WMTR Celebrity Birthday: Frankie Valli – May 3, 1934

Francesco Stephen Castelluccio, better known as Frankie Valli, was born on May 3rd, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey. Inspired to begin singing by none other than “Ol’ Blue Eyes” himself, Frank Sinatra at the young age of seven. Taking the name Valli from another inspiration of his “Texas” Jean Valli, he began his musical career in the early 1950s as a member of the Variety Trio. 

The group would disband by the end of 1952, which led to Valli and fellow member of the Variety Trio Tommy DeVito becoming part of the house band at The Strand. In 1953, Frankie Valli recorded a cover of George Jessel’s “My Mother’s Eyes” and form The Variations alongside the members of the Variety Trio.  

The Variatones would change their name to the Four Lovers, a name which they released several singles including “You’re the Apple of My Eye”, which had minor success in 1956. Over the next four years, the group went through many name and lineup changes, eventually landing on The Four Seasons in 1960.  

The Four Seasons, comprised of Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, and Nick Massi, quickly exploded, with the group’s third single “Sherry” becoming their first of many number-one singles. As the lead singer, Frankie Valli was able to show off his impressive falsetto which became integrated into the group’s signature sound. 

While the Four Seasons was taking off, Valli was also working on a solo career, using it as a chance to use his natural tenor voice instead of his falsetto. Valli was able to chart well solo while topping the charts with the Four Seasons, with his single “My Eyes Adored You” and the Four Seasons’ “December 1963 (Oh, what a Night” both topping the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. 

Vali would continue his solo work, taking a brief break up of the Four Seasons as an opportunity to tour solo. He continued his solo success throughout his time performing with the Four Seasons, eventually becoming the only original member in the group. 

The Four Seasons countless hits eventually spawned the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys in 2005. The play led to a film adaptation released in 2014 with some members of the Broadway cast being cast in their same parts as the play. Frankie Valli himself started to appear as a guest in films and TV, including parts in Miami Vice, Full House, The Sopranos, and And So It Goes.  

All in all, Frankie Valli has released 12 total solo albums, his latest being 2021’s A Touch of Jazz, and 17 studio albums with the Four Seasons, the final of which was released in September of 1992. Despite announcing his retirement in 2023, he currently has dates planned through October of 2024, with the potential for one-off shows instead of full tours not being out of the question.