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Originally
a solo singer recording under the name Frankie Valley,
he joined the Variatones in 1954. They made their first
records as the Four Lovers but achieved lasting success
when they became the Four Seasons in 1962. Although he
was lead singer with the group, Valli also had a solo
recording career, starting with "(You're Gonna) Hurt
Yourself" in late 1965. He scored a million-seller
in 1967 with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". From
the same album came further US hits, "I Make A Fool
Of Myself", and "To Give (The Reason I Live)"
while "You're Ready Now" was a reissued success
in Britain in 1971.
Valli and producer Bob Gaudio now set up a dual career,
with Valli recording for Private Stock and a new Four
Seasons group for Warner Brothers Records. Valli had his
first solo number 1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored
You", followed by "Swearin' To God" and
a revival of Ruby And The Romantics' "Our Day Will
Come". In 1978 he sold two million copies of the
Barry Gibb -composed theme song from Grease. The follow-ups,
"Fancy Dancer" and "Where Did We Go Wrong"
(a duet with Chris Forde) sold poorly and in 1980 Valli
had a series of ear operations to cure his increasing
deafness. He subsequently rejoined the Four Seasons and
enjoyed further success when "Big Girls Don't Cry"
was included in the movie Dirty Dancing.
In
1990, the Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock And
Roll Hall Of Fame, and for the rest of the decade Valli
continued to lead the group on the lucrative oldies circuit.
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