Valli, Frankie (1934-…), was the lead singer of the Four Seasons, one of the most popular singing groups in history. Valli also had a successful career as a solo singer.
Valli began his singing career while a teenager. After performing with several groups during the 1950’s, he helped form the Four Seasons in 1960. The group gained its first success in 1962 with Valli as lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards, Nick Massi on bass, and Tommy DeVito on guitar. Valli sang in a distinctive high-pitched voice. The group’s first hit was “Sherry” (1962), followed by such songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962), “Walk Like a Man” (1963), “Rag Doll” (1964), “Dawn (Go Away)” (1964), “Let’s Hang On” (1965), and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “Who Loves You” (both 1975). As a soloist, Valli’s hits included “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” (1967), “My Eyes Adored You” (1975), and “Grease” (1978), the theme song from the 1978 motion-picture of the same name.
Valli also pursued an acting career and had a continuing role as a mobster in the long-running television series “The Sopranos.”
Valli was born on May 3, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey. His real name was Francis Castelluccio. In 1990, the Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2005, a musical called Jersey Boys opened on Broadway, based on the lives of the Four Seasons. The show became a hit and renewed interest in the group. Jersey Boys was made into a motion picture in 2014.
