Frankie Valli visits Strathmore, October 15-16 |
From our friends at the Strathmore...
Strathmore Presents Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Legendary pop group behind “Jersey Boys” story perform enduring classics
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons bring the powerful falsetto behind such timeless classics as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” to the Music Center at Strathmore on Wednesday, October 15 and Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 8 p.m. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have experienced a resurgence in popularity propelled by the success of the Tony-winning Broadway musical phenomenon “Jersey Boys,” now a feature film helmed by Clint Eastwood. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
This performance is preceded by Oh, What a Night! A Four Seasons Workshop on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 10 a.m. Participants will learn tunes made famous by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons along with topics including song choice, blend, phrasing, vocal technique and expression. This hands-on vocal workshop will be led by outstanding Broadway actor and vocalist Michael Barry. Admission is $65 and can be purchased through Strathmore’s website.
About Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons:
Frankie Valli has toured almost continuously since he rose to fame in 1962 as lead singer of The Four Seasons. Born Francis Castelluccio on May 3, 1934, he grew up in a public housing project in Newark, New Jersey. Band member Bob Gaudio came up with a song that made full use of Valli’s remarkable range, from baritone to falsetto. When the unknown Seasons sang “Sherry” on “American Bandstand,” they became an instant sensation.
From 1962 to 1978, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons sold more than 100 million records. Many of the band’s 71 hits came during the 1960s, and include 40 in the Top 40, 19 in the Top 10, and eight No. 1s. In 1990, Frankie Valli and the original Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Four Seasons’ music was featured in “The Sopranos” and Valli himself guest-starred in seasons five and six as mobster Rusty Millio. His songs have been featured in such movies as The Deer Hunter, Dirty Dancing, Mrs. Doubtfire, Conspiracy Theory, and The Wanderers. As many as 200 artists have covered “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” from Nancy Wilson’s jazz treatment to Lauryn Hill’s hip-hop makeover.
After the best-selling Jersey Boys Original Broadway Cast Recording went platinum, “Jersey Boys” became the first Broadway show to produce a holiday album, Seasons Greetings: A Jersey Boys Christmas. The franchise was extended further with Jersey Babys: The Music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons for Kids.
The “Jersey Boys” excitement prompted Valli to salute the decade that made him a star with his 2012 studio album Romancing The ’60s.
About Strathmore:
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The hallmark of the arts center is the Music Center at Strathmore, a 1,976-seat concert hall and education complex. The Music Center at Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda, MD, one half-mile north of the Capital Beltway and immediately adjacent to the Grosvenor-Strathmore station on Metro’s Red Line. For those attending a ticketed performance at the Music Center at Strathmore, parking in the Metro garage is complimentary with your ticket.