Like in the Jersey Boys movie, the true story reveals that they came up with the name after auditioning for a cocktail lounge gig in a large suburban bowling alley in Union, New Jersey in early 1961.
Parade Magazineĭid they really change the name of their group to The Four Seasons after seeing the name on a bowling alley sign? 'We were so afraid that if anybody found out we had members who'd done time, radio and record companies wouldn't have anything to do with us,' says the real Frankie Valli. Instead, the band put forth a clean-cut image that mainstream audiences embraced without hesitation. The media never caught wind of the group's sordid history, a detail that in the 1960s would have likely kept them from becoming stars. If you come out alive, that's an achievement.' -Vegas Seven 'I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed of it. 'Yeah, I went to jail seven or eight times,' says DeVito. Tommy DeVito, portrayed by Vincent Piazza in the movie, was in and out of prison. Several of The Four Seasons members had been behind bars at one time or another, most notably Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. Despite Joe Pesci having been friends with The Four Seasons members, specifically Tommy DeVito, the character named Tommy DeVito that Joe Pesci plays in director Martin Scorsese's 1990 film Goodfellas is not based on The Four Seasons band member.ĭid some of The Four Seasons members really have prison records?
