In his day, Frankie Valli remembered, "There were no opportunities to go to college, so you didn't have many options. You got a job on an assembly line or you got mobbed up."
He also added, "I'd seen so many people become stagnant in New Jersey — I had this fear I'd just stay there. They'd come out of high school, get a job, get married, have kids and die in Jersey. I wanted more."
It was the year 1953. Frankie Valli had completed his first solo recording. The following year, he formed the band, The Varietones. In 1956 the band changed their name to The Four Lovers. The group began appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. Around this time, Elvis Presley was working his way up the music world.
Then in 1961 the group decided they would to be called The Four Seasons.
Between 1962 and 1968, the Four Seasons recorded 24 Top 40 singles.
It was noted The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys were the only stand out American groups to have endured through the 1964 Beatles blitz.
"I've been up and down many times and worked my way through everything," Frankie observed.
Sunday, March 7, 1976: December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) topped the chart. What's more, it held the No. 1 spot until the fall of that year. The song was said the group's best-selling single ever, assisted in 1994 by the film Forrest Gump, which reintroduced the song back into the Top 100.
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) wound up becoming the longest-running single in the chart's history.
Originally called "December 5th, 1933" as a protest against the Prohibition. Between 1920 and 1933 in America, producing and distributing of alcohol were prohibited.
The song writers Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker weren't impressed with the lyrics and rewrote the melody. The result - December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) was released around Christmas 1975. At the time, one critic described the song as "catchy, semi-erotic car radio fare."
By 1977, Frankie proclaimed, "It's been almost like a double life for me. What we're hoping for is to get the group to a point where it can exist completely on its own, without me at all. That way, I'll be able to put more emphasis on my solo career."
That occurred on Saturday, August 26, 1978. His song Grease had topped the chart. The Bee Gees' Barry Gibb wrote the song.
Frankie recounted, "I had met Barry during the filming of Sergeant Pepper. I played a cameo role at the very end. We started talking; in fact, every time we ran into each other we talked about doing something together.
"One day, Barry told me that he was involved in a project, and it was something that he was sure was right for me. I had no idea what it was, because he said he couldn't talk about it. A month later, he sent me the song, and I flipped. I thought it would be a hit the day I heard it - which doesn't mean anything, of course. The public has to like it."
They did. Grease held the No. 1 spot for over five months. The song was said the largest-selling record of Frankie Valli's career, eclipsing everything he had achieved with The Four Seasons.
The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
He also added, "I'd seen so many people become stagnant in New Jersey — I had this fear I'd just stay there. They'd come out of high school, get a job, get married, have kids and die in Jersey. I wanted more."
It was the year 1953. Frankie Valli had completed his first solo recording. The following year, he formed the band, The Varietones. In 1956 the band changed their name to The Four Lovers. The group began appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. Around this time, Elvis Presley was working his way up the music world.
Then in 1961 the group decided they would to be called The Four Seasons.
Between 1962 and 1968, the Four Seasons recorded 24 Top 40 singles.
It was noted The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys were the only stand out American groups to have endured through the 1964 Beatles blitz.
"I've been up and down many times and worked my way through everything," Frankie observed.
Sunday, March 7, 1976: December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) topped the chart. What's more, it held the No. 1 spot until the fall of that year. The song was said the group's best-selling single ever, assisted in 1994 by the film Forrest Gump, which reintroduced the song back into the Top 100.
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) wound up becoming the longest-running single in the chart's history.
Originally called "December 5th, 1933" as a protest against the Prohibition. Between 1920 and 1933 in America, producing and distributing of alcohol were prohibited.
The song writers Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker weren't impressed with the lyrics and rewrote the melody. The result - December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).
December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) was released around Christmas 1975. At the time, one critic described the song as "catchy, semi-erotic car radio fare."
By 1977, Frankie proclaimed, "It's been almost like a double life for me. What we're hoping for is to get the group to a point where it can exist completely on its own, without me at all. That way, I'll be able to put more emphasis on my solo career."
That occurred on Saturday, August 26, 1978. His song Grease had topped the chart. The Bee Gees' Barry Gibb wrote the song.
Frankie recounted, "I had met Barry during the filming of Sergeant Pepper. I played a cameo role at the very end. We started talking; in fact, every time we ran into each other we talked about doing something together.
"One day, Barry told me that he was involved in a project, and it was something that he was sure was right for me. I had no idea what it was, because he said he couldn't talk about it. A month later, he sent me the song, and I flipped. I thought it would be a hit the day I heard it - which doesn't mean anything, of course. The public has to like it."
They did. Grease held the No. 1 spot for over five months. The song was said the largest-selling record of Frankie Valli's career, eclipsing everything he had achieved with The Four Seasons.
The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
