Rants and Raves . . .

February 6th, Posting Updated

Last night's show at the City Playhouse entitled New Jersey Nights was electrifying!  We were all were enthralled as the young singer, Paul Fracassi, and his band began to sing and give tribute to Frankie Valli. Paul was one of the 40 finalists on Canadian Idol, Season 5.  I sat listening and singing along with him. Multiple times Paul walked down from the stage to summon audience participate with singing along melodies. 

During the show, Paul stopped to ask the audience trivia questions about Franki Valli and The Four Seasons. Some of these questions were as follows:

Which musical theme song was made popular as the opening song to a classic movie and became a number 1 hit for Franki Valli?
The answer is Grease.  

Who was the lead guitarist in this hit? No one knew this answer to this one!
The answer is Eric Clapton.

Who had a number one hit before the Beatles, during the Beatles, and after the Beatles? 
The answer is Franki Valli and The Four Seasons! 

Who was supposed to sing "Don't Be Cruel" even before Elvis?
Bob Crewe produced but never sang. Nor did he support his friend Franki (who had also recorded "Don't Be Cruel") which was ultimately released by Elvis. A few years later, Bob redeemed himself by Producing The Four Seasons FIRST release that also went to Number 1. The song was "Sherry"!!

After the show we had a private Thornhill Lodge gathering that included coffee and an assortment of gourmet desserts, where Paul Fracassi joined us and even stopped to take pictures with Faye and Karen.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to Faye & Murray Major for a job well done!

Bella and Phil Wasserman