Editing Frankie Valli (section)

== Music career ==
{{See also|The Four Seasons (group)#History|l1=The Four Seasons § History}}

Valli began his singing career in 1951 with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, [[Tommy DeVito (musician)|Tommy DeVito]], and Henry "Hank" Majewski), and was mentored in much of his early career by [[Nick Massi|Nick Macioci]], who later joined Valli in The Four Seasons, and by [[Jean Valli|"Texas" Jean Valli]], a female hillbilly singer, from whom he adopted the "Valli" surname.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2008-11-17-voa53/401450.html| title = Four Seasons Singer Frankie Valli Going Strong at 74| newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |date=November 1, 2009|access-date=September 1, 2024| last=Voice of America English News}}</ref> Geoff Herbert explains, "Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother. As a result, his first single was listed under 'Frankie Valley', and the name stuck—though he eventually changed it to the same spelling" that Texas Jean used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/jersey_boys_frankie_valli_name_syracuse_singer_jean_valli.html |title=Long before 'Jersey Boys,' Frankie Valli stole his name from a Syracuse hillbilly singer |last=Herbert |first=Geoff |date=June 20, 2014 |website=Syracuse.com |publisher=Syracuse Media Group. |access-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref> His desire to sing in public was initially granted when the group offered him a guest spot when they performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli and Tommy DeVito became part of the house band at The Strand in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]]. Valli played bass and sang.

Valli recorded his first single, "My Mother's Eyes", in 1953, a cover of the 1929 [[George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel]] song from ''[[Lucky Boy (1929 film)|Lucky Boy]]'', with his stage name "Frankie Valley." Around this time, Valli, Majewski and Tommy DeVito left the house band at The Strand and formed The Variatones with Frank Cottone and Billy Thompson. In 1956, the group impressed New York recording agent Peter Paul, and he got them an audition at [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]] a week later.

The group changed its name to [[the Four Lovers]] and recorded several singles and an album's worth of tracks. They had a minor hit with "[[You're the Apple of My Eye]]" in 1956, which earned them their first appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. After two years of no further success, DeVito fired his brother and Majewski for insubordination (they had refused to take a gig opening for [[Tony Bennett]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/apr/02/vegas-man-knows-jersey-boys/|title=Vegas man knows 'Jersey Boys'|first=Jerry|last=Fink|date=April 2, 2008|website=Lasvegassun.com|access-date=September 23, 2020}}</ref> and creative differences, as Majewski's comic persona did not mesh with the group's musical talents.<ref name=bimbamboom>Walter Gollender. ''Bim Bam Boom No. 8'' (December 1972).</ref> The Four Lovers continued, with Valli, DeVito and an ''ad hoc'' lineup that variously included Macioci (by then also pursuing a solo career as "Nickie Massey"<ref>"Record Reviews." [https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/50s/1959/CB-1959-10-24.pdf ''Cashbox''. October 24, 1959]. p. 12</ref>), [[Charles Calello]] and Hollywood Playboys keyboardist Hugh Garrity.<ref name=bimbamboom/> In 1959, after being introduced at a gig in Baltimore by mutual friend [[Joe Pesci]], [[The Royal Teens|Royal Teen]] [[Bob Gaudio]] became a member. By 1960, after several years of [[session musicians|session work]] under numerous stage names, the lineup of Valli, DeVito, Gaudio and a now-renamed Nick Massi took on the name "The 4 Seasons," taking the name from a bowling alley in [[Union Township, Union County, New Jersey|Union, New Jersey]] that had rejected them after an audition.<ref name="bimbamboom" /><ref>Engel, Ed (August 1977). "Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons". Time Barrier No. 23.</ref><ref>Woodard, Rex (June 1982). "Four Lovers". Goldmine No. 73.</ref><ref>Grendysa, Peter (1989). The Four Lovers, liner notes, "The Four Lovers", Bear Family Records BCD-15424.</ref><ref>Harrington, Richard (June 1983). "Frankie Bayyy-aaa-beee!: Doing a Solo, Hanging on to What He's Got Frankie Valli's High Notes". ''[[The Washington Post]]''.</ref> 

As the lead singer of the Four Seasons, Valli had a string of hits, beginning with the number-one hit "[[Sherry (song)|Sherry]]" in 1962 and continuing through most of the rest of the decade.

[[File:The 4 Seasons (1966).png|thumb|right|Valli (front, center) with the Four Seasons in 1966.]]

