Bob Gaudio recalls his time as one of the original Four Seasons

By BRUCE DANCIS
Sacramento Bee
Friday, August 31, 2007

So how did a vocal quartet from Newark, N.J., record hit after hit in the 1960s after pop music had been taken over by Motown singers and British Invasion rock bands?

Part of the story of the Four Seasons is told in the hit musical "Jersey Boys," but for additional insights, we turned to original member Bob Gaudio, the singer-keyboardist who co-wrote (with producer Bob Crewe) the Four Seasons' first four No. 1 hits -- "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man" and "Rag Doll."

In addition to his work with the Four Seasons, Gaudio wrote Valli's solo smash "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" as well as hits for the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden") and the Walker Brothers ("The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore").

As a producer, Gaudio, 65, who splits his time between Nashville, Tenn., and New York, has worked with such music immortals as Frank Sinatra (the "Watertown" album), Neil Diamond (six albums), Barbra Streisand (her and Diamond's duet on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"), Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson and Barry Manilow.

A conversation:

Q: It seems to me that there were two keys to the Four Seasons' success: Frankie Valli's totally distinctive voice and your instantly catchy songs that were perfect for AM radio of the early and mid-'60s. What do you think?

A: That's very accurate. It's pretty much the combination. It was a good marriage, and as it turns out now, maybe even a great marriage (laughs). ... We were just in tune.

Q: From some of the histories I've read, you guys were just functioning as a backup group for some of the artists Bob Crewe was recording, and then you came up with "Sherry," it was recorded, played on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" and became an instant success. Is that accurate?

A: It sounds so easy (deadpan). That's essentially the truth. ...We had three or four songs picked out and at the last minute, along comes "Sherry." It came together in 15 minutes before driving down to a rehearsal. It was essentially that simple. I mean, I'd like to make it seem a lot more dramatic (laughs). ... It's pretty dramatic in the show, though, when you actually see it on the stage.

Q: It's striking to me that not only were "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" both No. 1 on the pop charts in 1962, but also No. 1 on the R&B charts. Why do you think you guys clicked with an African-American audience?

A: A couple of reasons. Frankie and I and Joe Pesci, our little Newark clique, hung out with guys like (R&B singer) Little Jimmy Scott. He was an amazing, soulful singer. We were always in that world. We had a certain savvy and love for it. It was very influential in my writing and Frankie's singing.

Q: To survive in a scene where you had the British Invasion bands, Motown and, to a lesser extent, folk rock, how did the Four Seasons' music change? I do hear a Motown influence by 1965.

A: Yeah, "Working My Way Back to You," "Let's Hang On" -- stuff like that took on a more rhythmic sound, more of a Motown-band sound. You're not so much planning to do that kind of thing, it's just that you're as influenced as anyone else by what you just heard on the radio. And we toured with some of these groups. You're influenced by watching them and hearing them. And it rubs off a bit, as I suspect some of our stuff rubbed off on other people.

Q: Later on, during your mid-'70s comeback, you seemed to be adapting a disco beat to your sound.

A.: I never went in intentionally to make a club record. All of our records had a certain signature drum lick, or fills. ... Our records have always been rhythmic. So "Who Loves You" and "December '63," I just consider them rhythm records. The fact is they are dance records, but are they club records? I don't think they fall into (a category like) "C'est Chic" or something like that. "Who Loves You" did definitely get play initially in clubs and did very well. But it wasn't a club (phenomenon).

(Bruce Dancis can be reached at bdancis(at)sacbee.com)