Where did The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli) get their name?
As a teenager living in Newark, New Jersey, (Frankie) Valli sang with the Varietones, who later changed their name to the Four Lovers and had a minor hit with an Otis Blackwell number, “You’re the Apple of My Eye,” in 1956. With the addition of Gaudio, they changed their name to the Four Seasons and began working with Philadelphia producer Bob Crewe. In addition to Gaudio and Valli, the Four Seasons’ definitive lineup included singer/guitarist Tommy DeVito and bass vocalist/vocal arranger Nick Massi (later replaced by Joe Long). At their peak, the Four Seasons made recordings that expressed the tough-but-tender sensibility of their home turf in the Northeast much in the way the Beach Boys encapsulated the world of Southern California in harmony and song. In the words of Billy Joel, a longtime fan who grew up listening to them on Long Island, “The Four Seasons had wonderful chord progressions, beautiful writing, terrific production fantastic harmony, records that really spoke to us.” In
