Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

Roughly speaking, "Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons" is the billing given to the Four Seasons after the group's 1960s heyday, as lead singer Valli became more prominent and personnel changes began to reduce the others to his backup band. In practice, the two billings can be interchangeable; many compilations containing the group's '60s hits as well as Valli solo recordings are credited to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons as well. A New Jersey-based vocal quartet that was also nearly a self-contained band (they carried a drummer who was not at first listed as a full-fledged member), the Four Seasons were billed numerically as "the 4 Seasons" when they emerged in 1962 with their first hit, the chart-topping "Sherry." The four members were Valli (born Francis Castelluccio in Newark, NJ, on May 3, 1934) and singer/guitarist Tommy DeVito (born in Montclair, NJ, on June 19, 1928), both of whom had also been in the Four Lovers, the precursor to the Four Seasons, plus singer/bassist Nick Massi (born Nicholas Macioci, September 19, 1926; died December 24, 2000), and singer/keyboardist Bob Gaudio (born Robert Gaudio, in the Bronx, New York, on November 17, 1942). Massi left the group in 1965, and Joe Long (born Joseph LaBracio on September 5, 1941) joined. On the back covers of their albums and the labels of their singles, the Four Seasons emphasized the presence of their distinctive lead singer, known for his piercing falsetto by printing the slogan, "Featuring the 'Sound' of Frankie Valli." And Valli launched a concurrent solo career in 1965. But throughout the '60s, the group was billed as "the 4 Seasons." During the decade, they charted 39 singles and 21 albums on the Billboard pop charts, making them one of the most successful recording acts of the era. As the Four Seasons'...