Endless Love-Part VII

Frankie Valli

Two of the songs to be sung at Orchestra Kentucky's Endless Love concert are from a Jersey boy.

Frankie Valli  was born Francis Stephen Castelluccio on May 3, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi, and Bob Gaudio were the original members of The Four Seasons. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.

Valli scored 29 Top 40 hits with The Four Seasons, one Top 40 hit under The Four Seasons' alias The Wonder Who?, and nine Top 40 hits as a solo artist. As a member of The Four Seasons, Valli's number one hits included Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Rag Doll and December 1963 (Oh, What A Night). As a solo artist, Valli scored #1 hits with the songs My Eyes Adored You and Grease. Valli's recording of the song Can't Take My Eyes off You reached #2 in 1967.

My Eyes Adored You  was originally working titled Blue Eyes in Georgia. It was written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan and recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the MoWest label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to Valli for $4000. After rejections by Capitol, Atlantic, and other labels, Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on Private Stock Records, but the owner/founder of the label wanted only Valli's name on the label. The single was released in the U.S. in November 1974 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975.

The single was Valli's first number one hit as a solo artist, and remained at number one for one week, being knocked out of the top spot by another Crewe/Nolan-penned song, Lady Marmalade. Although it was released as a Valli solo effort, the song is sometimes included on Four Seasons compilation albums. It is from the album Closeup.

The success of My Eyes Adored You triggered a revival of interest in recordings by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The group was subsequently signed to Warner Bros. Records as Valli's followup single, Swearin' to God was climbing to the #6 position on the Hot 100. Three months later, The Four Seasons visited the Top Ten for the first time since 1967 with Who Loves You.

Watch Frankie Vallie sing Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.

Now watch Valli sing My Eyes Adored You