Bob Crewe - The Early 1960s

The Early 1960s

As a solo singer, Bob Crewe recorded in 1961 a pair of albums, one of which included a Ralph Burns-produced swing version of Yale University's signature "The Whiffenpoof Song." The record became a major hit in New York and led to Crewe's receiving "teen heartthrob" coverage in such popular teen magazines as 16 Magazine and to guest appearances with Mickey Rooney and Connie Francis on such TV variety shows as the Emmy-winning The Revlon Revue.

In the early 1960s, Bob Crewe began writing with Bob Gaudio, who had risen to fame at age 15 when, as a member of the Royal Teens, he co-wrote the hit "Short Shorts." The first Crewe-Gaudio collaboration, "Sherry," was written by Gaudio and produced by Crewe. It became a #1 single in 1962 for The Four Seasons (fronted by Frankie Valli). The pair wrote many other songs for the group, including the #1 hits "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Rag Doll" and "Walk Like a Man," as well as "Ronnie", "Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)" and "Connie-O."

Crewe collaborated with Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell on The Four Seasons hit "Let's Hang On!." The Four Seasons were also the first to record the enduring Crewe-Gaudio composition "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", later covered virtually note-for-note by the American singing group The Walker Brothers, who recorded their #1 selling version in England; their version made the American Top 10 as well. The Crewe-Gaudio collaborations capitalized on the extraordinary and distinctive voice of Frankie Valli, who could effortlessly swoop to a soaring, piercing, emotionally-expressive falsetto that became one of the emblematic and widely-imitated sounds of the era. Record sales racked up by The Four Seasons are estimated as being between anywhere from 100 million to 199 million.

As the "Four Seasons sound" became more and more defined, other signature touches emerged, including dense but pristine-sounding percussion, military-sounding march cadences and drum-stomp of "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man," and the other-worldly glissandos of "Candy Girl". The sophisticated harmonic patterns of The Four Seasons punctuated by the distinctive falsetto of Frankie Valli were at once classic and innovative, as were Crewe's use of a melancholy harmonica in "Big Man in Town" and the space-era organ of "Save It For Me".

In addition to his work with The Four Seasons, Crewe also oversaw recording sessions by such artists as Dee Dee Sharp, the Orlons, and Ben E. King. He also cowrote "Navy Blue" (with Bud Rehak and Eddie Rambeau) and produced the record for singer Diane Renay. Renay's recording made the top ten on the US pop chart in early 1964, and number one on the adult contemporary chart.

In 1960, he appeared as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven, starring Skip Homeier and set on the Sunset Strip of West Hollywood.