Frankie
Valli & The Four Seasons
A
legend was born in Newark, New Jersey on May 3, 1937, in the form
of Francis Stephen Castelluccio (later Frankie Valli). Frankie
had dreamed of being a singer ever since his mother took him to
see Frank Sinatra perform when he was little, and he never gave
up on his dream.
Frankie recorded
his first record, "My Mother's Eyes", in 1953 as "Frankie
Valley". Soon after that, he was named the lead singer of
the singing group that he formed with three other New Jersey boys,
"The Four Lovers". Under this name, and under contract
by RCA Victor, the group recorded a single album in 1956, entitled
"Joyride". The album was more or less a flop, although
the group did manage to have one minor hit single, "You're
the Apple of My Eye", that charted after the group performed
the number on the Ed Sullivan show. After this, however, the group
was reduced to singing backup vocals for various recording artists
during the remaining of their stay at RCA. The group was unsatisfied
with this arrangement, to say the least.
Many changes
were in store for the boys--the group eventually changed their
name from "The Four Lovers" to "The Four Seasons"
after a New Jersey bowling alley they had failed to win a gig
at. Then one day on the way to rehearsal, group member Bob Gaudio
was heading out the door when he suddenly came up with an unforgettable
tune. He went to the piano to jot it down, and fifteen minutes
later he had finished the song and was on his way. The Four Seasons,
now under contract with Vee-Jay, this song, "Sherry"
became their first number one hit ever, with Frankie Valli's remarkable
falsetto, in the year 1962. Although many groups were using falsetto
as backup, the Four Seasons were the first group ever to use falsetto
as the lead. With their new hit status, and Valli's three and
a half octave spanning voice, the Four Seasons soon had yet another
number one hit with "Big Girls Don't Cry" and then again
with "Walk Like a Man". The Four Seasons were hot, and
they just kept on going. Many have referred to them as "The
East Coast Beach Boys", a title that certainly has merit,
as the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys were the only two big singing
groups at the time from the United States, and they both held
their own against the British Invasion.
In 1967 Frankie
Valli began recording as a solo artist, while still remaining
with the Four Seasons. He recorded the hit number by Bob Gaudio,
"Can't Take My Eyes off of You". Around this time, Valli
began having serious problems with his ears. He reported having
sounds drop out all around him, and eventually was diagnosed with
otosclerosis, an incurable ear disease in which one progressively
looses their hearing until going completely deaf. Valli was devastated,
but nevertheless, he kept on singing. When in the studio, he had
to have his headphones turned up to levels that no ordinary human
could possibly endure. Amazingly, on stage, Valli was able to
pull it off so well that the fans weren't even aware of his problem.
He reported that the group was so well rehearsed that he was able
to keep on going despite his inability to hear. To be able to
keep on singing so perfectly without even being able to hear himself
shows amazing talent. Valli finally had operations on his ears
that allowed him to recover some of his hearing, and many fans
still are unaware that he ever had a problem.
The Four Seasons
have recorded songs in five decades, and are the only group to
have at least one hit in so many decades in a row. Part of their
secret is their versatility, and also their immense talent. As
the sixties neared a close, so did the Doo Wop days of the Four
Seasons. With the seventies came disco, songs such as "Who
Loves You" and "December '63 (Oh What a Night)".
In the eighties there was "Streetfighter". Although
the Seasons did not release any albums in the nineties, "December
'63" hit the charts again in 1993, introducing many new people
to the Four Seasons. Frankie Valli is reportedly working on a
new album at this time, but he has not announced a release date
thus far. Keep an eye out for some new music from Frankie Valli
and the Four Seasons, and yet another decade of great music in
the new millennium!
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