The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s.
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before the Beatles.[1]
Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. In 1960, the group known as the Four Lovers evolved into the Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio (formerly of the Royal Teens) on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals.
The legal name of the organization is the Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Gaudio and Valli after a failed audition in 1960.
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]
The Four Seasons (group members 1960–1966) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990,[5] and joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.[1] They are one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, having sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide.[4]
| The Four Seasons | |
|---|---|
Valli and the Four Seasons at London's Royal Albert Hall, June 2012
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The 4 Seasons The 4 Seasons featuring the "sound" of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons |
| Origin | Newark, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll, traditional pop, rhythm and blues |
| Years active | 1960-present |
| Labels | Gone, Vee-Jay, Philips, Mowest, Warner Bros., MCA, Curb |
| Members | Frankie Valli |
| Past members | Tommy DeVito Nick Massi (ne Macioci) Bob Gaudio Charles Calello Ronnie Carangelo Joe Long (ne LaBracio) Bob Grimm John Stefan Al Ruzicka Joseph Steffanelli Demetri Callas Clay Jordan Billy DeLoach Roger (Bland) Guckenheimer Paul Wilson Lee Shapiro Gerry Polci Don Cicco John Paiva Jerry Corbetta Rex Robinson Larry Lingle Lynn Hamman Chuck Wilson Robin Swens Howard Laravea Tim Stone Zoro Fino Roverato Adrian Baker Tommy Alvarado Warren Hamm Rich Callaci Steve Gregory Keith Hubacher Jason Martinez Matt Baldoni Gary Melvin Bill Williams |
History
Before the Four Seasons
Main article: The Four Lovers
The following year, he and Tommy DeVito formed the Variatones (with Hank Majewski, rhythm guitar, Frank Cattone, accordion, and Billy Thompson, drums),[6] which between 1954 and 1956 performed and recorded under a variety of names before settling on the name The Four Lovers.[7][8]
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.[9]
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.[10]
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 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.
In 1960, Calello left and was replaced by Nick Massi (Calello would soon return as the group's arranger).
Despite the change of personnel, the fortunes of the Four Lovers did not change at the beginning of 1960, 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 for the group: on a handshake between 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).The single did not chart. The group began working with producer Bob Crewe as background vocalists, and sometimes leads under different group names, for his productions on his own Topix label.
Bob Gaudio eventually wrote a song that, after some discussion between Crewe and Gaudio, was titled "Sherry". The song was recorded and Crewe, along with members of the group, went about soliciting labels to release the record.
It was Frankie Valli who spoke with Randy Wood, West coast sales manager for Vee-Jay Records (not the founder of Dot Records) who, in turn, suggested the release of "Sherry" to the decision makers at Vee-Jay.
"Sherry" made enough of an impression that Crewe was able to sign a deal between his production company and Vee-Jay for its release.
At the time, the Four Seasons were signed, as artists, to Crewe's production company. They were the first white artists to sign with Vee-Jay.[11]
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 rock band hit #1 on the Billboard singles charts with three consecutive entries (ignoring their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town").
Source:Wikipedia
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