The Four Seasons were formed in 1961 with Frankie Valli as the lead singer , Bob Gaudio on keyboards, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and Nick Massi on bass. The band released their first hit "Sherry" in 1962. Under the guidance of producer/songwriter Bob Crewe, The Four Seasons followed up "Sherry" with several well-remembered hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man" and "Candy Girl". In the mid 1960s, the British Invasion slowed down their career somewhat, but the Four Seasons released several more big hits in 1964, such as "Dawn", "Rag Doll", which was the first single on WABC Radio, New York to be "pick hit of the week" one week and the number 1 single the following week, "Big Man in Town", "Ronnie" and "Save It for Me". Nick Massi left the Four Seasons in 1965, however, and was soon replaced by Joe Long who became the mainstay on bass and backup vocals. Several more Top 10 singles followed, including "Let's Hang On", "Working My Way Back To You", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", and "C'mon Marianne"; but by 1967 the group's popularity was deteriorating, as public interest moved towards rock with a harder edge and more socially conscious lyrics. The band would, however, enjoy a brief revival in their popularity in the mid 1970s, with the hits "Who Loves You", "Swearin' to God", and their last number one hit "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)". The latter of the 3 songs was re-introduced in 1994 with the original vocals but an edgier dance background beat and reached ..14 on the pop charts, but more impressively, stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 for half a year. In 1976, the group provided a Beatles cover of "We Can Work It Out" for the transitory musical documentary All This and World War II.
The band name is also the name of a legal partnership, The 4 Seasons Partnership, that Valli and Gaudio entered into at the start of their careers, agreeing to split all the proceeds from their musical efforts 50-50. The partnership continues to this day.
The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. Jersey Boys, a musical play based on the lives of The Four Seasons, directed by Des McAnuff (The Who's Tommy, 700 Sundays) premiered at his La Jolla (California) Playhouse and opened on Broadway on November 6, 2005, to generally positive reviews. It won the 2006 Tony Awards for Best Leading and Featured Actor in a Musical won by John Lloyd Young & Christian Hoff, Best Light Design in a Musical and Best Musical.
The group's music was one of many influences to the Jersey Shore sound of the 1970's and 1980's. However, by the late 1970s Valli was the only original band member left. Frankie Valli still tours today performing many of the Four Seasons classic songs.
