Legends of Rock & Roll: The Four Seasons

By James Hoag

"It's All About the Music!"

Welcome to another in the Legends of Rock & Roll series.

This is, like the others, a mini-biography of one the greatest of American bands, The Four Seasons. Come with me for a walk down memory lane
as I review the life of the guys who made up the Four Seasons, and especially, the music that they produced. We'll visit each of their hits
and find out how they came to be written or how they were recorded; and discuss any trivia that might be associated with the music.

This book is about the group, but even more importantly, it's about the music. This series is my way of honoring the people that have brought so much joy to our lives over the years.

It is an unauthorized fan tribute.

The Four Seasons has been writing and performing since 1962. Under other names, they actually go back much further than that. They are true
"Jersey Boys" and developed into one of the nations number one singing groups. The falsetto voice of Frankie Valli made the Four Seasons
very distinctive. You only had to hear a few notes of one of their songs to know who you were listening to.

The Chapters include:

Introduction - Remarks about The Four Seasons in general and a kick-off for the book.
Before The Four Seasons - a brief biography of each of the four original members of the group.
The Road to the Four Seasons - Do you know what they were called before they were the Four Seasons. This chapter traces the early beginnings of the group.
Starting to Gain Popularity - Not many performers have a number one with their first charting hit. Do you remember what it was?
Three Number Ones - Not only was their first song a number one, but the next two major releases also went number one.
The Demise of Vee-Jay Records - Their first record label went bankrupt and almost left the guys out in the cold.
"Rag Doll" - Do you know the story behind one of their biggest hits? It was their fourth number one.
"The Wonder Who" - Have you ever wondered who the Wonder Who were?
Frankie Valli Goes Solo - Frankie wanted to sing songs that didn't always include the falsetto voice. So, he started a solo career.
Tastes Change - The music world is changing all the time. The Four Seasons had difficulty keeping up.
Frankie Has Medical Problems - What medical problems did Frankie Valli have that almost ended his career?
"Who Loves You" - After seven years without a hit, they come blasting back with this big hit.
"Grease (is the Word)" - If you've seen the movie "Grease", then you know this song.
The Four Seasons vs. The Beach Boys - Let's compare two of the greatest American bands of the Sixties and beyond.
"Jersey Boys" - Not many groups have a Broadway musical written just to tell their life story.
Personnel Life - How many times has Frankie Valli been married? What about the other guys in the group.
Legacy of The Four Seasons - Every Legends book has a Legacy section where we review the awards and contributions of the artist.
Afterword - My closing thoughts.
Discography - A list of the major works by The Four Seasons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Hoag
• Release date: May 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310688171

James Hoag

James Hoag has always been a big fan of Rock & Roll. Most people graduate from high school and then proceed to "grow up" and go on to more adult types of music. James got stuck at about age 18 and has been an avid fan of popular music ever since. His favorite music is from the Fifties, the origin of Rock & Roll and which was the era in which James grew up. But he likes almost all types of popular music including country music.After working his entire life as a computer programmer, he is now retired and he decided to share his love of the music and of the performers by writing books that discuss the life and music of the various people who have meant so much to him over the years.He calls each book a "love letter" to the stars that have enriched our lives so much. These people are truly Legends.

Book preview

Legends of Rock & Roll – The Four Seasons

By

James Hoag

~~~

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by James Hoag

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Disclaimer

Legends of Rock & Roll – The Four Seasons Copyright 2012 James Hoag.

All rights reserved.

No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the publisher. The only exception is for a reviewer. A reviewer may quote brief passages in a review.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Before the Four Seasons

The Road to the Four Seasons

Starting to Gain Popularity

Three Number Ones

The Demise of Vee-Jay Records

Rag Doll

The Wonder Who

Frankie Valli Goes Solo

Tastes Change

Frankie Has Medical Problems

Who Loves You

Grease (Is the Word)

The Four Seasons vs. The Beach Boys

Jersey Boys

Personal Life

Also Known As…

Legacy of The Four Seasons

Afterword

Selected Discography

About the Author

Introduction

Have you seen The Jersey Boys? The play/musical won the Tony for Best Musical in 2006. I did not have the opportunity to see it on Broadway, but I did see it when it came to Las Vegas a couple years ago. Being a huge fan of the Four Seasons, I knew I would enjoy it and I did.

This book is not meant to replace the Jersey Boys experience. After all, I cannot play the music as part of the book and you need to have that experience for yourself. My purpose, along with all the other Legends of Rock & Roll books is to just tell the story of the group or performer and to talk about the music and how it affected the world and how it affected me.

There were just a few performers in the Sixties who could sing the high falsetto vocals. Frankie Valli was one of them. Lou Christie was another. I really liked that style of singing. Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons actually did come from New Jersey. The original group was made up of Frankie, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito. The members of the group changed over the years but the one constant that never changed was Frankie Valli.

Before the Four Seasons

Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli whose real name is Francis Stephen Castelluccio, was born on May 3, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. There is some dispute about the actual date of his birth. Several sources that you might find on the internet say he was born in 1937, but the official Frankie Valli website, www.frankievallifourseasons.com says