Jersey Boys Heads to Norfolk Next Week; Bob Gaudio Interview in Daily Press
March 1st, 2013
Bob Gaudio (Photo Credit: J.T. Macmillan Photography)
With the JERSEY BOYS second national tour company heading to Norfolk next week, reporter David Nicholson has a fabulous interview with original Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio! Check out a preview below:
Bob Gaudio studied classical music and played jazz as a kid. But when it came time to write his own music, something very different came out.At age 15, as a member of the Royal Teens, Gaudio wrote “Who Wears Short Shorts,” a pop tune that shot up the charts and started him on a career as one of the great songwriters of the 1950s -60s.
Later, his talents brought success to the Four Seasons, which Gaudio founded with Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. Their dramatic story is told in the musical, “Jersey Boys,” playing March 5-16 in Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall.
Getting a record contract in the 1950s was like appearing in a B movie, Gaudio recalls.
“I remember we were backing up a singing group and their manager said, ‘you guys should come see us,’ and we went into New York and made a demo,” says Gaudio. “ABC Paramount picked up the master and we were offered a tour. I convinced the principal and my parents to drop out of high school and let me do it.”
Visit DailyPress.com to read the entire interview.
