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. As the play enters its third sold-out year on Broadway, and two touring companies of Jersey Boys travel around the U.S., the real Frankie Valli is packing concert halls coast to coast.

But please don’t say that Frankie is back. The truth is, he never went away. Sure, the majority of the 71 chart hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (including 40 in the Top 40, 19 in the Top 10 and eight No. 1’s) came during the 1960s, but the music didn’t just disappear. He has toured almost continuously since 1962, and his songs have been omnipresent in such movies as The Deer Hunter, Dirty Dancing, Mrs. Doubtfire, Conspiracy Theory and The Wanderers. As many as 200 artists have done cover versions of Frankie’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” from Nancy Wilson’s jazz treatment to Lauryn Hill’s hip-hop makeover.

Born Francis Castelluccio on May 3, 1934, he grew up in a public housing project—Stephen Crane Village—on the tough streets of Newark, New Jersey. That’s not easy in the best of circumstances, and hanging out in Newark was certainly not the best of circumstances. Several of Frankie’s friends did stints in jail for small-time robberies, including two buddies, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, who would later become original members of the Four Seasons. If you didn’t watch out, Frankie says, “you could wind up in the trunk of a car.”

Fortunately, Frankie’s friends discovered that making music was a good way to stay out of jail and car trunks. Frankie was known around the neighborhood for having the voice of an angel. Singing in various groups throughout the 1950’s, it wasn’t until 1962, when the unknown Seasons sang “Sherry” on American Bandstand, they suddenly became the hottest band in the land, and after nine years as a recording artist, Frankie Valli became an “overnight” sensation with a No. 1 record. The sound of “Sherry” was unlike anything else on the airwaves. “Many R&B groups had used falsetto as part of their background harmonies,” explains Frankie, “but we were different because we put the falsetto out front and made it the lead.”

The group released one smash after another: Big Girls Don’t Cry” , “Walk Like a Man.” “Dawn (Go Away),” “Ronnie,” “Rag Doll,” “Save It For Me,” “Big Man in Town”, “Bye Bye Baby (Baby, Goodbye).” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, Who Loves You” and “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” From 1962 to 1978, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons sold more than 100 million records, even before the invention of the compact disc prompted Seasons collectors to buy the hits all over again. For decades after their heyday, Frankie and the Seasons continued to be a top concert draw, and radio constantly played their classics, not to mention the new remixes that kept popping up on the charts. In 1990 Frankie and the other original Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only five years after the Hall opened for business.

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