Frankie Valli and 4 Seasons–Finally Getting Their Due!
July 5th, 2008Despite the many millions of records he has sold in his career and as famous as he was in his heyday, Frankie Valli says that he’s finally feeling some real love and respect. Only now, as the story of Valli and the Four Seasons has been immortalized in the Broadway hit “Jersey Boys” and is on its way to becoming a worldwide juggernaut, does the 74-year-old say he and his brethren are getting their due.
“For the amount of success we had in the record business, we were sort of like an undercurrent, an afterthought,” said Valli, who sold more than 100 million records but remained in the shadow of the Beatles and the Beach Boys throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. “We were not embraced by the industry.”
They are now.
“Jersey Boys”, which follows the travails of Valli, singer-songwriter Bob Gaudio and the other two original Four Seasons from the rough streets of New Jersey to the heights of the pop music world, now has four companies beyond Broadway including a tour and versions in Chicago, London and Las Vegas. A permanent production opens in Sydney in February and there’s talk of additional companies for Canada, the Philippines and Germany among others.
Read the rest of the story, including insight from Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio on AFP.
Those of us who were Four Seasons fans from the beginning are saying “It is about time”.
Comment by Gladys — July 6, 2008 @ 4:23 am
Cogratulations to Frankie, Bob, and all the Four Seasons for all their continued success and recognition.Jersey Boys is really the icing on a very sweet cake. We Jersey Girls always loved you and knew you were the best!!
Comment by Pamela — July 6, 2008 @ 9:38 am
A few years ago, before Frankie Valli was on “The Sopranos”, and before “Jersey Boys”, a lot of us long time fans were lamenting the fact that as successful as they were, FV4S still did not seem to get the respect that they deserved. I didn’t realize there were so many of us that felt that way, though. Many of us never appreciated much of the Beatles and Beach Boys material as much because we felt they got too much of the attention FV4S deserved. I’ll let David and Howard chime in here, but as I recall, we had more appreciation for works of The Young Rascals, Paul Revere and The Raiders (even though there was a strong BB Melcher/Johnston connection), and The Grass Roots, since they didn’t seem to steal the FV4S thunder.
Comment by Ted Hammond — July 6, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
I can’t say I’m a Beatles fan, and I do like the Beach Boys, but I think Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons really left an impact on the ’60s and ’70s music world. If it were up to me, all of their songs would’ve been on the Top 10.
I’m really glad they were successful, though. Congrats!
Comment by Beth L. — July 6, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
Right on, Ted. I’d put the BeeGees in the same category of “getting too much attention”, even prior to Saturday Night Fever. Also never thought the BeeGee’s falsettos compared to that of Frankie and the 4S. As well as the groups you mentioned, I also appreciated some of the releases of the Doors and of Creedence Clearwater.
Comment by Howard Tucker — July 6, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Another couple of groups I liked were The Turtles and The Monkees, Howard.
As I once mentioned, I saw The Beach Boys at a small venue once and it was a lot of fun, and they even sang “Sherry” with common touring group member Adrian Baker singing lead.
I think there are a dozen or more FV4S tracks that should have been Top 10, and some albums that should have charted that didn’t, and som more that should have done better than they did, Beth.
Comment by Ted Hammond — July 6, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
You are all right concerning what other groups we listened to when the Seasons were not on the air. Funny thing is this, I never really ‘heard ‘ the other groups. They were filler, nothing more and at the first note of that B group well I either changed stations or turned the radio off. Only one I had any respect for in the group was John Lennon.
Hy Lit from WIBG in Philadelphia used to really get into the Seasons songs adding his little quips, ‘ come on boys wrap it up ‘ he would holler out at the end of Got you under my Skin.
I just wish I could meet up with all of my old friends from the 60′s & 70′s just to say I told you so. Frankie and the Seasons will always be tops.
Comment by Bob Nelson — July 8, 2008 @ 9:17 am
Good choices Ted. I would also include the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, preferably with the Miracles, Dion, preferably with the Belmonts, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Jay Black (let’s not forget Traynor) and the Americans, The Duprees, and Roy Orbison.
As some have said in prior postings, in the mid-seventies there were 8 or so “Evenings of Solid Gold” at Madison Square Garden with FV&4S heading the bill with the Four Tops and Jay Black w&w/o the Americans, with Tommy James and/or Martha Reeves & The Vandellas as the opening act.
Just as an aside, one of the “Americans,” the founding member I believe, is a man by the name of Kenny Vance. He has his own group called the Planotones and he and they are fabulous. I would encourage anyone to visit their web site and also see them perform live if you can. If you can’t get to see them perform live, purchase their “Live” CD where they are introduced by long time 4 Seasons fan and DJ Joey Reynolds. You will not be disappointed – you have Howard’s money back guarantee.
