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September 26 - November 16, 2018 |
AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19
| 11
Frankie Valli returns to the Auditorium Theatre
on November 3, marking the American icon’s first
appearance at the Auditorium since 1977!
Valli, who turned 84 this year, has had an illustrious
career — take a look at some of the highlights!
1934:
Frankie Valli (born Francis Castelluccio) is born on
May 3 in Newark, NJ. He grows up in a public housing
project called Stephen Crane Village.
1942:
Valli’s mother takes him to see Frank Sinatra at the
Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, NJ. This moment proves
to be pivotal in Valli's life: He later says, "When I saw Sinatra
coming out on stage, 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.”
1950s:
Tommy DeVito, one of Valli’s buddies from Newark,
invites Valli to perform with his group the Variety Trio.
Valli sings Billie Holiday’s “I Can’t Give You Anything But
Love” and gains a reputation around the neighborhood for
having “the voice of an angel.”
1953:
Valli releases his first single, “My Mother’s Eyes,” with
the help of music publisher Paul Kapp. At this time, he drops
his given last name and exchanges it for “Valley,” which later
becomes “Valli” in order to stay true to his Italian roots.
1956:
Valli joins a group called the Four Lovers and
experiences minor success with them they appear on
The Ed Sullivan Show
and release an album but he keeps
his day job as a barber.
1959:
Joe Pesci (yes, that Joe Pesci, of
Goodfellas
and
My
Cousin Vinny
fame) introduces Valli and his bandmates to
Bob Gaudio, a piano player and songwriter. Gaudio joins
the group and, after a performance at a lounge of the same
name, the group takes on the moniker The Four Seasons.
1962:
Gaudio writes “Sherry,” a song that makes full use
of Valli’s remarkable range (baritone to falsetto). The Four
Seasons perform the song on
American Bandstand
and
become a hit sensation nearly overnight. “Sherry” climbs
to No. 1 on the charts. Two more successful hits, “Big Girls
Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man,” quickly follow.
1964:
The Four Seasons release one smash hit after
another, including “Rag Doll” and “Stay.”
1967:
Valli finds solo success with the hit “Can’t Take My
Eyes Off You” but continues to perform with The Four
Seasons.
1969:
The Four Seasons perform at the Auditorium
Theatre in Chicago for the first time.
1975:
The Four Seasons’ smash record
Who Loves You
is
released. The album features instant classics “Who Loves
You” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).”
1977:
The Four Seasons return to the Auditorium Theatre.
1978:
Valli records the
titular theme song for
the hit movie
Grease
,
written by Barry Gibb
of the Bee Gees. Gibb
provides backing
vocals and Peter
Frampton plays guitar
on the track. The
song hits No. 1 on the
Billboard charts.
Between 1962 and
1978, the Four
Seasons sell more
than 100 million
records.
1990:
Valli and the original members of The Four Seasons
are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along
with The Who, The Kinks, the Four Tops, and other legends.
1992:
The Four Seasons release
Hope + Glory
.
1998:
Lauryn Hill covers Valli’s hit “Can’t Take My Eyes
Off You” on her Grammy Award-winning album
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
.
2004:
Valli makes his first
appearance on HBO’s
acclaimed TV show
The Sopranos
as Rusty
Millio, a mob boss who
controls territory in Brooklyn
and Queens. He makes
reoccurring appearances on the show throughout its fifth
and sixth seasons.
2005:
Jersey Boys
, a jukebox musical based on Valli’s life
and music, debuts on Broadway. “When the band played
hits like ‘Sherry’ … it sounded like a riot was unfolding
in the mezzanine,” writes Jeremy McCarter in New York
magazine. “Even among the high rollers in the orchestra
seats, excitement abounded.”
2011:
Jersey Boys
starts touring the United States, with
continued performances on Broadway, in Las Vegas, and
in London.
2014:
Clint Eastwood directs and produces the movie
version of
Jersey Boys
.
2018:
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons return to the historic
Auditorium after more than 40 years on November 3, 2018!