The Four Seasons (band)
The Four Seasons | |
|---|---|
The Four Seasons in 1966. Top: Tommy DeVito; left: Bob Gaudio; right: Joe Long; bottom: Frankie Valli. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Four Lovers (1956–1960) The Wonder Who? (1965–1967) |
| Origin | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1953–1977, 1979–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Frankie Valli Bob Gaudio Robby Robinson Rick Keller Basil Fung Andy Sanesi Justin Rodriguez Craig Cady Carmen Grillo Alfredo Lopez Aaron Alexander Gordon Heath Francis |
| Past members | Tommy DeVito Nick Massi Charles Calello Joe Long Demetri Callas Clay Jordan Gerry Polci Lee Shapiro Don Ciccone John Paiva Jerry Corbetta Larry Lingle Rex Robinson Chuck Wilsonn Lynn Hammann Tim Stone Ronen Bay Noah Rivera |
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The Four Seasons are an American band formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They are one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, having sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide.
The band evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli on lead and falsetto vocals, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. The Four Seasons had two distinct eras of widespread success: the 1960s, during which Massi departed in 1965, and was replaced initially by Charles Calello and more permanently by Joe Long, and the mid- to late 1970s, with the lineup consisting of Valli, Don Ciccone (bass guitar and baritone/soft falsetto vocals), John Paiva (lead guitar and harmony vocals), Gerry Polci (drums and tenor vocals), and Lee Shapiro (keyboards), with Gaudio still working with the band as a non-performing songwriter and producer. All of the members during the band's hitmaking eras hailed from the state of New Jersey; they also are or were of Italian heritage except Shapiro, who is Jewish.
The legal name of the organization is the Four Seasons Partnership, formed by Valli and Gaudio, and was taken after a failed audition in 1960. Valli and Gaudio (who has been a non-performing member of the group since 1973) each own 50% of the act and its assets, including virtually all of its recording catalog. The current touring lineup of the group includes Valli as the sole remaining original member, backed by a separate vocal quartet and a band led by musician Robby Robinson, who has served as the group's music director since 1984. The touring version of The Four Seasons is slated to end after Valli's farewell tour concludes in 2025.
The band's original lineup was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 and the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2017. The Hollywood Walk of Fame awarded a star, jointly credited to Valli and to the group, in 2024.