Who’s ready to see and hear the real Jersey Boys?
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons will perform their one-of-a-kind vocal harmonies and doo-wop inspired songs at 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. (Courtesy photo)
The band that inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway play of the same name, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons will perform their one-of-a-kind vocal harmonies and doo-wop inspired songs at 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
Prepare yourself for an evening of hit song after hit song.
Mainstays of the Top 40 charts in the early 1960s (they sold over 100 million records throughout the decade), the Valli-led Four Seasons rivaled the likes of the Beatles and the Beach Boys with a string of hits: “Walk Like A Man,” “Rag Doll,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and, of course “Sherry,” which highlighted Valli’s unmistakable falsetto.
His unique vocal style helped set the Four Seasons apart from their contemporaries.
“Many R&B groups had used falsetto as part of their background harmonies,” explained Valli, “but we were different because we put the falsetto out front and made it the lead.”
Of course, singing had been in Valli’s blood since he was a youngster in Newark, New Jersey. He “saw the light” when his mother took him to see fellow Newark crooner Frank Sinatra when he was just seven years old.
“I saw Sinatra coming out on stage,” Frankie recalled, “and the way he was lit up, it was like he had an aura around him. I decided then and there that’s what I was going to do—be a successful singer.”
That he has become.
One could argue that his string of hits as a solo performer resonate even deeper with his fans. Who could forget such Valli classics as “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night),” “My Eyes Adored You,” and “Grease”?
Of course, the success of “Jersey Boys” has helped to propel Valli back into the mainstream public eye since 2005, but he’s never really been away. Valli has continued to tour and perform throughout the years.
His secret to such longevity?
“Well, I think the key is that you have to be in good health,” he said. “You have to really love what you do and be capable of doing it. Or do it at least until you’re not capable of doing it anymore. Right now, I’m feeling fine and I’ll do it for as long as I can.”
“Like that bunny on TV with the battery, I just keep going and going and going.”
Frankie, after over 50 years of recording and performing, not only keeps on going, but has no regrets as well. It’s been a charmed life.
“I’ve loved and enjoyed doing just about everything that I’ve ever recorded. Although there may have been some things I recorded that didn’t turn out exactly the way I liked them or I might have gone in and done them over, there’s nothing I’m sorry for that I recorded.”
For further information and tickets, visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Chris Baptiste is a local writer and regular contributor to SWRNN.
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