Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Coming to Morris Performing Arts Center, 8/23

Oh, what a story. Frankie Valli, who came to fame in 1962 as the lead singer of the Four Seasons, is hotter than ever in the 21st century. Thanks to the volcanic success of the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys , which chronicles the life and times of Frankie and his legendary group, such classic songs as "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Rag Doll," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" are all the rage all over again. With the play in its seventh blockbuster year on Broadway, and five other casts performing Jersey Boys nightly from Las Vegas to London, the real Frankie Valli is also packing venues around the world. The current excitement prompted Frankie to salute the decade that made him a star with his first new studio album in 15 years. In Romancing The '60s , he put his own stamp on some of his favorite '60s songs, the ones he always wanted to record but somehow got away. Produced by Bob Gaudio, an original member of the Four Seasons and Frankie's long-time partner, the set includes unforgettable new versions of such gems as "Spanish Harlem," "Call Me" and "Take Good Care of My Baby." And the album features a guest appearance by four young stars of Jersey Boys , providing background vocals for-what else?-"On Broadway." Launched amid Jersey Boy- mania, Romancing The '60s has become the latest classic in Frankie Valli's half-century of recording. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - August 23, 2015 - MorrisCenter.org

There's something about Frankie's music that makes young people of every generation want to get up and dance. Amid the disco era, the Seasons hit it big with "Who Loves You," which reached No 3 in 1975, and "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night), a No. 1 record in 1976. On the other side of the Atlantic, "You're

Ready Now" and "The Night," which didn't do anything in the U.S., emerged from dance clubs in the north of England to become huge hits in Europe. Two decades later, in 1994, a dance club remix of "December 1963" climbed to No. 14 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 . In 2000, a French-language rap version of "December 1963" went to No. 1 in Paris. And in July of 2007, a remix of the Four Seasons' 1967 hit "Beggin' " became the No. 1 dance record in Britain. That was eight months in advance of the March 2008 opening of Jersey Boys in London, where the play went on to win the Olivier Award for the best new musical on the West End. Case closed: Frankie never went away. For as far into the future as anyone can see, Jersey Boys will introduce the music of Frankie Valli to new generations. The man himself shows no signs of slowing down. As his character says at the end of Jersey Boys : "Like that bunny on TV with the battery, I just keep going and going and going." For as long as he wants to sing, people will want to listen. - Charles Alexander