Comment by David Cace — July 8, 2008 @ 10:28 am
Songs from “Denise” by Randy and the Rainbows to “Ariel” by New Jerseyite Dean Friedman appealed to me also. Only years later did I realize that the reason I liked them was BECAUSE they SOUNDED something like or were influenced by The Four Seasons, and in the case of “Ariel”, it took liner notes on a Rhino 1970s compilation to point that out.
Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” was such a good imitation that the first time I heard it, I thought it COULD BE The Four Seasons, he had the drum intro, intonation and “ti-yi-yime” down so well.
As I pointed out before, my local stations broke a lot of lesser known FV4S stuff. One local station was playing “New Mexican Rose” and the other Top 40 and the R & B station were playing “That’s The Only Way”. As I recall, the Top 40 station that played “That’s The Only Way” was one of the first stations nationwide to break “Dawn (Go Away)” during “late December back in ’63″. Checking some of the big market station charts from that period online, this was a couple weeks before it broke out elsewhere. David or Howard or others, do you know exactly when “Dawn” was released? Liner notes say it was recorded November 20, 1963.
Comment by Ted Hammond — July 8, 2008 @ 4:38 pm
“Denise” – one of my favorites. Sound like the 4 Seasons? – does anyone remember the song “Be My Girl” by the Four Evers?
Frankie used to do “Uptown Girl” in his show for a little while and did it on a Billy Joel Tribute TV Special back in the ’80s – Frankie Valli imitating Billy Joel imitating Frankie Valli.
Imitation Group – Ever hear of a local NJ tribute band called Playgroud?
November 1963 for “Dawn’s” release sounds about right – I would have to do some research to try and see if there is a more exact date than 11/20/63.
Comment by David Cace — July 8, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
Throw a vote in for me for “Denise” also. It always reminded me of “Little Star” by the Elegants.
“Uptown Girl” as an homage the FV/4S blew me away. Let’s not forget that at the time, the 4S music was tears from getting its due thru JB, so the fact that Billy Joel chose to do it was a real feather in his cap, as far as I was concerned. I always wanted to read more from him about his how and why, but never found anything. Have any of you?
Comment by stubbleyou — July 8, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
Anytime I have heard references to Billy Joel with “Uptown Girl”, it was that Billy was a fan of FV4S to some degree. Over the years, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys have praised FV4S in one way or another from what I have read. Didn’t Bob Gaudio say that The Beatles were at a Four Seasons concert at the Hammersmith circa 1963?
As far as The Bee Gees are concerned, the Brothers Gibb and the RSO promotion machine did help make “Grease” a platinum seller, tearing up the charts to #1, just as I had told somebody a few months earlier that I would not be surprised if Frankie Valli had another #1 hit. I had nothing to base this on except Frankie’s talent and drive.
Comment by Ted Hammond — July 9, 2008 @ 8:31 am
Does anyone remember “The Plurals”from Newark,area in the late 50′s when Frankie&4s were still local?There were a lot of talent that came of NJ,but the 1st time I saw FV4S at the NY paramount singing Sherry,I was in love and 46 years later still am…They deserve everything they’ve gotten & more..
Comment by Betsy — July 9, 2008 @ 11:23 am
This story was actually written by the guy from The Strip Podcast who did that great interview with Frankie a few months ago. I was reading this story and thinking, ‘I’ve heard these quotes somewhere’ and then I realized why!!!
Comment by Dan — July 9, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
I did a little more checking on Dawn(Go Away). Wikipedia, which is known for many errors, says the single was rejected by Atlantic in January, 1964 and released on Philips in February, 1964. If I can find the chart on line again, I think WLS had it as pick hit listed in January, and my recollection is that it was being played on WTRX in late December, 1963 (an intended but serious pun).
I wonder if there were some promo copies distributed to radio stations during that period between November 20, 1963 and the official release. I wonder if any Seasons insiders know, possibly Larry Santos. Joey Reynolds did work at WTRX as PD for two weeks somewhere during this era (according to his book), and Larry Santos was friends of people at this station and many others in the Detroit and Flint area after he moved to Michigan.
Comment by Ted Hammond — July 11, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
I don’t mean to take over the thread, but I did find that WLS survey I had seen before. It shows “Dawn (Go Away)” debuting on the charts at #19 in its FOURTH WEEK OF AIRPLAY on the January 31, 1964 survey. This would put airplay on WLS back to the first week of January, 1964. Whether this was an advance demo copy or what, someone else would have to tell us.
http://www.users.qwest.net/~oldiesloon/wls013164.htm
And looking back at some links about Joey Reynolds’ career, after he left WTRX for east coast night powerhouse WKBW 1520 Buffalo in 1963, he did continue to program WTRX from Buffalo, so it is conceivable that a demo was sent to WTRX in late December, 1963, due to Reynolds long association with The Four Seasons and programming WTRX. I hope David and Howard and others may find this interesting.
Comment by Ted Hammond — July 11, 2008 @ 5:58 pm