Characterised by singer Frankie Valli’s signature falsetto and the group’s doo-wop harmonies, the Four Seasons were one of America’s most popular and recognisable groups of the 1960s. Their first hit, “Sherry,” released in 1962, was immediately followed by a string of hits, launching the group to a level of success that was only challenged in 1964 by the overwhelming popularity of the BEATLES.
The group first formed in 1956, comprising vocalists Frankie Valli (b. Francis Castelluccio, May 3, 1937, Newark, New Jersey), vocalist-guitarist brothers Nick and Tommy DeVito (b. June 19, 1936, Bellville, New Jersey), and bassist Hank Majewski. Initially calling themselves the Variatones, they later changed their name to the Four Lovers and, in 1956, recorded the Otis Blackwell song “You’re the Apple of My Eye” for RCA Records. Valli left the group temporarily in 1958 after they were dropped by RCA. He began a successful solo career that was to continue despite his rejoining the group when it became the Four Seasons. Nick DeVito was later replaced by vocalist/keyboard player/songwriter Bob Gaudio (b. December 17, 1942, Bronx, New York) and, in I960, Majewski was replaced by vocalist-arranger Nick Massi (b. September 19, 1935, Newark, New Jersey). Joined by singer Bob Crewe, and rejoined by Valli, the new line-up renamed themselves after a New Jersey bowling alley, the “Four Seasons.”
In 1962, after signing with Veejay Records, the group released a single, “Sherry,” written by Gaudio. It received limited exposure until the band’s appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, which propelled the song to No. 1 on the charts. Later that year, they repeated the success of “Sherry” with “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” also written by Gaudio. Both songs had remained in the No. 1 position for five weeks, assuring each of a platinum rating. In March of 1963, they released “Walk Like a Man,” which also topped the charts. Other successful releases that year included “Ain’t That a Shame,” and “Candy Girl.”
Contractual disputes with Veejay Records in 1964 led to the Four Seasons signing with Philips Records. The change proved profitable as the group landed six songs in the Top 20 that year, including the massive hits “Dawn (Go Away),” and “Rag Doll.”
Pushed out of the limelight by new developments in popular music, the Four Seasons released Genuine Imitation Life Gazette in 1968 in an attempt to fit in with the trend toward less frivolous pop. However, the album was poorly received, and Bob Crewe, producer of their first hit “Sherry,” parted ways with the band. In 1970, Philips released the album Half and Half which also fell far short of the group’s earlier successes. Shortly thereafter, the Four Seasons and Philips Records discontinued their association.
With the exception of a brief contract with a MOTOWN subsidiary label, the group did not record again until 1975. Meanwhile, Valli’s 1974 No. 1 solo hit “My Eyes Adored You” generated new interest in the Four Seasons. Their 1975 Warner Brothers single “Who Loves You” reached the Top 10, which was followed by the No. 1 hit, “December 1963 (Oh What a Night).” One of several of the band’s records that appealed to the emerging disco audience, this song consolidated their renewed success.
The Four Seasons disbanded in 1977, although different formations of the group have performed and toured through the 1990s. In 1990, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For many, their distinguished sound has remained as appealing today as it was in the 1960s.
David Brock
SEE ALSO:
CHARTS; DISCO; DOO-WOP; POP MUSIC; POPULAR MUSIC.
Ward, Ed., Geoffrey Stokes, and Ken Tucker, eds.
Rock of Ages
(New York: Rolling Stone Press/Summit Books, 1986).
Ain’t That a Shame (and 11 others);
Born to Wander; Looking Back; Rag Doll; Reunited
Live; Sherry (and 11 others); Who Loves You;
Working My Way Back to You.