2LPs)
- 01/1969: The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (Philips 600-290)
- 04/1970: Half & Half (Philips 600-341 alternating recordings by a solo Frankie Valli, and then, The 4 Seasons; first up Frankie Valli)
- 05/1972: Chameleon (MoWest MW108L)
- 11/1975: Who Loves You (Warner Bros BS 2900)
- 12/1975: The 4 Seasons Story (Private Stock PS 7000 2LPs)
- 04/1977: Helicon (Warner Bros BS 3016)
| - 08/1980: Superstar Series Volume 4 (Motown M5104V1 four tracks by The Four Seasons)
- 01/1981: Frankie Valli 4 Seasons Reunited Live (Warner Bros/Curb 2WB 3497 2LPs)
- 08/1985: Streetfighter (MCA/Curb 5632)
- 05/1988: Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons 25th Anniversary Collection (Rhino Records Inc RNRD 72998-2 3CDs)
- 06/1990: Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons volume 1 rarities (Rhino Records Inc R2 70973)
- 06/1990: Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons volume 2 rarities (Rhino Records Inc R2 70974)
- 09/1992: Hope + Glory (Curb Records D2-77546)
- 07/1993: Four Seasons 4 The Dance Album December 1963 (Oh, What A Night) (Curb Records D2-77634)
- ??/1994: The 4 Seasons Sherry Big Girls Don't Cry 2 LPS ON 1 CD + BONUS TRACKS(Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 507)
- ??/1994: THE 4 Seasons Dawn (Go Away) Rag Doll 2LPs ON 1 CD (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 554)
- 01/1995: December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) (Curb Records D2-77693)
- 03/1995: The 4 Seasons Entertain You Working my Way Back to You 2 LPs ON I CD PLUS BONUS TRACKS (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 582)
- ??/1995: The 4 Seasons Ain't That a Shame Live on Stage 2LPs ON 1 CD + BONUS TRACKS (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 596)
- ??/1995: The 4 Seasons Christmas Album Born To Wander 2LPs ON 1 CD (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 615)
- 04/1996: The 4 Seasons Sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Bob Dylan New Gold Hits 2LPs ON 1 CD PLUS BONUS TRACKS (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 620)
- ??/1996: The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette the 4 seasons edition plus BONUS TRACKS (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 628)
- ??/1996: The 4 Seasons Frankie Valli Half & Half PLUS 6 BONUS TRACKS (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 635)
- ??/1997: The 4 Seasons Edizione D'Oro DOUBLE ALBUM ON CD CONTAINS VERSIONS OF THEIR HITS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD (Ace Records Ltd CDCHD 642)
- 05/2001: IN SEASON THE FRANKIE VALLI & THE 4 SEASONS ANTHOLOGY(Rhino/Warner Special Products R2 74266 2CDs)
- 05/2001: Off Seasons Criminally Ignored Sides From Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons(Rhino/Warner Special Products R2 74267)
- 06/2007: ...Jersey Beat... The Music of Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons (Rhino Entertainment Company R2 74852 3CDs + 1DVD)
- 05/2008: Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons The Motown Years (Hip-O Select.com Motown Records a Division of UMG Recordings Inc B0010777-02 2CDs)
|
Selected US singles
US
peak chart position 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.
- 1962: "Sherry", peaked at #1 on Billboard Hot 100
- 1962: "Big Girls Don't Cry", #1
- 1963: "Walk Like a Man, #1
- 1963: "Ain't That a Shame", #22
- 1963: "Candy Girl", #3/"Marlena", #36
- 1964: "Dawn (Go Away)", #3
- 1964: "Stay", #16
- 1964: "Ronnie", #6
- 1964: "Alone", #28
- 1964: "Rag Doll", #1
- 1964: "Save It for Me", #10
- 1964: "Big Man in Town", #20
- 1965: "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)", #12 ("Bye Bye Baby" on initial release)
- 1965: "Girl Come Running", #30
| - 1965: "Let's Hang On!", #3
- 1965: "Don't Think Twice", #12
- 1966: "Working My Way Back to You", #9
- 1966: "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)", #13
- 1966: "I've Got You Under My Skin", #9
- 1966: "Tell It to the Rain", #10
- 1967: "Beggin'", #16
- 1967: "Can't Take My Eyes off You", #2
- 1967: "C'mon Marianne", #9
- 1967: "Watch the Flowers Grow", #30
- 1968: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", #24
- 1975: "Who Loves You", #3
- 1975: "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", #1
- 1994: "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", #14 (remixed dance version)
|
Music videos
Jersey Boys
The original cast included
John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli, Daniel Reichard as Bob Gaudio, Christian Hoff as Tommy De Vito, 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 De Vito 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 US-American 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.)
[15] 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.
[16] Currently showing is the Las Vegas-bound company at the new
Palazzo Hotel. It previewed at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco
[17][18] and then debuted at Palazzo in April 2008.
[19][20]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.
References
- The Four Seasons. By Richie Unterberger. Vocal Group Hall of Fame: Main Website. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- Bronson, Fred. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, 3rd edition (Billboard Books, 1992) ISBN 0-8230-8298-9
- Sasfy, Joe. Liner notes to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: 1962-1967 (Warner Special Products, 1987: Time-Life Music The Rock 'N' Era 2RNR-15)
- Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Rolling Stone Magazine. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- The Four Seasons. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Main Website. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- Cote, David (2007). Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. Broadway Books. ISBN 9780767928434.
- Walter Gollender,Bim Bam Boom No. 8 (December 1972)
- Fred Bronson. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, 3rd edition (Billboard Books, 1992) ISBN 0-8230-8298-9
- Joe Sasfy. Liner notes to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: 1962-1967 (Warner Special Products, 1987: Time-Life Music The Rock 'N' Era 2RNR-15)
- Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1993, Billboard Publications 1994 ISBN 0-89820-105-5
- Umphred, Neil. Goldmine's Rock'n'Roll 45RPM Record Price Guide (3rd edition), Krause Publications 1994 ISBN 0-87341-287-7
- http://books.google.com/books?id=I0UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=%22vee-jay%22+%2B+%22four+seasons%22+%2B+crewe+%2B+%22philips+records%22&hl=en&ei=aio9TPbyCYzungfFnajeDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22vee-jay%22%20%2B%20%22four%20seasons%22%20%2B%20crewe%20%2B%20%22philips%20records%22&f=false
- http://books.google.com/books?id=AhEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA7&dq=%22vee-jay%22+%2B+auction&hl=en&ei=TCk9TPTKF9GKnQelzv3dDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT3Jj9OGMA0
- Jersey Boys National Tour · Jersey Boys Blog
- Jersey Boys San Francisco/Chicago Company · Jersey Boys Blog
- Jersey Boys SF Holiday Engagement · Jersey Boys Blog
- http://shnsf.com/shows/show.asp?key=18&subkey=509
- Jersey Boys Las Vegas · Jersey Boys Blog
- ReviewJournal.com - Living - Musical 'Jersey Boys' coming to Palazzo
- Jersey Boys - The Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
- Jersey Boys London · Jersey Boys Blog
- Let's hear it for the Jersey Boys - Entertainment - theage.com.au
- http://www.jerseyboysaustralia.com.au/
- http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/tour/toronto.htm
- http://www.theaterofthestars.com/jerseyBoys.htm
- http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/baa.site/City.aspx?CityId=1306&EngId=4106
External links
