| THE FOUR
SEASONS (ARTIEST BIOGRAPHY)
The Four Seasons, (later known as Frankie Valli and
The Four Seasons), were an American pop group, distinct from many
similar groups of the early to mid-1960s in their traditional
Italian-American sound. They also had a sound somewhat reminiscent
of doo wop, but they were not known to be a doo wop quartet. By the
later 1960s became an internationally famous rock and roll group.
Originally known as “The Four Lovers”, they were formed in 1961 with
Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards/tenor
vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar/baritone vocals and Nick Massi
on bass guitar/bass vocals who was replaced in 1965 by Joe Long on
bass guitar/bass vocals.
Frankie Valli and Tommy DeVito previously performed with Nick DeVito
(Tommy’s twin brother) and Hank Majewski as The Four Lovers. The
Four Seasons released their first hit, “Sherry,” in 1962. Under the
guidance of producer/songwriter Bob Crewe, The Four Seasons followed
up “Sherry” with several well-remembered hits, including “Big Girls
Don’t Cry”, “Dawn”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Candy Girl” and “Save It for
Me”. Nick Massi left the Four Seasons in 1965 and was replaced by
Joe Long, who became the mainstay on bass and backup vocals until
1976. Several more Top 10 singles followed, including “Let’s Hang On”,
“Working My Way Back To You”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and
“C’mon Marianne”; but by late 1967, the group’s popularity was
deteriorating, as public interest moved towards rock with a harder
edge and more socially conscious lyrics. The group would, however,
enjoy a brief revival in their popularity in the mid-1970s, with the
hits “Who Loves You”, “Swearin’ to God” and their last number one
hit “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)”. Don Ciccone was a member of
the Four Seasons in 1976 and was lead vocal on several songs, such
as “Slip Away”, “Let’s Get It Right” and “Rhapsody”. He played lead
guitar.
The Four Seasons (group members 1961-1965) were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
in 1999. Jersey Boys, a musical play based on the lives of The Four
Seasons, directed by Des McAnuff (The Who’s Tommy, 700 Sundays)
premiered at his La Jolla (California) Playhouse and opened on
Broadway on November 6, 2005 to generally positive reviews. It won
2006 Tony Awards for Best Leading and Featured Actor in a Musical
won by John Lloyd Young & Christian Hoff, Best Light Design in a
Musical and Best Musical.
The group’s music was one of many influences to the Jersey Shore
sound of the 1970’s and 1980’s. However, by the 1980s, Frankie Valli
was the only original group member left. Frankie Valli still tours
today, performing many of The Four Seasons classic songs. Nick Massi
died in 2000 of cancer. Despite Joe Long’s extensive contributions
to The Four Seasons, Joe Long remains the only member of the group’s
“definitive line-up” not inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, most likely because he was not in the
original group. Much controversy still exists over this decision,
especially in light of the many top-10 hits the group had during his
tenure. |
