The Four Seasons earn their first 1 hit with Sherry
Frankie Valli (born Francis Casteluccio) had been hard at work trying to become a star for the better part of a decade before the Four Seasons achieved their breakthrough.They had come together as a group in several stages over the previous four years changing their name in 1961 from the Four Lovers after failing an audition at a New Jersey bowling alley called The Four Seasons.It was keyboard player Bob Gaudio who wrote the song that would launch the groups career.
He later told Billboard magazine that he banged out Sherry in 15 minutes before a scheduled rehearsal.Without a tape recorder Gaudio explained I drove down to rehearsal humming it trying to keep it in my mind.I had no intention of keeping the lyrics [but] to my surprise everybody liked them so we didnt change anything.Sherry was released as a single in August 1962 and made it all the way to the top of the pop charts just four weeks later on September 15.
In the next six months the Four Seasons would earn two more 1 hits with Big Girls Dont Cry and Walk Like A Man making them the only American group ever to earn three consecutive 1 hits.Rag Doll gave the group its fourth 1 in the summer of 1964 and many other Top 40 hits followed in the subsequent 12 years before the Four Seasons made a triumphant return to the top of the pop charts with their fifth 1 hit December 1963 (Oh What A Night) in March 1976.
