Jersey boys who grew up in the winter of mob discontent but became the Four Seasons

FRANKIE Valli took tips from mobsters but the most valuable tip was “stay out of trouble. Don’t join any gangs”.

The Four Seasons, (from left) Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito.

WHILE singing in bars in the 1950s, singer Frankie Valli got to meet a range of people. Among them were some of New Jersey’s underground personalities, including Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo, a member of the Genovese crime family whose specialty was loansharking and running illegal gambling operations.

Valli, then still known as Francis Stephen Castelluccio, took requests and earnt some big tips from the generous mobster, who gave him the money with no strings attached.

The singer has always been adamant that there were no dodgy deals done with the mob. Apart from taking occasional generous monetary tips, he said DeCarlo also offered him the most valuable one: “Stay out of trouble. Don’t join any gangs.”

Valli kept his nose clean and went on to become a huge pop star, both in the band The Four Seasons and his solo career, with hits such as Sherry, Walk Like A Man, Rag Doll and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. The musical Jersey Boys, telling the story of Valli and The Four Seasons, with some reference to their run-in with the mob, returns to Sydney at the Capitol Theatre on Thursday, September 6.

The Four Seasons included Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Joe Long in 1974.

But while Valli avoided trouble there were times when other members of the band skirted the fringes of the underworld.

Born Francis Stephen Castelluccio in New Jersey in 1934, Valli grew up listening to jazz and always wanted to be a crooner, imitating artists he heard on the radio or on records. He discovered his voice had a huge range, with a distinctive falsetto.

Performing with a few different bands, he had some small success locally in New Jersey with a cover version of the song My Mother’s Eyes in 1953 (which, incidentally he published under the name Frankie Valley). It was one of DeCarlo’s favourite songs. Then in 1954 Valli joined guitarist Tommy DeVito’s band the Variatones.

DeVito, born in 1936, was largely a self-taught musician. But when music wasn’t paying the bills he turned to petty crime, doing time in prison, where he honed his guitar skills.

His nefarious dealings brought him into contact with organised crime, but he also just liked hanging out with mobsters. They were powerful, influential, had money and represented a form of success. DeCarlo, who had connections to Frank Sinatra, was one of the most successful.

The mob boss helped them in their career, with Valli describing him as a father figure and DeVito as a “really, really, good friend”.

But DeVito avoided becoming a mobster and stuck with music. His band went through several name changes but in 1956 they became the Four Lovers.

In 1958, while touring with Royal Teens, keyboardist and composer of the Teens’ hit Short Shorts, Bob Gaudio (born in 1942), decided to join DeVito’s band because he wanted to write songs for Valli’s unique voice.

Singer Frankie Valli in 1978.

Musician Frankie Valli (front) with members of The Four Seasons band in an undated handout photo.

By then The Four Lovers had been joined by baritone Nick Massi (born Nicholas Macioci in 1927), who had also spent time behind bars but avoided the clutches of the mob.

The band became The Four Seasons in 1961, and released the single Bermuda on the Gone Records label. After an unsuccessful result they signed to Vee-Jay Records, a company specialising in black artists.

Gaudio penned the song Sherry in 15 minutes before a band rehearsal specially for Valli’s distinctive vocal. Released in August 1962, it was their first No. 1 hit, followed by Big Girls Don’t Cry in October and Walk Like A Man in January 1963, both of which went to No. 1.

After Vee Jay failed to pay royalties they sued, before signing to Philips where they had a No. 3 hit with Dawn. In 1964, Rag Doll went to No. 1.

The band underwent membership changes but remained successful through much of the ’60s.

Valli dabbled in a solo career, having a huge hit in 1967 with Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. But the band were dogged by the mob.

Singer Frankie Valli in Canberra in 2010.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons performs at the Ballroom at Jupiters Hotel & Casino, Broadbeach, in 2012. Picture: Jupiters

A loan that DeVito had taken out with Norm “The Bag” Waxman early in their career came back to haunt them. DeCarlo stepped in to help negotiate a deal with Waxman and DeVito was forced to quit the band in 1970. By then Gaudio had also moved into more of a producer-writer role.

When Valli was the only original member left, the band was rechristened Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons. They played at an Atlanta penitentiary in 1972 where DeCarlo was doing his 18-month sentence (before he was pardoned by Richard Nixon and died in 1973). In 1975 the song Who Loves You gave the band their first top 10 since 1967. They followed it with the No. 1 hit December 1963 (Oh What A Night), sparking something of a comeback.

In 2005 Jersey Boys opened on Broadway, reviving their music again and finally revealing some of the crime links that had been kept hidden at the height of their fame.