During the 1960s, Gaudio and his songwriting partner [[Bob Crewe]] worked with Valli to craft solo recordings, with varying degrees of success. It was rare at the time for a major recording artist to perform solo while still recording with their own group. Valli's debut solo album was a collection of single releases and a few new recordings. He used the opportunity to transition away from the power falsetto that had made Valli and the Four Seasons famous, singing in a natural tenor voice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=June 6, 2024 |title=Frankie Valli on Jersey Boys and His Unlikely Success: 'The Way I Grew Up, It Was Basically Against All Odds' |url=https://parade.com/300325/chriswillman/frankie-valli-on-jersey-boys-and-his-unlikely-success/ |access-date=May 31, 2023 |website=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]] |language=en}}</ref> (Calello noted in 2000 that Valli's voice could go down to a baritone and that Valli would take on the baritone parts in harmony arrangements when he did not sing lead.<ref name=overshadow>{{Cite web |last=Pinchot |first=Joe |date=December 28, 2000 |title=Valli's unusual falsetto didn't overshadow Four Seasons' sound |url=http://www2.sharonherald.com/localnews/recentnews/0012/ln122800k.html |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=The Sharon Herald}}</ref>)

"You're Ready Now", a Valli solo recording from 1966, became part of the [[Northern soul]] scene and reached number eleven on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in December 1970. "The Night" originally released in 1970 also became a huge Northern soul hit and as a result it reached number seven on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14203/frankie-valli/|title = UK Charts – Frankie Valli |website=Officialcharts.com |access-date = January 9, 2022 }}</ref>

In 1975, his single "[[My Eyes Adored You]]" hit number one on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Hot 100 and reached number 5 in the UK chart. This caused an awkward situation within the band, as Valli's label at the time, [[Private Stock Records]], was willing to sign Valli but not the band. [[Warner Bros. Records]] was willing to sign the band, but greatly preferred if someone other than Valli sang lead vocals.  As part of that agreement, Valli—with great reluctance—ceded some of the lead vocals for the group to new band members [[Gerry Polci]] and, to a lesser extent, [[Don Ciccone]].<ref name=james-and-ciccone>{{cite web|title=Gary James' Interview With Don Ciccone Of The Four Seasons|url= http://www.classicbands.com/FourSeasonsInterview.html|access-date= July 24, 2020|publisher= classicbands.com|first=Gary|last=James}}</ref> In the same year, he also had a number six ''Billboard'' hit with the disco-laden "[[Swearin' to God]]" reaching number 31 in the UK chart, while further UK chart success came with "[[Fallen Angel (Rogue song)|Fallen Angel]]", written by [[Guy Fletcher (songwriter)|Guy Fletcher]] and [[Doug Flett]]. Valli was in the UK charts, reaching number 11. Meanwhile, the Four Seasons had a string of hits from their new LP ''[[Who Loves You]]'' in 1975; the title track with Valli, "[[December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)]]" with Valli, Polci and Ciccone, and minor hits "[[Silver Star (The Four Seasons song)|Silver Star]]" and "Down the Hall" (the latter from the follow-up album ''Helicon'') with Polci alone. In 1976, Valli covered [[the Beatles]] song "[[A Day in the Life]]" for the ephemeral musical documentary ''[[All This and World War II]]'', to which the Seasons also contributed a cover of "[[We Can Work It Out]]."

In 1978, with the Four Seasons temporarily broken up, Valli embarked on a solo tour<ref name=james-and-ciccone/> and sang the [[Grease (song)|theme song]] for the film version of the stage play [[Grease (film)|''Grease'']], a song by [[Barry Gibb]] of the [[Bee Gees]], which became a number one hit. He had two further chart successes over the next year: "Save Me, Save Me" in November 1978, which entered the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|''Billboard'' Easy Listening chart]], and "Fancy Dancer" in January 1979, which entered the pop charts.<ref name="amgbio"/>

Valli began suffering from [[otosclerosis]] in 1967, forcing him to "sing from memory" in the latter part of the 1970s. Surgery performed by  Victor Goodhill, a Los Angeles ear specialist, restored most of his hearing by 1980.<ref>Bronson, Fred (1992). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Hits'' (3rd edition). Billboard Books. {{ISBN|0-8230-8298-9}}.</ref><ref name="Robins">{{cite magazine |url = http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5680100/frankie-valli-qa-looking-back-at-50-years-of-the-four-seasons |title = Frankie Valli Q&A: Looking Back at 50 Years of The Four Seasons |magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date = September 3, 2013 |first = Wayne |last = Robins |access-date =October 12, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Frankie Valli 2013.jpg|thumb|Valli performing at the [[Saban Theatre]] in 2013]]

