FRANKIE VALLI

Frankie Valli…A true American pop music icon. His incredible career as a solo artist and with the Four Seasons has produced 19 top ten hits and sold over 100 million records world wide. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and named longevity champ of the rock era by Billboard Magazine.

Possessed of one of the most distinctive voices in all of Rock and Roll, Frankie Valli continues to dazzle. Inspired by fellow New Jersey native, Frank Sinatra, and such jazz influences as the Hi-Lo's and the Four Freshman, Frankie Valli always knew he wanted to perform. "We used to sing around the Newark area where I grew up." Valli recalls. "I'd always wanted to be a singer, ever since my mother took me to see Sinatra at the Paramount Theatre in New York as a kid. I decided then and there that's what I was going to do…be a successful singer."

While remaining steadfastly devoted to the Four Seasons, Frankie Valli decided to branch out with his own solo record. In 1966 he scored a Top 40 hit with "You're Gonna Hurt Yourself." That same year the Four Seasons reached the number three spot on the pop charts with "Let's Hang On."

Frankie Valli has continued to woo audiences throughout the world both with his recordings and live performances for almost four decades, truly making him one of rock and roll's most enduring performers.

CONNIE FRANCIS

At merely age 4, Concetta Rosemarie Franconero made her debut at Olympic Park in Irvington, New Jersey, singing "Anchors Away," while accompanying herself on the accordion. Connie developed a love for music from the first time her father, George, played the concertina that his father brought from Italy in 1905. From that point on, music became Connie's world. Connie's father took her to every radio and television audition in existence so she could reap the benefits and experiences of live performances. Little did young Concetta fathom that she would become the world's most popular female singer and the number one best selling female recording artist of all time.

In her early teens she was sought after to make demo recordings for music publishers who were impressed with her distinctive voice. However, at the sessions she was told deliberately to imitate other artists for whom they wanted to pitch their songs.

January 1, 1958 was a day like no other. With the flick of a switch, Connie became a star. Dick Clark introduced "Who's Sorry Now?" on "American Bandstand" and told its 8 million viewers that Connie Francis is "a new girl singer that " that is heading straight for the number one spot." Clark played the song until it sold 1 million copies. Connie was voted the "The Best Female Vocalist" by "American Bandstand" that year, and every succeeding year for the next four years of the polls existence by write in viewers.