Courtesy of movementbureau.blogs.com
Bob Crewe, the lyrical genius behind Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, died on Thursday, September 11th, at 83. His brother, Dan Crewe, officially announced his passing on Saturday. “He had a wonderful career and I’m sorry he has passed, but I’m glad he’s out of his discomfort… He was not able to function, and for a guy who was so creative, it was not an easy life.” The Jersey-born songwriter died in Scarborough, Maine, due to complications from a fall he suffered four years ago. Crewe was recently reintroduced to the public through Jersey Boys, for which he wrote the soundtrack. The Broadway musical and the film (directed by Clint Eastwood) both feature a character based on Crewe.
Crewe first started writing music professionally in the 50’s after he quit his pursuit of architecture at Parsons School of Design in New York. He met the Four Seasons (at that time, The Four Lovers), in 1960 while scouting for a backup band to perform his demos. Soon after hiring them, he reconstructed Valli and the rest into the Four Seasons, a name inspired by a nightclub/bowling alley where they auditioned. Crewe co-wrote and produced many of their chart-topping hits, including “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore),” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and most notably, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in 1967 and “My Eyes Adored You” in 1974. The same year, Crewe collaborated with Kenny Nolan to write “Lady Marmalade,” a hit popularized by Patti LaBelle.
While most of Crewe’s creativity debuted between the 50’s and 70’s, Jersey Boys (the musical about The Four Seasons’ lives and careers) highlighted his work and the lives of the Four Seasons’ members for a modern audience. Franki Valli and Bob Gaudio released a statement commemorating the writer. “Bob Crewe’s lyrics have meant so much, to so many, for so long, it is hard to imagine they will ever be forgotten… (He) had a way about him in life as he did in the studio, a charismatic personality, an ability to draw the best out of everyone and a limitless joy of music, art and life… We will never forget Bob Crewe our partner, our brother, our good friend in life.”