In 2005, the musical ''[[Jersey Boys]]'' opened on Broadway. Besides performances of many of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hit recordings, it has a biographical narrative, told from four separate points of view by each member of the Four Seasons (DeVito, Valli, Massi and Gaudio). [[John Lloyd Young]] portrayed Valli in the original  production, while [[West End theatre|West End]]'s production [[Ryan Molloy]] is the "longest-serving Frankie Valli".<ref>{{cite web | first=Theo | last=Bosanquet | title=Ryan Molloy announces Jersey Boys departure after six years in role | url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/02-2014/ryan-molloy-announces-jersey-boys-departure-after-_33481.html | publisher=[[WhatsOnStage.com]] | date=2014-02-11 | accessdate=2014-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ryan Molloy: 'I fear leaving Jersey Boys' |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/10-2013/ryan-molloy-i-fear-leaving-jersey-boys_32443.html/ |date=27 October 2013 |publisher=[[WhatsOnStage.com]] |accessdate=26 October 2023}}</ref> The musical dramatizes several real-life incidents from Valli's life, including his estrangement from daughter Francine, who died in 1980. The show has been widely acclaimed, financially successful, and was nominated for eight [[Tony Awards]], winning four, notably Best Musical, Actor, and Supporting Actor. It has touring companies around the world, as well as a version at [[Paris Las Vegas]], and was adapted into a 2014 [[Jersey Boys (film)|film of the same name]] directed by [[Clint Eastwood]], with Young again appearing as Valli; Valli was less enthusiastic about the film, believing that some parts were miscast and that Eastwood was a poor fit for the material.<ref name=anthemisback>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/frankie-valli-anthem-concert/2021/07/28/44e151ba-ee06-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html| title = The Anthem is back ? and so is Frankie Valli, in concert with the Four Seasons| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]|author-last1=Edgers|author-first1=Geoff}}</ref>

In October 2007, Valli released ''Romancing the '60s'', an album containing covers of his favorite songs from the 1960s, two of which—"Sunny" and "Any Day Now"—he had previously recorded.<ref name="officialbio" /> It was Valli's first solo album in nearly 27 years since 1980's ''Heaven Above Me''. In 2012, Valli made his Broadway debut with a week-long concert engagement at the [[The Broadway Theatre|Broadway Theatre]] in [[New York City|New York]] starting October 19.<ref name="NPR" /><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/03/26/frankie-valli-four-seasons-broadway/1645157/ |title = 50 years on, a Jersey Boy arrives on Broadway |work = [[USA Today]] |date = October 19, 2012 |first = Elysa |last = Gardner |access-date = May 17, 2013 }}</ref>

From March 2016 to January 2017, "Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons" were touring the US, scheduled to play small-to-mid-size venues such as the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada, the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona and the County Fair in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.frankievallifourseasons.com/shows.html |title =Frankie Valli Shows |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date = 2016 |website = Frankie Valli |access-date = June 21, 2016 }}</ref> In October 2016, Valli released his first solo album in nine years, ''{{'}}Tis the Seasons'', which features some of his favorite [[Christmas]] songs. As part of the ''[[BBC Proms]] in the Park'' Valli, together with the Four Seasons performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] on September 10, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Proms in the Park Hyde Park |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e2bxj5 |website=BBC.co.uk |publisher=BBC |access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref>

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons continued touring in 2018 and 2019, with a new lineup after his lineup since 2003 spun off as its own act, The Modern Gentlemen. In 2020 the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] canceled all touring plans. Touring resumed in the summer of 2021 with dates scheduled through October 2024; in October 2023, Valli indicated that it would be his [[farewell tour]] and that The Four Seasons would effectively end its 65-year run with his retirement.<ref name=farewelltour>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-04 |title=Frankie Valli Announces "The Last Encores" 2023-2024 Tour Dates |url=https://consequence.net/2023/10/frankie-valli-four-seasons-last-encores-2023-2024-tour-dates/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> Valli did not rule out future performances after the tour ends but noted that the nature of touring, and a move from longer residencies to frequent one-night stops, was wearing on him, while the actual act of performing each night was not.<ref name=lat2023/>  The tour was eventually extended into 2025, with representatives for Valli responding to criticism of him touring at such an advanced age and fears of [[elder abuse]] by assuring that Valli was "doing just fine and super happy to be still performing."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Chris |date=2024-08-14 |title=Frankie Valli, 90, pushes back at critics who say he's too old to perform |url=https://www.aol.com/frankie-valli-90-pushes-back-192535680.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=Asbury Park Press via AOL |language=en-US}}</ref> In a statement to ''People'', Valli conceded that he uses "layering (of) vocals and instrumentals" to maintain the group's signature sound in old age, a tactic the group had long used on its records, and stated he would continue touring as long as fans continued to buy tickets and respond well to the show.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frankie Valli Breaks Silence After Performance Videos Spark Concern: Nobody Is 'Forcing Me to Go on Stage' (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/frankie-valli-speaks-out-after-performance-videos-spark-concern-exclusive-8720930 |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Frankie Valli 2024was.jpg|thumb|Valli performing at the [[Fox Theatre (Detroit)|Fox Theater]] in 2024]]
In June 2021, Valli released his 12th studio album, his first in five years, ''Touch of Jazz'', which features a collection of [[jazz]] cover songs.